Idly

Idly with Coconut Chutney

Idly are a steamed cake made out of fermented rice and black lentils (which have been dehusked).
I grew up eating Idly. I remember as a kid, we would have them on the weekend. I had (have?) a sweet tooth, so I would dip them in sugar. I don't crave them sweet much more, I rather prefer them with a nice curry or coconut chutney.

Making Idly is relatively simple, but you need some equipment.

First and foremost, you need an idly mold. You can find them at south Indian stores, but they can be a little difficult to come buy. Basically, it is a small metal plate with four round molds in it, with holes at the bottom. Usually, you can buy an idly "tree", with four or five of these metal plates stacked one on top of the other.

Second, you need idly batter. Making idly batter from scratch can be a real pain if you don't have the right equipment, so I opt to purchase pre-made batter.

If you want to make it from scratch, you will need a really powerful electrical blender, a stone grinder and depending on your local climate, a warming oven. You will need de-husked black lentils, which can be purchased at an Indian store. Next, you will need to ferment the lentils and rice, usually accomplished by soaking them in water overnight. The next day, you need to grind the rice and lentil into a paste. Traditionally, this is accomplished by a purchasing an electric stone grinder (imagine you Kitchen aid with a massive stone grinder as an attachment). Needless to say, I have not found any of those here in the US. My aunt shipped one over from Kerala when she was there one summer. My mom found a massive powerful blender, the BlendTec, which works wonderful! Next, you have to let the batter ferment overnight. In a tropical climate like south India, that is easily accomplished by placing a cloth over the batter and leaving it out overnight. If you are in a colder environment, you will have to put the batter in an oven or a warming oven for a few hours at extremely low heat.

Third, a large 16 quart stock pot, preferably with a glass or clear lid. My fiancee went to India, and found an idly mold, which came with its own pressure cooker pot. The problem with it was that the lid was on so tight after steaming, that it really was a pain to take the lid off. Also, it was difficult to check when the idlys were done. I found that adding water to a stock pot and placing the idly molds in them is a better way to go, as you can check to see if the idly are done, and add water as necessary.

Again, try your local Indian store, but most will have pre-made batter that comes in yogurt sized tubs. It works really good! You could also try some dry idly powder mixes, where you simply add water and then steam. These work okay.

I find the magic number is to fill a large stock pot with 6 cups of water. Grease the molds. Traditionally, you would use a bit of ghee, but if you don't have ghee, a little bit of vegetable oil works fine (or even PAM in a pinch). Place the idly batter in the molds, place the molds in the stock pot with the water, making sure that the water doesn't enter into the filled molds and steam for 11 minutes. After 11 minutes, you can check on the idly by pressing your finger into it. If it appears spongy, then your idly is done!

I usually have my idly with coconut chutney.

Baked Tofu cubes

My friend Jill is a great cook and cooks mostly vegetarian food. Its rather yummy! She gave me this tofu recipe and it is delicious! It is extremely versatile. I usually use this tofu when I am making a vegetable stir fry, but you can also cut the tofu into different shapes and use in a bunch of different things...Try chucking some in a leafy green salad. Or stir fry them with eggplants and sesame seeds to make another stirfry.





Ingredients
1 16 oz block of extra firm tofu
1/2 cup soy sauce
a dash of brandy or brown sugar

Make a marinade by mixing the soy sauce and the brandy in a bowl.


Drain and rinse the block of tofu. Set it on a clean dish towel (you can use paper towels in a pinch) on a rimmed dinner plate. Place another plate on top. Weigh it down with something heavy--a dumbbell, a heavy can of tomatoes, anything will do. I used a heavy iron skillet and 3 cans of pasta. Let it sit for 15-30 minutes. This will press out some of the liquid.

Cut the tofu into pieces. You can made any shape you want, some of the shapes I have made are:

• Cubes for croutons
• Flat squares for sandwiches
• Thick sticks for dipping
• Thin sticks for stir frys

I usually go with cubes or flat squares (This way I can cut the flat squares them down to strips, or I can keep them as cubes).

Place the cut up tofu in a shallow dish, add the marinade. Let the marinade sit for at least 30 minutes, flipping a few times so that the marinade is absorbed evenly. The longer you let the tofu marinate, the deeper the flavor will be.

Preheat your oven to 350.  Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with oil or a nonstick spray. Cook for 10 minutes, then flip the cubes over and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Continue the cooking and flipping process every 10 minutes until the tofu is baked as you like it. The longer you bake it, the more the tofu will shrink, the texture will become chewier and the flavor will become more concentrated.

Remove from oven and cool.

Istu (South Indian Coconut Stew With Potatoes)

I grew up eating Istu.
I never really thought much about it, but after I moved to college, I really began to appreciate my mom's Istu. When work took me to Chennai, in southern India, I began to really crave Istu in the morning. Unfortunately, Istu is a Kerala recipe, and wasn't available in Chennai.

I made it a point to learn this recipe...Its delicious.

I have made this with fresh curry leaves and frozen curry leaves. I have to tell you, the difference is night and day. So, if you can get hold of a curry plant, or fresh curry leaves, use them!

Ingredients
3 large to medium sized Red Potatoes
1/2 of a white onion, slivered
1.5 cups coconut milk
1 inch ginger, finely diced
1 green chili (julienne), seeds removed
1.5-2 teaspoons salt
8-10 fresh curry leaves

1. Boil the potatoes "in their jackets" (ie with the skins on). This should take around 15 minutes. You do not want to potatoes super soft, but cooked partially through. The skins should become loose. Drain them and run under cold water. You should be able to easily remove the skins with your hands. If more of the white flesh comes off with the skins, you boiled the potatoes too long. Let them sit for a few minutes after draining so you can handle them.

2. While boiling the potatoes, add coconut milk to a wok or large pot. Heat the coconut milk so it is hot, but not boiling. Add the onions, stir constantly and cook for 30 minutes, until the onions are soft and lost their raw taste.

3. Add ginger, green chili and salt. Give it a good stir.

4. Dice the cooked potatoes. They should be somewhat firm and partially cooked. Take to skinned, cut potatoes and add them to the coconut milk mixture.

5. Cook the potatoes for 20-30 minutes more, on low temperature, stirring gently so the potatoes or coconut milk wont stick to the pan and burn. Make sure the heat is low enough so the coconut milk won't boil. After about 30 minutes, the potatoes will be really soft and have absorbed alot of the flavor of the coconut milk mixture.

6. Remove from heat. Add 8-10 freshly cut curry leaves, give them a good stir and let the curry leaves work their magic for a few minutes before serving them.

I usually heat this with paratha, dosa, idly and or rice and pickle!