iCookiPost

Kanchipuram is a temple city in the state of Tamil Nadu and it is very famous for hand woven silk sarees.This idli is a speciality of kanchipuram and it is  unique in taste.This recipe is adapted from Sanjeev kapoor’s Cookbook “DAKSHIN DELIGHTS”.According to him,Steamed foods are healthy and retain nutrients,flavor,color and can be prepared without oil,butter or salt.This spicy iddli goes well with sambhar or coconut chutney.

Ingredients

1. Idli Rice – 1 cup
2. Split Black gram dal (Urad dal) – 1/2 cup
3. Split Bengal gram dal(Chana dal) – 2 tsp
4. Fenugreek seeds (uluva) – 3/4 tsp
5. Black pepper corns – 20
6. Turmeric Powder –1 tsp
7. Asafoetida powder – a pinch
8. Yogurt – 1 cup
9. Ghee –1/2 cup
10. Salt –to taste
11. Banana leaves(tender) – a few

Preparation

1. Soak rice and split black gram separately for 4 hours.Drain and grind to a smooth paste with sufficient water to make a thick batter.
2. Add turmeric powder,pepper corns,split bengal gram dal,asafoetida,yogurt,ghee and salt.
3. Mix well and let it stand overnight to ferment.
4. Whip the batter and adjust the consistency.The batter should be fairly thick.
5. Heat sufficient water in a iddli steamer.line the idli moulds with the banana leaves and pour the batter into them.
6. Place them in a steamer and steam for about 15 minutes or till done.
7. Serve with sambhar and coconut chutney

Spinach (Palak) is very nutritious and good for health. It is a very good source of iron. My daughter likes this green chappathi  and you can have this with any type of vegetable curry. We had this with bhindi masala and it tastes great. If you are one of those amateur cooks who do not even know how to make normal chappathis, then watch this video first

Ingredients

1. Palak (spinach) – 1 bunch
2. Wheat Flour – 1 cup
3. Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
4. Red chilly powder – 1 tsp
5. Asafoetida – 1pinch
6. Curd – 2tbsp
7. Oil– 2tsp
8. Salt
9. Oil – for frying 

Preparation

1. Remove stalks of spinach and wash thoroughly. Blanch spinach till it wilts(shrinks and turns darker green). Drain and let it cool and then grind it into a fine paste.
2. Add Turmeric powder, red chilly powder, asafoetida,curd and salt to the flour and mix gently using hand.
3. Finally add spinach paste to it. Knead well into a smooth and soft dough.
4. Keep covered with a damp cloth for 30 minutes.
5. Divide dough into equal sized balls.On a floured board roll a ball of dough into a flat round circle.
6. Heat a griddle and fry till both sides are medium brown.
7. Serve with curry and use pickle to make it more yummy.

Ingredients

1. Wheat flour  – 2 cups
2. Baking powder – 1/4 tsp
3. Curd – 1 tbsp
4. Egg – 1
5. Salt – 1/4 tsp
6. Ghee – 1 1/2  tsp
7. Water – as required
8. Oil

Preparation

1. Mix wheat flour (or you can use all purpose flour) with baking powder and salt and sieve it to get mixed well.
2. Add egg, salt, ghee ,curd, water into it  and knead into a soft dough.
3. Cover and keep aside for at least  2 hours.By that time dough becomes soft and fluffy.
4. Make small balls and roll into thick rounds like we do for making  puris.
5. Deep fry in oil till both sides are light brown.
6. Serve with Chole Masala.