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

Anu's Healthy Kitchen's "South Indian Cooking" (SIC) Series Event - # 1