Treats and Tantra featured dish of the day by Jaya.
We had a meet up at Jude and Peter’s house to share our yoga experiences and everyone got some food. I knew I couldn’t go wrong with idli and chutney. Idli is full of proteins with the lentil contents in it and the coconut in chutney is really healthy too. Fermented foods like idli are excellent as they provide good bacteria that improve our gut health. Here is the recipe girls.
Idli
Ingredients
- Idli batter (I buy the idli batter from any of the Indian shops in Sandringham. It is usually kept in the refrigerator and is widely available. After various attempts at making my own, I deduced that fermentation takes days and is very difficult especially in the cold Auckland weather so it’s better to buy.)
- Salt to taste
- Coconut oil
- Curry leaves and mustard seeds (optional)
Method
- Take the amount of idli batter depending on the size of the idli moulds in a separate container. Add the salt then mix well. I recommend another container because once the batter is salted, it does not last for long. By only salting the needed batter, you could refrigerate the rest for a week.
- Add 2 inches of water in the idli steamer vessel (also available at Indian shops) and bring to boil. Simultaneously, grease the moulds with coconut oil and spoon portions of batter in the moulds. I added a cashew and a coriander leaf on top.
- Keep the idli moulds in the steamer. Cover and steam the idlis for approx 15 minutes.
- If the idli from the top most mould comes out clean with a spoon they are ready. So take the moulds out and scoop the idlis with a spoon.
- For some plain idlis, I heated 2 Tbsp oil in a pan, put the mustard seeds and curry leaves and stirred it for a few seconds until the mustard seeds split. I poured this mixture on top of the plain idlis. This variety provides an easy option for those who don’t like nuts in their food and also tastes very authentic.
Coconut chutney
I have tried numerous coconut chutney recipes found online, but in my opinion the way my Mom makes it is surely the simplest and the yummiest by far. Here is her recipe:
Ingredients
- 1 cup grated coconut
- Handful of peanuts
- Few coriander leaves
- 1 lemon, freshly squeezed
- Salt to taste
- 1 green chilli (optional)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 Tbsp mustard seeds
- Few curry leaves
Method
- Add the grated coconut, peanuts, coriander, water, salt and lemon juice in a food processor and process until it becomes a smooth paste.
- Prepare the tempering by heating the oil and adding mustard leaves and curry leaves and stir till the mustard seeds crackle. Pour this tempering over the chutney.