Ragi idli

When it comes to new year resolutions, I have finally realized that it is better I do not make any. Until a few years back, the first of January would see me ready to go to the gym or do yoga or some such thing. This enthusiasm would last, at best for about a week to ten days, after which it would fizzle out gradually. This year, I have no resolutions as such, but I do hope to include more millets, whole grains and natural foods in our diet. Blog wise too, I hope to do certain things, which you will read about in the course of the next three days when I will doing the Blogging Marathon under the theme New Year Challenge.
Ragi or finger millet is one of the millet varieties that I am most familiar with, given that it is the first solid food that I introduced my child to. Rich in nutrients, this millet is consumed in various forms - as a drink (ragi kanji/ragi malt), flatbread (ragi roti), dosa and idli. The recipe that I will be sharing today is an easy one for ragi idli.

What you need:
Urad dal - 1 cup
Methi seeds - 1 tsp
Idli rice - 3 cups
Ragi flour - 1 cup
Salt - to taste

Wash well and soak the rice and dal separately in plenty of water. Soak the methi seeds along with the dal. In a grinder, first grind the urad dal, adding water, a little at a time, until the dal turns light and fluffy(approximately 25-30 minutes). Add the rice to it and grind again until the grains are well ground and the batter is smooth. Add water, as necessary, to give the batter a thick, pourable consistency. Add salt and ragi flour. Grind for a few minutes so that everything gets mixed together well.
Pour into a large bowl, making sure that there is plenty of place for the batter to ferment and rise in the bowl. Cover and leave in a warm place to ferment overnight.

To make idlis:
Grease idli plates. Heat water in the idli steamer. Pour the batter into the idli plates and steam for 8-10 minutes. Let cool for a minute or two and then remove the idlis from the idli plate.
Serve hot with chutney and sambar.

Do check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 84.

Ammini kozhukkattai - savoury steamed rice flour dumplings

Kozhukkattai is a traditional stuffed dumpling that is made during Ganesh Chaturthi. Grated coconut and jaggery, cooked over low heat with a hint of cardamom thrown in, is stuffed into an outer layer of rice flour dough that is shaped by deft hands into a dumpling. This is then steamed, offered to Ganesha whose favourite sweet it is, and then relished by the family.
Ammini kozhukkattai - the bite sized, savoury version - is almost always made on days when the regular sweet kozhukkattai is made. It probably is a dish that was invented when some resourceful woman decided that she would put the left over rice flour dough to good use.
Having grown up in a household where kozhukattais were(and still are) made at the drop of a hat and not just for Ganesh Chathurti, it is little wonder that this bite sized, savoury version is something that I have fond memories of eating.
The only time when dough is made exclusively for ammini kozhukattai, and not as an after thought to the sweeter modak cousins, is during Navaratri when this is made as Neivedyam/prasadam - an offering to the deity.
 
What you need:
Rice flour - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Salt - to taste

Oil - 2 tsp (preferably coconut oil)
Fresh grated coconut - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Broken red chillies - 2
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Mix rice flour with one cup of water to a thick, smooth paste. Heat the remaining cup of water along with salt in a heavy bottomed, large pan. When the water starts to boil, reduce the heat and add the rice flour paste. Cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture forms a thick ball. Switch off heat. When the dough is warm to the touch, remove it on to a plate, add a teaspoon of coconut oil and knead well. Apply oil on your hands, pinch out small bits of the dough and roll into marble sized balls. Steam these balls in an idli plate/steamer for 8-10 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes after switching off the heat.
In a pan, heat a teaspoon of coconut oil. Add urad dal, chana dal and broken red chillies. When the dals start to brown, add the mustard seeds. When the seeds pop, add in the curry leaves and the grated coconut. Saute on low heat till the coconut turns reddish brown. Add the cooked kozhukkattais to this. Mix well and heat for 2-3 minutes.
Enjoy as an evening snack or a light tiffin.

Variations : Omit grated coconut. Knead in some red chilli powder to the dough and then proceed with the recipe.
For the recipe of the sweet version of kozhukattai, click here.
This is my second recipe for Blogging Marathon #29, showcasing Kerala Iyer snacks.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#29
 

Kanjeevaram idli

This recipe is adapted from Mallika Badrinath's Tiffin Varieties.

What you need:

Idli rice/parboiled rice - 1 cup
Urad dal - 1 cup
Salt
Black peppercorns - 1 tsp, heaped and crushed lightly
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp, heaped and crushed lightly
Sour, thick curd - 1 - 1.5 cups
Ghee - 2 tsp
Sesame oil - 3 tsp

Soak the rice and dal together in plenty of water for 3 hours. Drain all the water and grind to a thick, rawa consistency. Let it ferment overnight. Refrigerate until you are ready to use.
Just before steaming, add in all the other ingredients and mix well. Steam in an idli mould.
Serve with sambar/chutney/ molaga podi.

What I think of this recipe:
It is very soft - softer than regular idlis, most probably because of the curd and oil added to it. The texture is somewhere between that of rawa idli and regular idli. Taste wise, the only difference between this and a regular idli is the spiciness that comes from the pepper and the mild flavour and smell from the cumin.
What my little girl thinks of this recipe:
"Amma, don't make idli with this mavu (batter). Make it with white mavu."
That said, she ate it without further comment. For now, Iam content with that.