August 26, 2006

IDLI FAIR !! & BESAN LADDU FOR GANESHA !!

I know !! I took some Idli batter and 'went to town' with it...LOL... Well..It was FUN!! You are welcome to have a laugh too looking at them!! Most of you know how to make Idli batter, so there is no recipe as such.

My kids left for school on last friday after more than 2 1/2 months of summer vacation ! Phew!! I had plenty of time to be creative ( is it called temporary insanity ?). I thought why not do something crazy and post it!!

Now be serious and leave some comments!! Thank you very much!:D







Non- stick Cocktail Idli mould for which I paid some serious money!!
Worth it? May be...












Cocktail Idlis !! Funny looking things but lot of fun to eat , kids loved it :)
Sprinkled with some salt and chutney pd. Served with Red Chutney , Yum !!












Thatte` Idlis or thatte doses as they are called, steamed in a dhokla mold with plates. Some garnished with carrots and cilantro, some with soaked and drained chana dal and onions, plain plate idli/doses and finally, one sprinkled with dry potato palya/bhaji.









This time steamed with regular idli mold with same garnish as above. Some sprinkled with roasted almonds and cashews and others stuffed with dry potato bhaji.
Wait!! do not forget good old Paniyarams !!









Masale Thatte Idly with Coconut-cilantro chutney:


To the Idly batter, add 3 tbsp soaked Chana dal, minced 1/2 onion, 2 green chillies, Cilantro, curry leaves, 1/8 cup grated Carrots,green beans etc,pour in to greased plates and steam for 10 mins.Serve with spicy coconut chutney.
For step by step steaming of Thatte Idlies, click here.


Posted by Picasa This is how plate/thatte dose mould looks like which is also used for steaming Dhoklas!
Red Chutney: Mix 2 tbsp Chutney powder with 3-4 tbsp plain Yogurt.
Chutney Powder: Fry 1/4 cup each Chana dal and Urad dal, 3 dry red chillies,some tamarind,curry leaves in 2 tsp oil,cool.Powder all these with salt,little hing and store in bottle.Coconut chutney: Grind 1 cup fresh coconut, 2 tbsp roasted chana(hurikadale),green chillies, cilantro,1/2" ginger,1 garlic, few curry leaves,salt and 1 tsp tamarind juice with little water to a thick paste.




So, what do you think??:))


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HAPPY GANESHA CHATHURTHI TO ALL OF YOU !!!!!

Posted by Picasa

Besan Laddu:

I made this on sunday for Ganesha and tagging it with Iddis :) Most of you already know the ghee laden recipe , so I won't post it unless you would like me to!!

Posted by Picasa

Have a joyful Ganesha festival!!

Some of you asked for the Besan Laddu recipe. So here it is. I must warn you that it is most definitely NOT a low-fat recipe. But once or twice a year wouldn't hurt!!

How To:

1 Cup Besan
1 Cup Sugar or less ,up to you
1/4 Cup Ghee or as much as it needs
1 tsp Cardamom Pd
1/4 Cup Milk
Cashews and Raisins are optional

1. Heat about 1/4 cup ghee, add cashews and raisins if using. When they are plump,add sieved besan and roast until you get a good aroma. Do not brown or burn,should be golden. Add sugar.
2. Keep stirring when adding sugar, taste it for how sweet you would like it to be.
3. When sugar is dissloved, add cardamom pd, stir again and add as much as milk, by tbsps, it needs to form a glistening mass .Do not add too much milk as laddus tend to be sticky when making round balls.Use your judgement.
4. Remove from heat, cool slightly and get ready for the hard part. Take a lump, quickly make a ball , keep it on a greased plate. When done, sprinkle some sweet coconut or dry coconut on them for garnish !!
NOTE: I know it's a torture, I had red palms for few hrs. !! If you find it hard to roll the laddus , add a bit of warm milk to moisten.

That's about it ! Now enjoy :)

61 comments:

archana said...

WOW WOW WOW, fabulously creative. Cocktail idli platter is one yummy idea, and it is nicely presented too. Everything looks so good.
Excellent !!!!

Prema Sundar said...

Hi,
U sure had loooooots of time . Nice ideas. I loved those cocktail idlis ...the kids sure will like them and worth buying the mould. The thathai idlis too look good.I see u had great fun cooking them.
Happy vinayaka chaturthi!!!

Prema Sundar said...

Hi Asha,
Its me again, It was very nice of u to add me to ur blog roll. Thanks I will add u to mine too.

