Idli with Wholegrains

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As most of you know, all of  last week I was cooking non-stop from FSBites blogs. The idea behind was to take a little time every day, explore their blogs and find some keeper recipes. I am so glad I took this challenge. Just have a look at the below recipes. They are everyday dishes which I managed to whip up with the ingredients in my pantry.

Mads Oats Kharabath

Anu's Baingan Bhartha

DK's Stuffed Bread Pakoda

Nags Fried Egg Sambal

It was so much to do this and am sure will do it again, in future as I end up bookmarking atleast 3-4 recipes a day, but never get to make them. Sometimes, I wish there were more than 24 hours a day as my to-do-list that want to do in my spare time is way too long and the available time between work & household chores way too less.

Now, coming to today's recipe - Wholegrain Idlis. If you are first-timer, I would recommend this Idli 101 post and once you got that right, then move on to experiment with various whole grains & their proportions.

Idli with Wholegrains

I have always made idli, the normal way meaning with urad dal and idli rava. Never did I try to make these with wholegrains, until now. You would not feel the difference either in taste or texture when compared to the normal ones. An added bonus is the extra serving of whole grains incorporated which makes it nutritious breakfast, to give that perfect start for your day ahead!

Idlis served with pearl onion sambar

Adapted from Wholegrain Idlis

Make about 15-20 idlis

Ingredients:

3/4 cup brown rice (I used long grain variety)

1/2 cup parboiled red rice

1/2 cup urad dal (I used skinned, white ones)

1/4 cup cooked rice

1/2 tbsp fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)

Prepartion:

1. Wash both the rices in a bowl 2 or 3 times and soak them in filtered water, apparently yeast hates chlorine. Donot wash the urad dal. Mix in some methi seeds in each of them and soak the dal separately in an another bowl for about 8 hours.

Parboiled Red Rice

Long grain Brown Rice

2. First grind the urad dal (I used our regular Panasonic mixer) into a smooth taste and it is slightly bubbly, adding little water at a time. Use the water in which the dal was soaked. Pour the ground urad dal batter into a wide-mouthed bowl. Now add rice and grind with the cooked rice into a consistency of wet semolina (rava). Don't make it too runny.

3. Mix the rice batter into the urad dal batter gently with your hand. Add little salt and mix again.

4. Keep the batter out uncovered for 30 mins and then cover it & place it in a warm space to ferment.

Note: Lucky are those who are in India as for the kind of climate we have here is perfect for fermentation. Just keep it on the counter top and it will be double its volume by morning. For people who are living in other parts of the world, a little extra effort is needed. Read this Idli 101 post for more tips & tricks which worked for me, while I was in US.

Fermented Batter, ready to make idlis

5. When the idli batter is properly fermented, add a cup of water and mix well. I used my idli stand which fits perfectly in my rice cooker. Slightly oil the idli moulds, pour batter until to its brim and steam it in the rice cooker for 12-15 mins. Don't forget to pour some water at the base of the rice cooker. You can check for its doneness with a toothpick or knife. When inserted in the middle, it should come out clean.

6. Once done, serve it with any chutney or with some pearl onion sambar, like I did. Either ways, it taste delicious & is extremely healthy as it is filled with goodness from whole grains too.

Wholegrain idlis dunked in pearl onion sambar

Related Links:

* For some more ideas on how to use Whole grains, check out this roundup.

* Want to perfect bowl of brown rice, check out this how-to post which features Alton Brown's recipe.

* Never did I thought the classic Bisibelebath would taste so good when made with brown rice. this is one fool proof recipe which has been loved by all.
* Click here for all recipes based on whole grains featured here on Cooking With Siri.

I am sending these Whole grain Idlis as an entry to Healing Foods: Wholegrains, this month guest hosted by lovely Simona. I am giving two cookbooks (Cooking With Pedatha & Sukham Ayu) from Pritya as giveaways, do send in your entries for a chance to win either of them before July 31st 2011.

until next time,
Siri

WWC - Brown Rice for Dinner Roundup

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Last month - a challenge was thrown at all of you to cook with brown rice and you all DID IT. :-). Every conceivable dish that is usually done with *white rice* - from our beloved dosas to idlis to adais to pulihoras is a part of this roundup - ofcourse made with brown rice.

A Big Thank You to one & all who participated in this event and to dear Sanjeeta for giving me this opportunity to guest host WWC for the month of February.

Below are all the entries I received listed in no particular order. I have tried my best to include them all but if in any case I missed an entry, please leave a comment, I will add it right away. :-)

1. For me, Adais are great as they are an instant version of our regular dosa and doesn't require any fermentation. Priya of "Priya's Eash N Tasty Recipes" sent us a yummy Tomato,Wheat Rava & Brown Rice Adai.  (Follow her blog on FB here)

2. Next up is Mythreyi of "Yum! Yum! Yum!" and her Black Bean Brown Rice patties. All I need is - two burger buns, some lettuce and mayo for a perfect burger made :-) (Follow her on FB here)

3. I think there is nothing to beat a bowl of warm oven-roasted veggies with Indian flavored rice. Isn't it? Viji of "A Foodie N Her Cooking Hat" has exactly the same planned for us. (Follow her blog here)

4. Idli is one another South Indian quintessential breakfast and here Priya of "Priya's Eash N Tasty Recipes" made it with brown rice. :-) (Follow her blog on FB here)

