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.


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 !!!!!

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!!



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 :)