Revathi said...

Hi Asha,
Cocktail idly IS creative... I never thought it could be served as an hordervous ( dunno if the spelling is rite ) !!! U got a cool one going !!

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha,
Certainly loooks like idly fair. Nice presentations and what a varity of idlies! Looks like idly feast.. Thanks for sharing.
Happy Ganesh Chathurthi to you too.

Menu Today said...

Hi FH,
Nice variations of idli. Thanks for sharing.

Vaishali said...

You made all these in ONE DAY? (My eyebrows are almost touching my hairline while I am saying this. :))
You are not just Hope, but actually a Foodie's Fantasy. Honest.

Rajesh &Shankari said...

looks like u have certianly got very excited that you had time off for yourself. The idlis looks colorful, I am sure your kids loved it!

Anonymous said...

Hey!! Nice blog going! Thnaks for dropping a comment. I wouldn't have found ur blo otherwise

UJ said...

Hi,

Idli fair looks very beautiful as well as delicious. I have a similar mold for making cocktail idlis. Very creative.

I recently had besan ladu and it tasted very good. Can you post the ladu recipe or maybe mail it @ cookingmemoir@yahoo.com.

And Happy Vinayaka Chaturti.

~Usha

Vaishali said...

Hey Asha,
I posted one comment earlier today...before you added the Besan Ladoos to the post. It's gone now!!!
Anyway, I just wondered how you could have made SO many things with the Idli batter in ONE DAY. I also thought that the name 'Foodie's Fantasy' would suit you better. :)

Priya Bhaskaran said...

Hi Asha, Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to you and your family--that's a lot of dishes man!!! Hope your kids enjoyed everything:)

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha,

I am from Bangalore and when I just stumbled across your blog I was elated!!
Could you please post the recipe for the laddu?? Also, can you please tell me where you bought the cocktail idli mould from?
Those idili's sure look declicious. I have to say that you are very creative! I have bookmarked your blog and I'll keep checking it out on a regular basis.
Sowmya

Roopa said...

Happy Ganapathi Habba!!!!!! I see that you are on a roll! How I wish I was invited to your house for the festival! lol. I feel like eating those besan laddus and those cocktail idlis...They all look so tempting. Where did you buy that mold from? so did u just put that directly on the burner?

Anonymous said...

The idlis look amazing. I liked your idea of experimenting with idlis.

BTW..what do u give the kids in their lunch box?

Chandrika said...

Asha, the idlis sure did bring a smile, or rather lots of smiles to my face...No No...Not the funny kind...But a warm feeling which reminds us of our good old days...

Thank you very much for the wishes...A very Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to you and your family!

Meena Kandlakuti said...

Hi asha,

thank you and happy vinaayaka chathurthi!!!Every thing looks delicious and pleasent.Wish you good luck!

Prema Sundar said...

Hi Asha,
Happy vianyaka chaturthi to you and ur family. The ladoos looks sooo nice. I would surely like u to post the recipe.
Hey I remember leaving a comment on ur idli fair..didnt I?

Vaishali said...

Asha,
I wrote a comment yesterday afternoon. Then I wrote one again in the evening. I seem to have lost both. Anyway, great work there.

FH said...

Thank you Archana and Prema for visiting, appreciate it!

Revathi, yes! wrong spelling but I got you , no worries! and thank you so much for your comments!

Thanks Madhu! efforts were all worth it when somebody acknowledges them, isn't it :)

Thanks MT, hope you try some of them atleast...worth it !!

indianadoc said...

Thanx for dropping in my blog and Happy chathurthi wishes to u too...what a wonderful way to celbrate Ganesha!! Hmm...Idlis rocking indeed!!

FH said...

Vaishali: you made me laugh! Hope is real and fantasy well..I dunno.. :D Thanks!

Shankari, you cannot imagine the feeling of being alone for 8hrs without being bothered!!Bliss with big B.

Thanks for visiting Tony! I will start sending stuff for curry mela now !!

Hi Usha, welcome to Asha's blog! Yes, I will attach the recipe for laddu. Check back please.. :)Thank you...

FH said...

Hello Priya B! thank you! Unfortunetely, my kids run away smelling the fermented batter (Stink!) unlike me who love it!They like it if I give them idlis immersed in sambar in a soup bowl!! SAD!!!

Sowmya, thanks and I will put up the recipe,come back again!Mould is about $40, from Inno Concept.Currently on sale but out of stock! keep trying.

