Idli Sambar

Idli Sambar is the most delicious and slurpicious breakfast that is out there, originally from south of India. Now it is a well known dish all over the country and the world. It is a known fact that it has very low calories and it is a very metabolic friendly dish. Hot steaming idlis are soft in nature and fluffy in character with pure look (cotton soft white :))

Getting soft idlis depends on lots of factors. For Idli batter to ferment, it needs warm temperature. In tropical region, one need not think about temperature, which is a big advantage. In cold countries, one has to get creative and keep the batter in warmer places overnight to ferment like in the oven with the lights on or in microwave with a glass of hot water or near the vent where it is usually hot when heater is on :) etc. etc. Idli has basically 2 parts, black split gram dal and either rice or idli rava (also known as rice rava) My recipe has Idli rava and making idli is a breeze. When you make with rice, one has to rinse it, dry it and then grind it. Long process..:( Also if you grind it using a stone grinder (wet grinder) the batter ferments more nicely than when one grinds it in a regular blender.  I use a regular grinder and have no complaints :)

Idli's cannot be had alone (because it is bland), it is not a standalone dish :) it needs company, yes! Sambar or Chutney are the best accompaniments an idli can have. My personal favorite is ginger chutney to go with the idli's :) But I enjoy it with sambar and other chutneys too.
Sambar is again a staple curry from south India. It is a blend of mix vegetables cooked and then mixed with sambar masala (few spices), tamarind, jaggery etc and then finished with an aromatic tempering.

One more thing I like about it is that, it is kind of mess free. Kids take an immediate liking to it as it is bland and we can feed them with sugar and ghee or plain ketchup. Since it is very soft in texture, they will not know how many idli's go in their tummies without making any fuss. Easy to carry while taking road trips and going to picnics.

Let us take a look at the Idli recipe and Sambar recipe:

Ingredients:
Idli

• 1 cup black split gram dal (urad dal)
• 2 cups idli rava
• salt as per taste

Sambar:

• 2 cups vegetables chopped/cubed (beans, okra, potato, onion, carrots, drumsticks, eggplant etc- any 4 vegetables should be good enough)
• 1 cup cooked tovar dal
• 1 tsp tamarind pulp
• 1/2 tsp jaggery
• 2-3 tsp sambar powder (I use mtr brand a lot)
• 1 tbsp oil
• salt as per taste

for tempering:

• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 sprigs of curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp asafoetida (hing)
• 2 dry red chillies
• 1 tbsp oil or ghee
• for garnish - grated coconut (optional)

Preparation:

         Idli:

• Soak urad dal overnight or for 6 hours. Wash and drain the water out. Transfer to the blender and add just enough water till the dal is immersed. Grind it in a blender with addition of little water if needed and make a smooth paste (shouldn't be a running batter). If you have a stone grinder, even better :). Transfer the paste to a bigger steel ( if possible) container.
• Now take 2 cups of idli rava in a bowl, add some water till it is immersed. Scoop the idli rava in your palms, squeeze the water out and add the idli rava in the urad dal batter. Repeat the process till all the idli rava is in the batter. Mix the batter nicely, it should have thick consistency. Now add salt, mix it with the batter.
• Leave the mixture in a warm place to ferment for good 6- 8 hours. If the temperature is 90F and above you can do a happy dance :) as the batter will explode after fermentation like this

• If the weather is not cooperating, you can place it in oven, turn the heat to 200F, switch it off and place your batter utensil in the oven overnight or 8-10 hours. 
• In todays' time you can also make it in instant pot very easily too, get the mode on yogurt and keep your batter inside the pot for say 8-10 hrs.
• You will see that the fermented batter increases in volume and becomes very airy and fluffy.
• Now take an idli mould stand and grease it with oil, scoop batter and fill the moulds (do not overfill). Steam it for 12 minutes on med-high heat. 
• Take the mould stand out, let it cool for 2 minutes and then scoop the idli's out. Yeilds around 24-25 idli's.
• Serve hot with Sambar and chutney.

           Sambar:

• In a pan add oil and dump all the chopped vegetables. Saute it for few seconds, and add little water, cover and cook for about 6-7 minutes till they are 3/4 done. Stir in between.
• Add sambar powder, mix with the vegetables and then pour cooked tovar dal, adjust the thickness of the sambar as per your liking by adding water. Stir everything gently.

• Add tamarind pulp, jaggery, salt, and bring to a quick boil. Then simmer the sambar for few more minutes. Taste and adjust tamarind and jaggery as per your liking.
• Make a tempering by heating oil, add mustard seeds, after it splutters add curry leaves, red dry chillies and hing. Pour it over the sambar and cover the lid. Let the steam get infused in the sambar. Serve hot with steaming Idli's or Dosas.

You may also like, Ragi Iddiyapam, Potato Stew, Instant Poha Idli, Plain Dosa, Cilantro Chutney, Ginger Chutney etc.

njoY!! happY cookinG!!



Health Benefits:
Idlis are a great source of carbohydrates and proteins. The fermentation process increases the bioavailability of proteins and enhances the vitamin B content of the food. As it is steamed, fat content is low and it is easily digestible. Use of dal and rice in idli is a good combination as the amino acids in them complement each other. An idli fills you up with fewer calories. 1 idli contains only 50-65 calories only. Some foods burden your digestive system whereas some get easily digested. Idli-sambar is a dish which can easily be absorbed by your body. Also, some foods don't make you feel lazy or sleepy after consuming and this dish is one of them.
Shown here are the pics of Idli rava and its packaging, just to give an idea :)