Both my mom and my mom-in-law makes this,my mom makes this for vendhaya dosai which I feel is a perfect combo,still it tastes great with idly and dosai ! My mom in law makes this as chutney,adding water and making its consistency different.  So its our choice to make it as chutney or a dry podi. I have given the podi,we grind without adding water. Its quite flavorful one,I make it rarely and only in weekends as my hubby don't prefer to smell like garlic in office .

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Roast redchillies till deep red and cool down,peel the garlic pods.
2. Grind first salt,coconut and red chillies to coarse powder.
3. Then add the garlic and use Juice/inch/pulse option in your mixer to just crush the garlic and blend well with the chilli.
4. Serve with Idly or dosa with generous sesame oil.

Can keep in air tight container and store it for 2-3 days in refrigerator!

                          My MIL makes this chutney sometimes when she have mint leaves at home. She make the best Idlies in the world according to me. Before marriage I used to hate eating idlies,my mom makes me dosas or idly upma as I don't like Idly.She too makes soft idlies,then too I started liking idly only after eating my MIL’s Idly… !

                         Mint chutney,well,I am not a big fan of,but for a change, I would like to make and enjoy with soft idlies and dosas. Sometimes our taste changes with time…Like wise whatever I used to hate before,am liking now a days and I am wanting change in my regular menu…

Ingredients :

To Roast:

To temper:

Method:

1. Heat a kadai with oil and temper with the tempering items given and transfer to the serving bowl.
2. Add channa dal and red chili and roast till dal turns golden brown.
3. Add Mint leaves to it and sauté till the mint leaves just reduce in its volume.
4. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
5. Add the onion and tomato (add oil little too) and fry till onion turns transparent and tomatoes turn soft.
6. Cool down and grind the roasted items with this onion,tomato and add turmeric,coconut and salt while grinding.
7. Grind to a smooth paste with water according to your desired consistency and serve mixed with the tempered items.Enjoy with idly or dosa!

Variation : You can also add a little coriander leaves along with mint leaves

SIDE DISH FOR IDLY DOSA

      My kid always prefer sambhar or any other gravy kind for idly and dosa as side dish,but some times in our morning hurry burries,we cannot make anything elaborate or we dont have any mood to cook. So I make this, he likes this too anyways. I learnt this from my mom-in-law,I have already jotted so much about her idlies and how I love them(I can shamelessly tell if she makes hot idlies and this chutney,I can eat  a dozen of idlies without any worries,hehe), this chutney also she  makes equally good, the same chutney when she makes tastes divine to me,though I am nearing to get mine as her chutney’s taste :) 

Ingredients:

To temper

Method

1. Cut onion and tomato into chunks.
2. Heat a tsp of oil in a pan and fry the red chillies and channa dal until the dal turns golden brown colour.
3. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Fry the onion until transparent and add the tomato and fry till it turns soft.
4. Cool down and transfer to the mixer,add salt and coconut and grind everything together to a smooth paste. Add little water while grinding.
   
5. Transfer to the serving bowl and temper with the Items given under To Temper  table. Mix well and serve with hot Idly or dosa!

     I have always been fascinated by the scene in the film ‘Roja’ in which Aravinda Swamy’s  Boss says ‘Vellai Paniyaram…’ We make these paniyarams mostly in our home. We have paniyaram as dinner in my mom’s place, but after marriage, in my in-law’s place its not considered as a dinner dish. Its rather ok for evening snack. So we rarely make. Same with my hubby.

     I have tried this paniyaram quite a few times from MB’s cookbook… I love it a lot. The raw smell of the batter with rice and urad dal with all those onion and ginger and curry leaves remind the taste of vadai :) In first few attempts, I got in a bit of harder side and then figured out what could be the reason. Though the recipe is called vellai paniyaram, I never got it so white, but I am sure if we make it in non-stick pan it will come out whiter.  Mine is an indolium. 

    The chutney recipe also I tried from Mrs Mallika Badrinath’s cookbook,for the first time and I love it. I should say this is a perfect side dish/chutney for paniyarams.

Edited to Add:

I get a lot of mails/comments about the authentic recipe. So I am updating here. The ingredients are only the rice and urad dal as mentioned in the table,just do not add anything else,grind with water,milk and salt and deep fry the one laddle of batter at a time in kadai with oil,only filled 1/4 th.  Here is the picture updated:

VELLAI PANIYARAM

(recipe from Mrs mallika badrinath’s 100 tiffin varieties)

Ingredients

When I Google-d for extra tips, I found this measurement here. If you take rice upto the rim,you can fill the urad dal to make it full and that will be a correct ratio. But if you are using cup measurement, the refer the above.

Method:

1. Soak rice and dal at least for 2-3 hours and grind it to a batter,with required water,soak channa dal separately .Add salt and milk while you are grinding itself,but at the end.The batter should be light,not too thick in consistency.  
2. Chop onion,green chilli,channa dal,curry and coriander leaves and mix along with ginger.Add cooking soda at the time you are going to make.
3. Heat a paniyaram pan and grease the moulds with generous oil and pour the well mixed batter in it. Cook covered in low flame and flip and cook on the other sides too. Serve with a tangy & spicy chutney!   The chutney I have given below was really yummy with these paniyarams,so if you decide to make this paniyaram do try this same chutney!