Roopa, you are welcome to grab some! You cook cocktail idlis as usual in a pressure cooker like any other. Sold at..info above..thanks!

FH said...

Shilpa ; thank you. Unfortunately, my kids are too westernized to like most Indian food:(
They only like chicken tikka Masala,Indian sweets with vanilla! Schools here donot encourage homemade food for lunch so it's either sandwiches or school Cafe` for them.I try to cook Indian food atleast 4 times a week so they can get used it nowadays.

Thanks Chandrika, that was my goal !To bring on smiles!! I am an eternal hope for all idli lovers starting with me!! :D

FH said...

Thanks Meena! appreciate your comments.Good luck to you too!

Prema , thank you. I will post the recipe. I warn you it's not a low-fat food!! I am glad you liked it.

Vaishali, I did get all your comments but I am little bit of a perfectionist ie crazy. Unless the post is almost perfect, I keep on editing, sorry for the inconvinience.

Lera, I got your comments too but couldn't publish (my fault). As I said above I keep changing the post, sorry about that and thanks for your comment!

Priya said...

WOW Asha...thats some creativity...you have raised the bar ..!! The cocktails idlis are going to be top on my list ...they look soooo yum..and thatte idli's !! I could never think of that..Great job..
Happy Vinayaka Chathurthi to you

Ashwini said...

Were you THAT happy your kids were back in school?? :-)
The spread looks delicious...now please share with us where you got your hands on the cocktail idli mould and the plate idli (is there really a mould for that?!)

Manasi said...

HI,
Happy Ganesh Chaturthi! Those mini idlis are WOW!

FH said...

I was wondering if all of you could come up with idli variations other than mine and post them in your blogs! I would be deliriously happy to learn new combos!!

I made all these with just 3 cups of batter, steamed each batch for 10mins ,3 times. Took about an hour, that's all. Cocktail idlis are so tiny,took 1tsp of batter each! Hope you all do :) Cheers!

RP said...

Have I been here before? I guess not!
You have lots of creative recipes going on here. Cocktail idlis look amazing! What a wonderful idea!

Deepz said...

Hi Asha,
Thanks for dropping in my blog. Happy Vinagaya Chathurthi to u too. Idli festival looks gr8. Cocktail idli's rock. Great party finger food idea.

FH said...

Hi Indiandoc, I found your blog recently,and there are so many out there! Glad to visit your,s , loved the Ganesha pic.

Priya, thanks.I went a little overboard but I am glad for all good feedbacks ,makes it all worth it and less embarassing!!

You bet Ashwini, :)I was so glad , I did a happy dance. During summer some days I would drive 8 trips to & fro from home 'cause of 2 diff. summer day camps( 2 kids )!! I am so glad just to sit staring at the wall now!! What a feeling!! :D
Cocktail idli Mould info is above..

Hi Manasi, glad you came by! Visited your blog for the first time too! Welcome :) and thank you..

FH said...

oops! Ashwini, I forgot to answer your question about plate idli mould and yes it looks like the usual idli stand but with plates about 5-6" in diameter, locks in to steam inside a pressure cooker.

Try 'InnoConcepts Inc.' online.It's in Atlanta,GA. Hope it helps!

Vineela said...

Hi Asha,
Idly mela looks delicious.When we are back from school mom used to give us "small idlis in sambar ".Really miss those idlis.
In Chennai ,18 idlis are famous in hotel saravanabhavan.
You brought those memories back.Thanks for sharing cocktail idlis and idlis's,idli's.
Vineela

Vineela said...

Hi Asha,
Besan ladoo looks yummy.
Thanks for sharing.
Happy VInayaka chanvithi.
Vineela

Menu Today said...

Hi Asha,
Your version of making ladoo is new to me. I will try this method soon. Thanks for sharing.

FH said...

Hi RP, welcome..I don't think you were here before either..Thanks!

Deepz, thanks for your comments :)
come back again!!

Vineela, thank you, thank you and thank you .. :D
18 idlis !! WOW!! I should have been born in Chennai..dang it...

MT, I do not even know your name!
Thanks and yes! I have created my own easy version by some experimenting! Works well. Control the ghee , though!! :)

KA said...

Wow that's quite a feast you have there! happy ganesh chaturthi to you too..

FH said...

Thanks Tony! So many idlis, I am getting tired of looking at them now :)

Moving on...... hope I remember to send my dish to Curry Mela next time..

