Saffron Trail

If I told you that this tambram girl has never been able to make fluffy idlis from the scratch, would you believe me? Well it was the case until I tried out Sanjeev Kapoor's Poha Idlis that featured the Healthy Breakfast episode in the near past.

They turned out white, soft, fluffy - and these are perfect for people like me - from whom the perfect idlis have been largely elusive.

I followed the recipe to the T. And there's no reason why these should make perfect dosas or Uthapams. I can swear I downloaded the pics from the camera and its odd how I can't seem to find them in my quite empty formatted notebook.

The picture will be updated the next time I make them, which I promise will be soon.

The recipe is from Sanjeev Kapoor's website, where each week's episode recipes are displayed for two weeks and I copied them down before they vanished. The recipe yields about a dozen medium idlis, and you can easily double the recipe to make dosas the next day.

POHA IDLI
Recipe Source : Sanjeev Kapoor / Khana Khazana

Preparation Time : 10 hours

Cooking Time : 30 minutes


Ingredients

1/4 cup Pressed Rice (poha)
1 cup Rice rawa (idli rawa)
1/4 cup Split black gram skinless (dhuli urad dal)
Salt to taste
Oil for greasing

Method

Soak idli rawa and poha in water for two hours.
Wash urad dal and soak in water for two hours.
Grind idi rawa and poha with a little water to a smooth batter. Transfer into a bowl.
Then grind urad dal separately to a smooth paste using little water. Transfer into the same bowl. Mix the two batters and allow set aside to ferment for eight to ten hours.

Heat sufficient water in a steamer. Grease the idli moulds. Add salt to the batter and mix well. Adjust consistency. Pour spoonful of batter into the moulds and place them in the steamer. Steam for about ten minutes or till done. If a skewer inserted into an idli comes out clean, the idlis are done. Take the moulds out and set aside to cool slightly before demoulding the idlis. Serve hot with chutney and sambhar. This is my submission for WBB - Grains in my breakfast hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen.(c) Nandita Iyer 2008

This month Latha is hosting WBB with combi breakfasts as the theme. Thanks to the enthusiasm and dedication of my fellow bloggers who have kept the event going despite my prolonged absence from the blogging scene. If Latha is ok with a salad in a sandwich as a combi thing, then this is my entry for her.
31st Aug is the last date for sending her entries.










Sorry about the break that just kept getting longer and longer. This is an attempt to stick to my promise of getting back before the month of August ends and it is about a refreshing & inspiring breakfast I had this morning.


Alfalfa sprouts are one the most delicate sprouts you will find in a supermarket. I don't usually find them in mine, so when I do find them, I like to bring them home. These are nutritional powerhouses belonging to the pea family. More info here. In short they are very rich in most vitamins, protein and calcium and is a commonly used tonic in homeopathic medicine.

I usually saute them for a few seconds on high heat to kill any bacteria that could be harbouring as a result of water used for sprouting and this reduces their volume considerably.



Although I have stuffed the salad in a sandwich for a hearty breakfast, you can eat the salad as it is along with a soup for a light lunch, or serve it as one of the courses for a dinner party.



Carrot - Alfalfa Sprouts Salad

Time taken - around 15 min

Serves 2 or enough stuffing for 4 sandwiches



Ingredients

2 medium carrots, scraped and shaved / grated

1 cup alfalfa sprouts

1 clove garlic, smashed and minced

1 tsp sunflower /olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp or more balsamic vinegar

few fresh basil leaves, torn

optional extra: raisins / walnuts / candied nuts



Directions

In a non stick pan, heat the oil. Saute the garlic for a few seconds.

Add the sprouts and saute on high heat for 10-20 seconds.

Toss the grated / shaved carrots in the pan and remove the contents into a bowl.

Let this cool for 5 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper, balsamic vinegar.

Toss in the torn basil and nuts if using.

Refrigerate if serving as salad.



For sandwich, spread your favourite chutney on one slice, load with the salad and eat immediately.



Carrots can be easily replaced by zucchini in this salad and fresh basil with any other fragrant herb of your choice.

I would love to send this to Greedy Gourmet for Snackshots # 6 if it is not too late already :)

(c) Nandita Iyer 2008