TOMATO CHUTNEY 

INGREDIENTS

Method:

1. Peel the shallots, grind it along with roughly chopped tomatoes,red chillies,asafoetida,fennel and salt.
2. Heat a pan with oil and boil this chutney until the oil separates from it.

Serve with hot paniyarams!  With fennel seed’s smell,this chutney I have to say,IT SIMPLY ROCKS!!

Notes:

WITH MINT AND CORIANDER LEAVES

                                    I tried this chutney after tasting this in a restaurant, after so many tries,I could recreate the same taste and love this a lot with papad! This is very handy for sandwiches, quick chaat items ….

INGREDIENTS

Mint leaves	1/2 cup
Coriander leaves	1/2 cup
green chillies	4 nos.
Onion	1/2
Garlic	3-4 flakes
chaat masala	2 tsp
Lemon	1/2
Salt	as needed
Water	as needed

METHOD

1. Clean the leaves and chop the coriander with stem.Peel garlic and cube the onion.
2. Grind the leaves with green chilli,onion,garlic,chaat masala ,salt and little water…to smooth paste.
3. Squeeze the juice from half of a lemon and mix well with spoon.
4. Store in a clean,air tight container,keep refrigerated….
5. Enjoy with papad or samosa or any chaat item !

HOW TO GET SOFTEST RAVA IDLY

            Sorry for disappearing just like that for some days from blogging!!I was out for a holiday trip with friends From now I think I would be able to be regular like before!

              After I started cooking, I have tried making rava idli two or three times,but I was not much impressed with the results...Then one day,my friend S,asked me to try MTR instant mix for rava idli,which I liked so much!They say,that MTR only invented rava illi!! Then some period I was a big fan of that and even I have served my guests,and they also liked it so much...

           Another day,I was feeling like eating rava idlies for dinner and I was not having any of this MTR instant mix,then since I have tasted bite by bite MTR rava idlies,I thought why not I try my own...(after so many years ;D).And I tried with one important ingredient,that I have never used before...That secret ingredient is "ENO FRUIT SALT" !!!! And since it was for dinner and I was all alone at my home,I was too lazy to browse for recipe too...So I made my own approximate recipe:)

            The same day only I bought a bottle of ENO FRUIT SALT,for trying dhoklas....(okay,I had rava idlies also in my back of my mind...I agree).

           And I made the mixture ready and was steaming and desperately waiting for the results...And when I sat down and took one piece in my hand,it was too soft and moist,and it just melted in my mouth!!!

           I know you all would have got exhausted ...why this creature is telling like a thriller story?!!Come on....! I like rava idlies and this was the first time I got a perfect recipe:) Thats y!!! A rava idly lover can understand me...;D

So here's the recipe for you all who love to enjoy the spongy,moist,soft...... rava idlies!

Ingredients:(for making 10 - 12 Idlies)

To temper:

To decorate (optional)

Method:

1. Heat a kadai and add ghee and oil,splutter mustard and add the rest under To temper table.Then add the finely chopped ginger and chillies.( you can grind ginger and green chillies and use the paste too).
2. Then add the sooji with curry leaves and coriander leaves to it and fry in a low flame taking care to not to change the colour of rava.
3. After two min,transfer to a bowl,cool down and add the curd,enough water,lemon juice,salt mix well.(the consistency should be like our idly batter consistency,light and loose not too thick)
4. Heat the idly cooker with water and let it be just ready for steaming and grease the idly plates with ghee/oil.
5. At this time add the ENO salt to the batter and mix well( the eno salt should be active enough,so that when you add and mix the batter,small bubbles will be coming,which makes the batter frothy)
6. Immediately,pour into the idly moulds and steam for 5-7 minutes.(to check if its done,insert a knife or spoon back and it should come clean)
7. Your spongy,moist,soft rava idlies are ready now! Garnish if desired and Serve with coconut chutney or your choice of chutney!!!

To get the perfect idlies:

These Idlies stay soft till you eat...i.e; for long time,so you can make it for your guests and keep,no worries...it will be soft as when you take out from the idly mould!!

Any doubts,feel free to ask me,I am here to help you out to get a perfect idly!! I assure you :)

And now coming to the exciting moments to share with you all...!

1. My blog has been featured in Times Of India(New Delhi edition),Friday supplementary What's Hot,Blog-e-binge, section on February last week Friday edition!! Hurray!! Here's a screen shot!!

 2. After I came back from a short trip,I opened my mail box,I had a surprise mail from Nags of Edible garden,saying that my entry Suzhiyan Recipe had won the "The Super Chef" title for the Recipe Diary contest and she have asked me to choose a cook book as a prize from her list!!!

I am so grateful to her and her mom,who acknowledged my recipe!!

                  This chutney goes well for chat items,sandwiches,samosas.....Can store in fridge and use whenever we need! I like to eat with masala papad  ...

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Clean the coriander leaves,remove the root part and grind all the ingredients except lemon juice to make into a smooth chutney.( you can use the stem part of the coriander also)
2. Add water when grinding as needed. Lastly mix with lemon juice and transfer to an air tight container and store in fridge..Enjoy when needed!!