Idli,Small Onion Sambhar & Chutney

After one week of rain,today its little bit better.Aarna was after me to make cake.Well I'm not big on baking,so we got the cake mix (I used Pillsbury's Devil's food chocolate cake mix)both my kids helped me make the cake (that was the whole idea,cooking with your kids)as hubby was out for seminar..so thought lets do something"sweet".It was really relaxing..and for dinner I made Idli,small onion Sambhar & fried gram (Putani) chutney.Kids loves to eat it with sugar & ghee..so it was good idea for dinner.

Ingredients:

• 1cup Urad dal
•  3cups ordinary rice

Recipe:

• Pick, wash and soak the daal overnight or for 8 hours.
• Pick, wash and drain the rice. Grind it coarsely in a blender.
• Grind the daal into a smooth and forthy paste.
• Now mix the grinded rice and daal together into a batter.
• Mix salt and set aside in a warm place for 8-9 hours or overnight for fermenting.
• Idlis are ready to be cooked when the batter is well fermented.
• Grease the idle holder or pan well and fill each of thm with 3/4th full of batter.
• Steam cook idlis on  for about 15 minutes or until done.
• Use a butter knife to remove

Small Onion Sambhar

Ingredients:

•  1 cup toor dal cooked & mashed
• 1 cup : small onions
• 1 cup : chopped onions
• 2 tbsp : Sambhar Powder
• 1 tbsp : Rasam Powder
• 1 tsp : tamarind dissolved in water
• 1/2 cup fresh coconut

tempering(tadkka):

• 1-2 red chili(whole)
• 2 tsp mustard seeds
• 6-7 curry leaves
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped coriander leaves for garnish
• Salt to taste

Chutney:

• 1cup Fried gram dal(Putani,dalia)
• 3-4 green chilies(adjust according to your test)
• 1small piece of ginger
• 2 cloves garlic
• Few coriander leaves
• Salt to taste
• 1tsp lemon juice

Tempering for chutney:

• 1tsp Urad dal
• 1tsp mustard seeds
• 1-2 red chilies(whole)

Method:

Grind coconut,sambhar powder,rasam powder & tamarind into a smooth paste.(I don't always make fresh sambhar powder).Heat oil in a pan,add the tempering.Add the onions & fry for 3-4 minutes.Once the onion starts to become translucent,add the coconut paste,salt & turmeric.After frying for couple of minutes add the cooked dal & let it simmer for 5-7 minutes.Garnish it with coriander leaves

For Chutney:

Add all the ingredients for chutney,add water slowly & make it into a smooth paste. Heat the oil in small pan,add all the ingredients for tempering.add salt.

Here is our dinner & dessert.