Fried eggs

I'm going to keep this post short and simple.Just like the recipe.It has very few ingredients and tastes divine with plain steamed rice or on buttered toast.Up the heat by increasing the red chilli powder!

Ingredients

6 soft boiled eggs, shelled
3 tsps of red chilli powder
1/2 tsp of turmeric powder (optional)
3 tbsps of oil
salt

Method

1) To soft boil eggs - start by dunking the eggs in cold water and then bring to a boil for about 7-8 mins.Never put the eggs into water that has already been boiling as this results in a dark ring being formed around the egg yolk and it doesn't yield a uniformly cooked egg.
2)Shell the eggs.Make a thick paste with the salt, chilli powder and turmeric powder with a few drops of water.The turmeric is optional if you don't have any, don't worry about it.
3)Cut the eggs into halves and smear the paste generously all over the egg.
4)Heat the oil - it should be hot but not smoking. Gently slide the eggs in and lower the heat.
5)Cook on both sides until a slightly crispy skin is formed.Serve immediately.

It's really simple to make but tastes fantastic.

An ode to the idli

Idlis are steamed rice cakes that are part of a traditional South Indian breakfast. India has a varied climate,subsequently the crops that are cultivated vary from region to region.Northern India is subject to chillier climates, here we find wheat to be a primary crop.The southern part of India is warmer and tropical in climate.Rice is more commonly cultivated in these regions.Rice is therefore incorporated into breakfast, lunch and dinner in some form.
Idlis are usually among the first few solid foods given to babies as they are very easy to digest and nutritious too. Once the idli batter is made, a batch of beautiful fluffy white idlis can be steamed up in a matter of minutes.
These rice cakes are usually eaten with chutney and/or sambar.Chutney is a spice paste traditionally made with fresh scraped coconut, chillies and tempered with fried curry leaves and mustard. There are innumerable variations of chutney and various kinds are made that do not use coconut as a base. Here in my picture I've served them with chennikai chutney(peanut chutney), chutni pudi and kare paaku pudi .
I will be telling you how you can make the idli batter and the peanut chutney.
Chutni pudi - some people call it gun powder is a dry roasted spice powder made with lentils, dried hot red chillies,fragrant curry leaves that have been fried to a crisp and tamarind. More about this in another post to come!
Kare paku pudi or curry leaf powder is similar to Chutni pudi except that it's made with curry leaves as the main ingredient minus the lentil.
Sambar is a kind of stew that is an integral part of a south Indian meal. The sambar maketh the meal shall I say? It's made with lentils and vegetables that are spiced with coconut, dried red chillies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and so on.

A good idli should be light and airy and have a slight tang from just the right amount of fermentation. Needless to say they turn out better when the weather is warmer and the batter ferments overnight easily.But this can be easily remedied with a few tips that I can share with you.
The type of rice and lentil makes a difference as well. Here I give you the recipe that I make every weekend and it has turned out to be a keeper - producing beautiful idlis each time.

But they still don't compare to the best idlis in the world - in my opinion are the ones that I ate a couple of years ago at Murugan's Idli shop in Chennai. Now I'm a hardcore Bangalore foodie.But this one has to go to Chennai.



Ingredients

3 cups Boiled rice/Kusalalkki
1 cup raw rice(you can use idli rice instead if you can get your hands on it)
1 heaped cup of black gram dal/Urad dal
2 closed fistfuls of beaten rice/avalakki( do not worry if you have giant sized man hands - it'll all work out)
salt

Method

1) Measure both kinds of rice into a bowl and wash under cool running water 3- 4 times. Remove any impurities that float about.soak with sufficient water - such that the water level is 4 inches above the grains.
2)Measure the urad dal into a separate bowl and wash under cool running water 3- 4 times. Remove any impurities that float about.Then add the beaten rice that has been gently rinsed to the urad dal.Gently rinse because if you are mean to it you're gonna end up with a mush that is going to run down the sink. Soak with enough water such that the water level is 4 inches above the lentil.
3)Leave to soak overnight or for at least 8 hrs.
4)After the soaking period is done and over with you can start with grinding the batter. Note :if you cannot grind the batter at this stage you can refrigerate the soaked rice and dal for up to 24 hrs.
5)Grind the urad dal + beaten rice to a fluffy batter. Use the water that you soaked the dal in. The way to check if you're urad has indeed been ground well is to drop a tiny spoonful into a dish of cold water and you should see the batter quickly rise and bob up to the surface of the water. If it sinks or is really being lazy to get up there - keep grinding. Make sure you use the water generously. The batter shouldn't be to runny but neither do you want to ruin your mixer by heating it up. Once you do this a couple of times you'll just know how much water is the best.
6)Grind the rice separately. The rice doesn't have to be ground to a fine batter.If you leave it slightly coarse your idlis will have a great texture and you can see the little bits of rice suspended uniformly in the steamed urad.
7)In case some of you did not take note of it - it is very important that you always soak the rice and dal separately and grind them separately. Never try to grind or soak them together to cut the time and effort.They grind up differently take different amount of water and have different grinding times as well.
8)Mix the two batters together and leave covered in a warm place overnight.The next day the batter would have risen in level and you'll find tiny bubbles at the surface.
Woo hoo! your batter turned out perfect. If not don't lose heart.It's probably a little colder where you live; try moving the batter closer to your stove or a warmer place and share the disappointing news with you family.Dashing all their hopes for an idli breakfast that will now turn into an idli brunch.Wait for a couple more hours.Look at tips section.
9)Once you batter is ready you can add the salt just before making the idlis.Pour into greased idli molds.the batter should be a little thicker than a pouring consistency.
10)Steam - NOT pressure cook the idlis.Which means always remember to take off the gasket or the thick rubber bandish thing from underneath your pressure cooker lid.And no weight either. Steam for about 10-12 mins.Leave undisturbed for 5 minutes before unmolding.And try to keep your curious husband from peeking into every 2 mins to check if they are ready.
11) The end. Not really.Check out the tips section for additional pow wow on making good idlis.
12)May the idli gods shine down upon you.

