Idli – Sambhar with Onion & Tomato Chutney

This is an ideal breakfast for any day but I had made it especially for my SIL and brother whom I met after almost 2 years. This is an all time favorite of S and  even he was  demanding it for quite some time. Finally I made  and it turned out really good.  Idli with sambhar and chutney is a very healthy meal as the Idli is steam cooked so has no oil and it’s easy to digest. It makes a good meal for ill people for the same reason.

After tasting it, my brother commented also, that we have Idli in all the best restaurant’s in London( he mentioned Sarvana Bhavan too) but they can’t make what you have made . I do not want to sound that I am boasting about myself but it’s true that today I make them better than my MIL, who is an extremely talented cook, from whom I started learning the South Indian cooking. Over the years I have experimented with the proportions of the ingredients and have come up with various proportions which make soft textured Idlis. And surely I will share them gradually with every one.

Idlis remind me of my favorite Idli joint in Chennai – The Murugan. When we used to live there, almost 2-3 times a month we would visit this place and hog on those gorgeous Idlis. They serve Idli with four diffent kind of Chutneys and Sambhar. Of all the chutneys, I loved a cooked version of the tomato chutney they served, and I am still hunting for it’s recipe. If anyone reading this blog knows how to make it, please share it with me.

I had made another cooked version of tomato chutney, but with the onions. We all love this chutney a lot and this is a versatile chutney as it can be spread on bread to make a Sandwich or can be eaten with Chapati as a side dish. It’s tangy and spicy and breaks the monotony of eating Idli only with the  traditional coconut chutney. It can be cooked really quick and asks for very few ingredients, but the end result is guaranteed. My brother liked it too.

The Sambhar I make is a Kannadiga version and has a delicate flavor of cinnamon. For the recipe of my version of Sambhar Masala click here. This is my MIL’s version of the masala and is really good.

Ingredients for Tomato-Onion Chutney
1 medium onion roughly chopped
1 large tomato roughly chopped
2 small lines of curry leaves
1 small spoon  of fenugreek seeds
2 large garlic pods
6-7 bedagi chilies
salt to taste
2-3 tsp thick tamarind pulp
3 tsp oil to cook
1 tsp oil for tempering
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of heeng (asafoetida)

Method

Heat oil and add fenugreek seeds, followed by red chilies, curry leaves and garlic. Immediately add onions and cook till translucent. Add salt and tomatoes. Cook till tomatoes are done. Cool and grind it with the tamarind paste.

Now heat oil for tempering and mustard and asafoetida. Pour it over the chutney.

I am sending this chutney to Think Spice- Think Red Chilies hosted by Laxmi Venkatesh of Kitchen Chronicles and is the brain child of Sunita Bhuyan of Sunita’s World


Ingredients for Idli-
Serves 4
2 1/2  cups Idli Rice
1 cup Urad dal (split black lentil)
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 cup cooked rice (I used sona masoori)
Method

Soak the rice and soak the lentil along with the fenugreek seeds separately for 3-4 hrs.

Grind the rice coarsely to a fine semolina like state using water.

Grind the lentil finely to a smooth paste also grind the cooked rice to a smooth paste.

Combine the three and adjust the consistency by adding water. It should be of a pouring consistency.

Leave it covered to ferment overnight.

Add salt to the fermented mix and mix properly.

Grease the idli  mould and pour the batter in it.

Steam cook the Idlis without putting weight  in a covered utensil or pressure cooker  for 10-12 mins.

Let the idlis cool  a little and then remove then run a knife or a spoon along the edges of the idli and remove them.

Ingredients For Sambhar

1 cup Toor dal (split pigeon peas)
2 onions sliced
2 strings curry leaves
3-4 tbsp sambhar masala
oil to cook
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp turmeric
tamarind paste to taste
salt to taste
1/2 tsp asafoetida
Method

Cook the lentil in a pressure cooker till it’s soft. (4-5 whistles)

Heat oil and add the mustard seeds and let them splutter then add fenugreek seeds and curry leaves. Add asafoetida and onions. Cook till translucent. Now add the turmeric, sambhar masala, salt and tamarind pulp. Now add the mashed lentils and cook for 2 –3 mins so that the masala gets mixed properly in the dal. Now add water gradually and keep mixing. Bring the sambhar to a boil then simmer and cook for another 5-7 mins. Add chopped cilantro.

I am sending this to  It’s Vegan world- Indian hosted by Erbe in Cucina and is the brainchild of Vaishali .