Ask Amma

Archive for the ‘Recipes’ Category

, , ,

Bajra-kodo idli

In Recipes on 18 December 2015 at 2:19 pm
Bajra-Kodo Idli

Bajra-Kodo Idli

Picked up some bajra (సజ్జలు | pearl millet) from the Farmers’ Market and thought, let’s see if we can make idlis with these too. Since it was my first time trying it I used some millet as well.  I didn’t use any rice.  My proportions were:

1 cup bajra (సజ్జలు)
1 cup kodo millet (ఆరికలు)
1 cup urad (మినువులు)

Soak in water for 8 hours, grind to a smooth batter, allow to rise overnight, add 1/2 tsp salt and make idlis as usual.

I will take pictures next time I make bajra idli and update this page with step-by-step instructions.   Meanwhile,  for a detailed description and pictures of the process see any of the following:

Bajra from Paryavaran Mitra (at Farmers' Market) and Urad from EcoFresh (via Chembur)

Bajra from Paryavaran Mitra (at Farmers’ Market) and Urad from EcoFresh (via Chembur)

Proso Millet Idli and Dosa
Kodo Millet Idli and Dosa
Swanky Little Millet Idli & Dosa
Whole -grain idli and dosa

 


Fall Colors! Sweet Potato and Collard Green Stew with Millet

In Recipes on 30 October 2015 at 3:21 am

My sister came across this dish at a lunch club that she joined in her old office — members took turns preparing lunch for the whole group.  Reminds me of my co-op in Madison.  Like most of her preparations this was beautiful and bursting with flavor.  Unlike most of her fancy dishes, however, this looked like something I could make!  She even threw in a few ingredients without measuring them 🙂 and Khiyali, host of the Young Person’s Cookery Show, even got to help.  I watched.

The dish was called African Peanut Stew.  The name conjured up colors of lush forest green and robust orange with accents of nutty brown … and sure enough we stirred these up in the pot and beheld the dish before us.  We made some variations to the recipe posted at Budget Bytes, (but all within the budget).

What a great way to eat different leafy greens – we made it with collard greens, but one could try other greens as well.

Stew made of collard green and sweet potato served with millet.

Stew made of collard green and sweet potato served with millet.

Read the rest of this entry »

, , , , ,

Black Gram Matters

In Recipes, When on 1 September 2015 at 2:04 am

Since when are idlis white?

Not more than a few generations.    And if you look at all things that have become white over the past century, one by one they are regaining their color.   White bread, white pasta, white flour, white sugar, white rice are now recognized as more or less empty calories and are being replaced by their whole counterparts, on the brown to black side of the color spectrum.  It is time for idlis to do the same.

Soaked Urad - bursting out of its skin!

Black Gram (Urad): Soaked and ready to burst out of its skin!  Urad or Black Gram attracts wild yeast from the air.  As it ferments, the yeast makes the batter rise.

What are idlis made of?  Black gram and rice.   Or black gram and millets. Read the rest of this entry »

, ,

Amaranth Dosa and Waffle

In Recipes on 2 August 2015 at 10:53 pm
See the bubbles that have formed as the dough ferments.

See the bubbles that have formed as the dough ferments.

Look at that bubbly batter!  I was thrilled when I opened the oven this morning to check whether my dough had risen and indeed it did!  Marvellously.  It was my first time soaking, grinding and fermenting amaranth and to be on the safe side I used equal parts of amaranth, rice and urad dal to make batter for idli and dosa.

Use equal parts of rice, urad dal and amaranth.

Use equal parts of rice, urad dal and amaranth.

The recipe is quite simple. Read the rest of this entry »

, , , ,

Proso Millet Idlis (and Dosas)

In Recipes on 6 July 2015 at 6:23 pm

My friend Hema in New Jersey asked me, how can I use local grains in the United States?   While there are several wonderful cookbooks featuring such American staples as buckwheat, barley, rye it is not as easy to find recipes using millet and many recipes using these traditional yet less common grains call for even more specialized ingredients.  Of course it is well worth the effort, but what if you want to make something simple with millet right now?

