CHAYOTE, BEET AND BEANS GRAVY WITH PLATE IDLIS !!

As I promised last week,no deep frying involved at all this week! These recipes are from my Mysore grandmother as she makes them in her kitchen.Most of south Indians are probably familiar with it but some of you may not.Try some of my favorite dishes anyway.You can also serve plate Idlis with chicken or any non-veg curries.If you don't have plate Idli stand or Dhokla stand as they call it,you can get it here.

Some of you still can't get access to my blog,sorry about that.I thought it was because my new Template but it's the browser problem,Mozilla,Netscape and Firefox works as I heard from other bloggers.I reported this to Google but recieved a std reply.There are 4 comments 'stuck' in my Dashboard as well,don't know how to get those published either!Hmm..!!Anybody?! Help!!:))

Menu this week:
Chayote Gravy,
Beetroot Palya,
Yard long Beans-Potato Kootu,
and Plate(Thatte) Idlis.

Chayote or Chow Chow:

Both the fruit and the seed are rich in amino acids and vitamin C. The tuberous part of the root is starchy and is both eaten by humans and used as cattle fodder.The leaves and fruit have diuretic, cardiovascular and anti-inflammatory properties, and a tea made from the leaves has been used in the treatment of arteriosclerosis and hypertension, and to dissolve kidney stones.(WIKI)



Chayote or Chow Chow Gravy:


You Need:
Peel,wash and chop 3 Chayotes into cubes and cook in 1 cup water in the microwave until soft but not mushy..Chop 1 tomato chopped,cilantro,1small onion minced,1/2" ginger grated,1 tsp Ghee.

How To:




Grind:1/4 cup coconut,1 garlic,2 dry red chillies, 1/2 onion,1 tbsp coriander seeds,4-6 pepper corns,1" cinnamon,2 cloves,1/4 tsp Fennel seeds,turmeric,few curry leaves with little water until smooth.Keep aside.





Heat 1 tbsp oil,add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds,onion and ginger,1 red chilli,fry until reddish.Add tomato,fry until soft.Put in Chayote with it's water and ground masala,simmer until little oil shows on top and gravy thickens.Sprinkle cilatro and add 1 tsp ghee.That's it.Tastes better next day.Microwave until you get thickish sauce.




Beets:



The various table beets contain significant amounts of vitamin C in the roots, and the tops are an excellent source of vitamin A. They are also high in folate, as well as soluble and insoluble dietary fiber and several antioxidants.Beetroot is among the sweetest of vegetables, containing more sugar even than carrots or sweet corn. The content of sugar in beetroot is no more than 10%. (WIKI)



Beetroot Palya(as we call it in Kannada):
This recipe is from my grandmother,which is our favorite way to cook Beets.It goes well with all the rice dishes and even with Chapatis and parathas as well.Tastes better next day as the spices blend into the beets.


How To:


Peel and chop 3 Beets into small cubes with it's leaves and cook until soft with some water.Keep aside.Toast and powder the masala,keep it ready.Heat 1 tbsp oil,add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds,1 red chilli,2 tbsp Chana dal,when reddish add 1 chopped onion and turmeric.Fry until soft and add cooked beet with leaves and simmer.






Spice powder:Toast 2tbsp Coriander seeds,2 tsp cumin seeds,2-4 red chillies,4-6 pepper corns,1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds,2 tsp each chana dal and urad dal,1" cinnamon,2 cloves,pinch of hing and powder.Add to the boiling beet mix along 1 tbsp tamarind juice,salt,let it simmer.





To Grind: 1/4 cup coconut fresh or dry,1tbsp poppy seeds,1 tbsp yellow roasted chana dal,few cilantro and curry leaves,1/4 onion,1 garlic to a smooth paste with little water.Take it out.Turn down the heat to low,add masala to the beets on the stove and mix well,simmer.





Must do this on the low heat to prevent curdling of Coconut.Adjust the salt,chilli and tamarind,simmer until oil comes up.You are done.Keep it in the fridge overnight and microwave until thick and hot next day.





Yardlong Beans:




They are a good source of protein, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, iron, phosphorus, and potassium, and a very good source for vitamin C, folate, magnesium, and manganese.For a serving of 100 grams,there are 47 calories,0 grams of total fat,0 mg cholesterol,4 mg sodium ,8 grams of total carbohydrates (2% daily value), and 3 grams of protein (5% daily value). There is also 17% DV vitamin A, 2% DV iron, 31% DV vitamin C, and 5% DV calcium.(WIKI)




Yardlong Beans-Potato Besan Kootu:
(I forgot to take the photo of this dish separately!)