Tips

1)You can use a special kind of rice available in some stores called idli rice.The grains are shorter and rounder than the regular rice that we eat.Using this rice makes the idlis softer and better.But don't go crazy looking for it.The recipe works just fine with regular rice as well.
2)If you live in an area that is really cold a sure shot way of getting your batter to ferment is to turn on you oven for about 2 mins at the lowest setting 170 F.Switch off and then after 5 minutes place your batter inside the oven.Leave the oven light on.The heat radiated from the light helps the batter ferment.
When you do this it would be wise to place a cookie sheet or some sort of larger dish underneath to collect any spills in case your batter bubbles up and overflows.

A sweet start - Phirnee

What is Phirnee? It's an Indian version of rice pudding that's flavoured with Indian spices and made with good Basmati rice. I use cardamom here.



This is my go to recipe for a not so greasy finale to an Indian meal when we entertain. It's easy to put together and tastes like you've spent hours on the stove making it, but it's actually a breeze to make!

I'm sure everyone has their own version of Phirnee.Why it's even spelled in a number of different ways - Firnee, Firni, Phrini and so on. But most recipes definitely have fragrant Basmati rice, milk and sugar as a base. Then you can put your own spin on it by varying the spices or adding nuts or dried fruit.

My mother makes a version of Phirnee that's rich but not in a cloying sort of way. Phirnee at home is a Sunday affair or reserved for special occasions when we have guests at home. A typical Sunday lunch would consist of Chicken Biryani, dry fried chicken, peppery mutton chops, some cucumber pachadi to help cool the taste buds from all the spices and chillies, plain steamed rice with pepper rasam to help digest the enormous meal!
But everybody still had room for Phirnee. My mother's Phirnee differs from the way I make it in many ways.She uses khova that imparts richness to the dish and helps thicken the phirnee. Khova is the result of heating milk on a slow steady flame for long hours with frequent stirring.She does not grind the rice to a paste and adds it whole instead.
Delicious as it was, it also took hours to make and the recipe devours quarts of whole milk, khova, sugar and ghee(clarified butter), cashew nuts and raisins all simmering away in a huge cauldron shaped vessel. It also needs constant attention like my 2 year old on a bicycle lest it should burn or turn out be lumpy. But it sure was a hit with everyone and she was constantly reminded and asked to bring some to parties and gatherings. My mum's a fabulous cook.



My version of Phirnee is quicker to make and can be whipped up with ingredients that are easily found in your pantry. It is not heavily spiced or calorie laden.But it sure puts a smile on your face.

It is essential that you use good quality Basmati rice as this is what brings out the "Indian-ness" of the dessert.

Recipe

Ingredients -

2 Litres Whole milk
1/4 cup Basmati rice
3/4 cup sugar
3-4 cardamom pods
1/4 cup Pistachio

Method

1)Bring the milk to a boil over a low flame. Take care so as to not burn the milk. It is advisable to use a thick bottomed vessel for this purpose.
Ensure that the vessel is larger in volume than the amount of Phirnee you intend to make.(the hot milk would overflow otherwise)
2)Wash the rice in cold running water. Drain the water and let the rice dry for a couple of minutes.Do not soak the rice in water as this would make the Phirnee gummy.
3)Grind the rice with a couple of teaspoons of cold water.The paste does not have to be too fine.It needs to be granular as this is what gives the Phirnee a slightly chewy and nutty texture.
4) Lower the flame and slowly add the rice paste to the milk stirring all the time to prevent any lumps in the Phirnee.
5)Let the rice cook in the milk and you will feel the consistency starting to change and thicken in about 5 minutes. Continue to stir. The rice needs to be thoroughly cooked but does not have to dissolve into a mush.
6)Add the sugar at this point.If the Phirnee is too thick you can add some milk to thin it out. Be warned that this dessert gets thicker on cooling. The final consistency when it is served should be creamy . Not too runny or stiff.
7)Remove the Cardamom husk/skin and powder the seeds.Turn off the flame and stir in the cardamom powder.
8)Let cool slightly before transferring to your serving dish.Chill for at least 4 hours or more in the refrigerator.
9)Before serving - mince the pistachio and sprinkle on top of the Phirnee.
Options - you could also turn this into a Rose Phirnee by omitting the cardamom and adding some Rose powder instead. Rose powder is made with edible rose petals that are dried and then ground to an ultra fine powder. Garnish with fresh edible rose petals or Gulkand (candied Rose petals). this results in beautiful ever so slight hue of pink that looks irresistible. A teaspoon
of Rose water or gulab jal makes it even rosier and fragrant.
You could add almonds instead of Pistachio.There are endless versions of the Phirnee that you can make with this basic recipe.

As an added note I served my Phirnee in earthen bowls or matkis.Matkis are made with clay and mud and it soaks up a lot of water helping the Phirnee set more easily and uniformly. It also lends an earthy flavour and aroma that I can't describe. It almost captures the essence and smell of fresh rain pouring down on the parched dry playground at school. Lovely.

If you do go out to buy some of these earthen bowls make sure you soak them in a bucket of water overnight to remove impurities, dust and grime.It also helps the matkis soak up some water so whatever you put into them isn't zapped out of moisture completely.