Proso Millet Idli

Proso Millet Idli

One way to jump right into using locally grown millets is to make idlis with them.  Black gram, water and salt are the only other ingredients you need.  Read the rest of this entry »

, , ,

Millet-wheat waffles or pancakes

In Recipes on 5 July 2015 at 4:00 am

Are you torn between buying one more appliance for the kitchen, and one more box of store-bought waffles?

If you need one more reason to start making fresh home-made waffles, here you go:  millet waffles!

Millet-wheat waffle topped with blueberries.

Millet-wheat waffle topped with blueberries.

Millet-wheat waffles, that is.  These are easy to make and use equal parts of millet and whole wheat flour.  This recipe uses mashed ripe banana in the batter.  If you don’t have a ripe banana on hand, you may use 1 TBS honey or molasses in its place.  This will provide a mildly sweet tone to the background without overwhelming the hearty flavor of the waffle.

(Alternatively, you may use the same batter for millet pancakes.)

In the waffles pictured above I used sprouted millet flour which I got from a company called To Your Health in Alabama. Read the rest of this entry »

, , , ,

Swanky Little Millet Idli & Dosa

In Recipes on 1 March 2015 at 1:28 pm

Well well well, aren’t we getting adventurous?  These Swanky Little Millet Idlis have no rice at all, not that we don’t love rice, but if you were looking for ways to eat more millets (aren’t we all?) I can’t say enough about సామలు known in English as Little Millet and in Punjabi as Swank.  Yes, Swank.  So here are the names in various languages – check if your store has them so that you can get your swank on!

sama and urad mini idlis4

Little Idlis made of Little Millet and Urad.

Hindi: Kutki, Shavan | Gujarati:  Gajro, Kuri| Kannada: Same, Save
Marathi:  Sava, Halvi, Vari | Oriya:  Suan
Punjabi: Swank | Tamil:  Samai | Telugu: Samalu

The idlis are very easy to prepare.  Note that the grey color comes from the chilka (peel) of the urad and not from the millet which is an off-white or beige color.   You can use the same batter to make dosas or uttappams. Read the rest of this entry »

, , ,

Kodo Millet Idli and Dosa – easier done than said

In Recipes on 15 January 2015 at 11:32 am
Kodo millet idli served with pacchadi and sambar

Kodo millet idli served with pacchadi and sambar

If you were looking for a way to eat more and different millets, then you have come to the right place.   After years of talking about millets I realized I had only been using finger millet and more recently foxtail millet whereas there are so many more kinds of millet!  Was I ready to expand my millet horizons? Read the rest of this entry »

,

Tricolour Kura

In Recipes on 27 August 2014 at 2:34 am

This tricolour kura is really simple and looks pretty.  Great for potlucks or just for everyday dinners.

Peas, carrots and tofu kura.

Peas, carrots and tofu kura.

Ingredients:

Note that all of these measurements are guesswork on my part as I have never measured them and am unlikely to do so. Read the rest of this entry »


Simple Tomato Soup

In Recipes on 17 July 2014 at 12:35 pm

As always, Amma promises you simple recipes, the kind that you will actually make and not longingly admire on the page.  Considering how easy it is to get actually ripe tomatoes in India, it is a wonder that dry soup mixes even make it to market.   Their appeal could be that they are popular in Western countries where the growing season is shorter and “vine ripened” tomatoes merit special announcement in the grocery store.  Here we get tomatoes that are heavy with juice, red through and through and bursting with flavor.

Soup simmers in iron wok

Soup simmers in iron wok

The yumminess of this soup depends on the tomato so don’t try this if the inside of your tomato looks pale and hollow.  Most of the soup mixes and cans use an inferior quality of tomato and add sugar, fat and artificial flavor to compensate.  A fresh, ripe tomato Read the rest of this entry »