How To:
1. Wash,cut 1 bunch of yard long beans(about 3 cups) to 1" pieces and cook with 1 cubed potato in the Microwave or pressure cooker until done.Keep aside.
2. Heat 1tbsp oil,add 1/2 mustard seeds,2 tsp Urad dal,1 medium minced onion,2 minced garlic until reddish.
3. Add 1tbsp coriander seeds powder,2 tsp cumin seeds pd,1/2tsp chilli pd, 2tbsp Besan(Chickpeas flour),stir-fry for 2 mins until raw smell from Besan disappears.Add 1/4 cup sour cream or yoghurt mixed with 1/2 cup water,simmer stirring all the while.
4. Add cooked beans with it's water,salt,and cilantro,simmer for 5mins.If it's too thick add little water but it's supposed to be semi-dry,not too much gravy.
5, This dish tastes great with Chapatis too.

Here is a thinner plate Idlis(batter filled 1/3rd of the plate) with Beans and Chayote side dishes:


Plate Idlis: Tutorial!! :)
These steps are only for new cooks who are still trying to cook, with my tried and tested proportions of rice and dal which works for me. Thatte Idlis or Plate Idlis are the staple around Hassan and Mysore in Karnataka in southern India.In Mysore,my grandmother uses a wicker or bamboo baskets,lines them with muslin cloth and pours the batter and steams them.You cannot get those baskets and make those delicious fluffy Idlis here in US!I use a stainless steel plate Idli stand which will do job for me nicely! Here is how to I make Plate Idlis!:))

How To:


Soak 1 1/2 cups Long grain rice,1/2 cup Converted rice(half/par-boiled rice) in a bowl with lots of water.In another bowl,soak 3/4 cup Urad dal,1 tbsp Fenugreek seeds with water over night or atleast for 6hrs.Wash rice,drain and grind coarsely like semolina with very little water and put in a bowl.




Now,wash,drain and grind Urad dal,fenugreek seeds with enough water to a smooth paste.Add to the bowl with ground rice and mix both thoroughly.Make sure batter is thick and sprinkle the top with 1 tsp salt.Cover and let it ferment over night in the oven with the pilot light on in winter.






In summer,you can keep it outside to ferment.Do not mix it until morning.When fermented well you will see the batter risen to double the volume with little sour smell.Don't let it ferment too long until you get a very strong sour smell!Mix the batter well adding salt if needed and 1/2 tsp Baking soda.Take out all the plates out of the stand,spray lightly with oil,pour 2 ladleful of batter,not more than 1/3rd of the plate,repeat with all the plates.Stack them on the stand and lock.







Add about 2" of water in the pressure cooker and let it boil on medium hot heat.Lower the stand into the cooker and cover with lid and lock.Do not put cooker weight on top.






Wait until you get a steady stream of steam comes from the cooker nozzle on top like in the photo below.(Did you see that? Look closely on the black background on the stove!:D)





As soon as you see the steady steam,turn on the timer for 10 mins and go do something else.Do not try to peek and put your face your in the steam.You get a real very bad facial if you do!STAY AWAY!!:D When the timer goes off,turn off the heat.DO NOT try to open immediately.Wait till the steam disappears and cooker goes silent.



Open the lid,take out the stand carefully with a kitchen towel.Unlock,take out the plates and with a dinner knife slowly loosen the sides of the Idlis like you do for cakes.Pick up the Idli and put it on the cooling rack.Repeat with others.When cools,store in a Tortilla warmer.You can reheat in Microwave covered with two plates when you are ready to serve.






Note:If you want thicker Idlis,fill the batter halfway up to the plate.We prefer thinner plate idlis at home, with plates 1/3rd filled with batter.Either way,tastes great.Soft Idlis is all in the fermenting process.Let the batter double in amount overnight.Leftover batter makes excellent Paniyarms,Masala Thatte Idlis and Uttappams.




Here are the regular Idlis in it's regular Idli stand using the same Thatte Idli batter and the same method as above, ready to be steamed:


Another great combo of Dry Aloo Bhaji and Chana Dal Chutney and thicker Plate(batter filled halfway in the plate) Idlis!


That's it!! Enjoy the Idlis with all those or any one of the side dishes above!:))

Here's a delicious dish I tried with Idlis:
Deepa of deepa-cook's delectable Brinjal-Potato in Tamarind Gravy :


Have a great weekend and enjoy the Super Bowl! Usually,Super Bowl is a Mexican night for us with Taquitos,Seven layer taco salad with Guacamole, Quesadillas etc which are all in my blog already! I have no idea what I will be cooking for next week. So have fun,see ya later!!:D