इडली (Idli)

साहित्य:

• २ वाटया तांदूळ,
• १/२ वाटी उडीद डाळ
• १/४ चमचे मेथ्याचे दाणे
• मुठभर पोहे / तयार शिजवलेला भात (optional)

कृती :
तांदूळ आणि उडीद डाळ वेग-वेगळी भिजत घालावी.उडीद डाळीबरोबरच मेथ्याचे दाणे भिजवावेत. साधारण ६ ते ८ तास भिजल्यावर mixer मधून पहिल्यांदा तांदूळ मग उडीद डाळ आणि मग दोन्ही एकत्र बारीक करून घ्यावे. तांदूळ बारीक होण्यासाठी  जरा जास्त वेळ लागेल.

वरील मिश्रण १० ते १२ तास भांड्यात झाकून ठेवावे.
इडली करताना त्यात चवीप्रमाणे मीठ आणि २ चमचे  कढवून गार केलेले तेल घालावे. मग  इडली पात्राला तेल लावून त्यावर मिश्रण घालावे म्हणजे इडल्या खाली चिकटणार नाहीत.

१५ ते २० वाफवल्यानंतर बाहेर काढून सांबार आणि नारळाच्या चटणी बरोबर खायला द्याव्या. 

टीप:

१. उडीद आणि तांदूळ जेवढे जास्त वेळ mixer मध्ये फिरवाल तेवढी इडली मऊ होते.

२. उडीद डाळ आणि तांदूळ mixi मध्ये फिरवायच्या आधी तासभर मुठभर पोहे भिजवून तेही वरील मिश्राणाबरोबर बारीक करून घ्यावेत. पोह्याच्या ऐवजी तयार भात घातला तरी चालेल. त्यामुळे इडल्या हलक्या होतात. 

Oven roasted chicken drumsticks

Ingredients:

• 6 chicken drumsticks (leg pieces)
• 1 eggs 
• 1 cup bread crumbs 
• salt and chilly powder to taste.
• Butter 
• 3 Garlic cloves

Over roasted chicken drumsticks

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In bread crumbs add salt & chilly powder , you can add whatever spiced you want.
• Beat the egg & add salt & chilly powder to it.
• In a pan melt the butter, add chopped garlic
• Pour melted butter garlic mixture over the chicken. Dredge the chicken piece by piece in the egg, then the bread crumbs, until all pieces are coated.Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then turn pieces over and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and drain on paper towels. Enjoy!

Curd Rice

I have one South Indian colleague in my office who always bring rice in her lunch box and mostly it is curd or tomato rice. I will post the recipe of tomato rice in other article separately.

Today after heavy breakfast and with the lazy weekend mood, I decided to prepare something light for lunch and the idea of curd rice came to my mind and thought of trying it for the first time. It is very easy-to-make recipe with the guarantee that it will never go wrong. It is specially good to eat in the summer as it can provide soothing feeling to your stomach.

Curd Rice

Ingredients:

• Thick yogurt/curd: 2 cup
• Rice: 1.5 cup
• Green Chili : 3
• coriander

For Seasoning:

• Ghee/Oil: 2-3 Tsp
• Cumin seeds: 1 Tsp
• Mustard seeds : half Tsp
• Asafoetida (Hing)
• Red chili - 2
• Finely chopped ginger : 3/4 Tsp
• White gram (Udid Daal) : 2 Tsp
• Salt to taste
• Sour cream or heavy whipping cream as per taste.

Curd Rice

 Preparation :

1. First whistle the rice in pressure cooker for 3 whistles. Add more water than usual while cooking to make it softer. Let it cool down completely.

2. Now add curd, chopped coriander and green chillies and mix it well. and keep it aside.

3. For Seasoning, Heat the pan and lower the flame. Then add some ghee or oil as per the choice. Ghee gives better taste though. When ghee becomes hot, add cumin seeds, mustard seeds. Let them splutter then add red chillies, chopped ginger, some udid daal and hing.

4. Pour this seasoning to the curd mixed rice.

5. If available, you can add some sour cream or heavy whipping cream. It will give nice rich flavor to your rice.

Notes :

1. Udid daal will give crunchy effect to the rice.

2. If you want to make your rice with more curd-gravy, add some water to your curd before mixing it in rice. If you put sour/whipped cream, it will also solve the purpose.
3. Curd rice tastes great with any pickle, chatni, rayata or even with any daal or meat dish!