Sunday, July 22, 2012

Idiyappam & Vegetable Kurma




For as long as I can remember Idiyappam Kurma has been my must-have on each visit to Sangeetha Hotel, in Chennai. The soft, stringy Idiyappams with the steamy hot Kurma, ah... divine! I can actually get a whiff of the smell as I am typing right now :D yes, I am that crazy about this dish! :P 

This craze only grew stronger when I moved out of Chennai just over a yr and a half ago, where Idiyappam Kurma was a rarity. And if at all, we did manage to find a place that served Idiyappam, the accompanying Kurma would be a huge let down :( Sigh! So, this has been a Chennai-visit-special delicacy for a long time now. 

Just recently I woke up to the realisation, that this being a dish made out of easily available ingredients, can very well be tried at home! So why hadn't I tried it yet!!!? And to add on, Mum has actually made Idiyappam at home quite a few times, not with Kurma though.

So on my latest trip to Chennai, I had mum make them again for me to get a hands on experience on making Idiyappams and the first thing I packed to bring back with me was Mum's additional Idiyappam squeezer.! :) And armed with an interesting recipe of Veg Kurma from a dear buddy Archana, I jumped into my latest experiment...! Oh, I proudly say, it was just YUMMY! :) I felt as if I was dining at Sangeetha's :P Mum was proud of the way it looked, for a first timer... and I was simply pleased to be able to recreate my favouritest dish in my own kitchen :) :)





Method

Idiyappam 


Ingredients

Rice Flour - 2 cups
Water
Salt
Oil
Idiyappam squeezer
Idiyappam/Idly plates





Method

  • In a large bottomed pan, take 2 cups of Rice Flour and add in a little salt to it.
  • Bring two cups of water to boil.
  • Oil the idiyappam squeezer and the idly/idiyappam plates and keep ready.
  • Mix in the hot water into a portion of the Rice Flour-Salt mixture and stir carefully with a ladle.


  • The consistency of this dough is important, as if its too hard, it makes it difficult to squeeze out the dough using the squeezer. 
  • Fill up a portion of the dough into an Idiyappam squeezer and gently squeeze out idiyappams onto the idly/idiyappam plates.


  • Place them in the cooker for about 5-7 minutes without the whistle.
  • Serve hot with Kurma.

Veg Kurma


Ingredients

Mixed Vegetables - 1 big bowl
(I used, green peas, 1 potato, 2 small carrots, 1 capsicum, 2 baby corns)
Onions - 2, finely chopped
Tomato - 1 small, finely chopped
Grated coconut - 1 tbsp
Coconut Milk - 1 cup
Cashews - 5-6
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Cinnamon stick - 1 small
Green chillies - 2 finely chopped
Star anise - 1
Poppy seeds - 2 tsp 
(I did not add this in my recipe, but this can be added, as it adds a lot of flavor)
Oil - 2 tbsp


Method


  • Dice the vegetables, and pressure cook them along with a little water and salt, for about 5 -7 minutes or until one whistle.


  • Heat a little oil in a pan, and roast 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, star anise, grated coconut, half an onion, cashews (and poppy seeds, if you are adding them in). Once they brown up a little, remove from flame and allow to cool.
  • Grind this into a smooth paste along with a little bit of water.


  • Heat a tbsp of oil, add cumin and green chillies and allow to splatter.
  • Now, add in the remaining onions and allow to caramelize.
  • Once they turn slightly brown, add the tomatoes and little salt. Allow to cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add in the prepared paste and blend in. Allow to cook for another 2 minutes.
  • Now, add the boiled vegetables and mix well.
  • Keep pan closed and allow to cook for 2 minutes.
  • Finally add the coconut milk and stir well. Cook for only 2 minutes after adding in the coconut milk.
  • Remove from flame and serve hot hot with Idiyappam! :)


Sending in this to

Kerala Kitchen


and

Walking Through The Memory Lane event hosted by Sizzling Tastebuds


and

8 comments:

  1. I wanted to make idiyappams and now I have the recipe. Will try soon and let you know for sure :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Looks fabulous.
    I have never eaten udiappams - gotta try em. Can I use the sev attachment on my chakli maker for this?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yes Samta, you can use a chakli maker, I used the same :) (see pic 3) Pls try it, its much easier than Shevai... let me know once u try it! :)

      Delete
  3. Looks yummmy Nans!! :) ur food pics are too too good! I followed your recipe to make idiyappams and it came out really well! Measurement was just perfect! Waiting to try out all your other recipes :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thankooo :) The Kurma was absolutely delicious! Thanks for the recipe :)

      Delete
  4. luv ur space dear. New here. happy to be a part of it

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi,

    It's my Fav too & i Love all the recipes in SANGEETHA.
    SOON WILL TRY THIS

    ReplyDelete