IDLI SAMBHAR

My first few months in US were mixer/grinder less days. Being a south indian and a big fan of "I hate Chappathi" club, I used to crave for hot idlis and dosas. Atlast after a big hunt I bought a blender. After all the phone calls to my mom about the proportion and consistency, the attempt to make idli was such a disaster. It then took me several tries to come somewhere close to the kind of idlis my Mom makes at home.


Preparation Time: 1 day
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Ingredients:

Section 1:
For Idli:
4 cups idli rice
1 cup urad dal
1 teaspoon fenugreek
Salt to taste

Method

Soak rice, urad dal and fenugreek along with salt for 6 - 7 hours.
Grind it to a smooth paste.
Keep the batter overnight to ferment.
Pour this batter using a laddle to the idli plates and steam it for 7-8 mins.

Section 2:
For Sambhar:

1/2 cup toor dal
1/4 cup moon dal
1 small onion, chopped
1 small tomato, chopped
1 small potato, chopped
1 brinjal, chopped
2 green chillies, chopped
1/2 teaspoon chilly powder
3/4 corriander powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
Curry leaves
Cilantro, chopped
Mustard
2 red chillies
Oil
Salt to taste

Method:

Heat oil in a pressure cooker and fry the moon dal until the it turns golden. It should not turn brown.
To this add toor dal, vegetables, salt and pressure cook it.
Add chilly powder, corriander powder, turmeric powder to the cooked vegetables and let it boil for sometime.
Heat oil in a tava. Add mustard and let it splutter. To it add red chillies, curry leaves and cilantro. Pour Sambhar into this and switch off the stove.