Anonymous said...

Came across your site ..Besan ladoo looks very delicious... my mouth has already started watering...:-) Can I add you to my recipe blog..

http://www.sunkiran.com

FH said...

Welcome and you can absolutely add me to your recipe blog!! :) No problems and come again!!!Glad you liked my recipe....

Anonymous said...

Asha, Can you please post the recipe for making idlis? I have tried so many proportions and still not able to make soft idlis. Using idli rawa works well but I would like a recipe with actual rice instead of rice rawa bought from the store.

FH said...

Will do Shilpa! In US it's hard to find the right stuff, but have to improvise with whatever we have!! After this "Idli fair", I haven't 'dared' to make Idlis :D :D
But will make it some time soon & post. Thanks for visiting!!

Anonymous said...

I love besan ladoo, and was looking for a recipe, I am going to try this soon. Thanks for sharing. Looks really yummy.

Tee said...

I'm a lil late but I seeing as to how I am on a southie food binge. I love your idli batter idea. Very creative.

FH said...

Thanks Monica!! Let me know when you try them!!:)))

Tamanna! Welcome and thank you!! It's a bit scary to look at all those idlis at the same time,isn't it?! :D:D Enjoy!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha,

Everything looks fabulous!
Is there a history behind why the laddus are of different size?

Thanks
tulip

FH said...

Hi Tulip,good to see you!Thanks:)

Nah! I just made it in different sizes so it looks good on the plate!;D

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha,

Thanks for taking up that silly question. I was just curious.

I was wondering for a long time if you were trying to get a Ganesha shape going, but couldn't understand the odd one in the right side of the picture (or left side of the plate :-).

Thanks
tulip

FH said...

Oh! Tulip! Tulip! Tulip!!:D:D:D

You think too much girl,were you staring at the plate or something?!:))I just took a look at it too,and I must say it does look like Ganesha's trunk!!HeHe!

I love your name Tulip;I have a picture of Tulips in my new post!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha,

I do think too much!!

My husband adds - I talk too much and remember too much.
Well, anytime there is any argument I can recollect everything he said in that context for the past 3 years (oops! going to be 4 years).

I like tulips. The picture in your latest post looks good. I love tulip buds.

Have been spending a lot of time in your blog lately. Nice to see the pictures of your children. Adorable!

I recently started a blog myself. Just too shy to share it with you.

talk to you later
tulip

FH said...

Hi Tulip,LOL @ almost years of all the muck coming up during the arguments.I do that too about 20yrs worth!!:D
I have cut down blogging to just weekdays now,no blogging after 6pm Friday to Monday morning!It's good to take a break.I will moderate comments though so ppl don't think I didn't receive their comments.
Too shy!!Come on!! Let me in please!;D

Google Job Fairy said...

Hi Asha,

Tulip again. Last week was hectic. Took a breather today and made some final touches.

I am glad that you are going to be the first visitor to my blog. Here it is, http://whatsanniescooking.blogspot.com/

Thanks
tuilp

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha,

Did you get a chance to look at my blog. What do you think?

Thanks
tulip.

FH said...

Tulip,oops!!Yesterday I published your comment without looking where you left and today I did!!

I will take a look right now:))

FH said...

Tulip,I did check out your blog,you do have some authentic recipes.But you haven't activated the comment section,so I had to come back here!!Let us comment on them,they are really good recipes:))

Google Job Fairy said...

Hi Asha,

Oh! I was messing around with the template sometime back. I just enabled it.
Thanks a lot for your kind words.

thanks
tulip.

KK said...

wow idlis r lookin yummy :) its my fav dish..how do u manage makin so many things..i simply love ur blog..i read it at least twice or thrice a day :) keep the good work going..c ya

FH said...

Hi Buggy,thank you for visiting me!!I try my best bring some interesting dishes every Wednesday.Glad you liked them.If you need any particular dish,go to my recipe index to find it,it's easy that way to find Idli recipes or more!:))

jyotibpai said...

Hi Asha
I came across your blog a few months back & i love it.We have few things in common.I just made Besan laddus today & ran to your website when I could not roll the laddu.Your milk tip was helpful.I hope you are doing well,waiting for you to start blogging again.
Jyoti

FH said...

Jyoti, thanks. Glad you got your Laddus right at last, my kids love these. Learnt adding milk to bind these Laddus from my mother, works for Rava laddus too.
I will start blogging soon, just a bit busy right now! :)
Happy Diwali.