5. Stuff the dosa with a potato masala and there you have a delicious Masala Dosa. Priya of "Priya's Eash N Tasty Recipes" sent us the recipe for that.  (Follow her blog on FB here)

6. Paella is one other very famous Spanish dish made usually with rice and vegetables and/or meat. Here Sanjeeta of "Lite Bite" re-created the delicious dish with Brown rice that too baked. (Like her FB page here)

7. Thanks to her new pantry cleanup project, my best blogging pal DK of Chef In You, finally took out the  bag of brown rice lurking around the corner of her kitchen cabinet and look what she has made for all of us. - Indian Brown Rice Pudding. Yummilicious. (Like her blog on FB here)

8. Pooris equals to sheer indulgence. Don't you all agree? How about making it a healthy indulgence by making Sanjeeta's Spicy Brown Rice Pooris. Yeh! [Like her FB page here]

9. Yogurt rice made with Brown rice sent by Richa of "Ambrosia".

10. Just looking at Pratibha's (of The Chef and Her Kitchen) crispy dosas makes me drool and when served with the colorful tomato chutney - it becomes a perfect breakfast that can be served on any day of the week. (Follow her blog on FB here)

11. Brown Rice and WaterMelon rind Dosa - yes, you read it right. Nivi of "Nivedita's Kitchen" gave a nice twist of water melon rind to the brown rice dosa. yum! (Follow her blog on FB here)

12. Brown Rice Paddu (Gundpanglu) - is Nivi's second entry. Like she says - these are called Unniyappam in Malayalam, Paniyaram in Tamil, Ponganalu in Telugu. (Follow her blog here)

13. I will be forever indebted to Alton Brown, for his fool proof recipe of - "Perfectly Baked Brown Rice". Until then, I will be honest, I didn't know how to *properly* cook a cup of brown rice. This recipe works like a cham for any wholegrain. I have followed the same instructions for barley, wild rice or a combination of all. A big thank you to Alton Brown. :-)  (Like me on FB here)

14. Who doesn't like a piping hot bowl of bisibelebath served with papads or pickle. Here I made our age-old-favorite using brown rice and believe me, it tastes almost the same and delicious too.   (Like me on FB here)

15. It takes only  4 simple steps to make this Brown rice and 16 bean adai and there you have an incredibly delicious and nutritious breakfast for you & your family. Yes, Yes, now you can thank me for solving your "What to eat for breakfast?" *wink*. (Like me on FB here)

16. If we are talking about dishes made with *rice*, then we have to talk about a flavorful fried-rice with lots of veggies and spices and ofcourse brown rice sent by Meena of "Chettinad Fiesta".

17. Next entry is from Veena of "Tastefully Veggie" - adding the goodness of vegetables into a brown rice dosa :-)

18. Usha of "My Spicy Kitchen" expresses her affinity towards her new found love in vangibath powder and she used the same to make this decadent "Flavored Brown Rice".

19. Every south indian would make a dosa almost every week. Our grandmoms and moms have made this for ages with the same urad dal and white rice ratio. Now, Vidya of "Vegetarian Recipes from India and Around the World" gave it a healthy twist using brown rice here.

20. In India it is a tradition that we celebrate any cheerful occasion with a bowl of kheer. Here Smitha of "Smitha's Spicy Flavors" tried to re-create the dish (which is usually made with white rice) with brown rice. I am sure the next time you want to make some kheer, you would give this a try.  (Follow her blog here) 

21. A second delicious entry from Smitha of "Smitha's Spicy Flavors". - a khichdi with brown rice. Wanna grab the bowl and eat all by myself - by just looking at the picture with that pickle on the top. :-)

22. Denny of "Oh Taste N See" (how aptly named) takes this brown rice challenge a step further and makes this Multigrain Oothappam with brown rice, quinoa and bulgur wheat. (Follow her on FB here)

23. Denny's second entry is - crispy, crunchy, perfectly browned brown rice dosas. (Follow her on FB here)

24. Giving our usual khichdi a nice twist with greens like Palak along with the brown rice. What else can you ask for. It in itself is a filling one-pot meal sent by Richa of "Ambrosia".

25. I am sure there is somebody out there who still dislikes brown rice (even after going through 24 delicious entries above). For such ones, Satya of "My Innovative Kitchen" has an idea. Check out her post on Brown Rice Rava Pulihora to know what I am talking about.

26. As we started our roundup with an adai, lets end with one. Shall we.. this time it is from Divya of "Dil Se" and her delicious Brown Rice Adai.  (Like her blog on FB here)

Some of the other roundups previously posted here on my blog -

My Legume Love Affair - Part 1 and Part 2
One stop shop for all Srilankan Recipes
RFRU: Dinner
Herb Mania: Coriander/Cilantro

For the complete list - please click here.

until next time,
Siri

This book makes me cook: Buckwheat Pancakes

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A Potato Salad.

Molly's story begins from there. Now you would wonder what can written about a mere *potato salad*? Even I thought the same when I finally got to sit down and read this book (as January's choice for our virtual book club). Apparently 'you can tell a lot about someone by their potato salad' and how it is made. the ingredients I mean. Some use mayo, some use ranch dressing, some use loads of oil and herbs etc.

You see, growing up (back in India) I never got a chance to eat much of potato salad (on the contrary, I had bowls & bowls of potato fry with steamed rice & ghee.) Ok, now coming back to the story here.

...and there goes Molly talking about how her dad makes the potato salad and finally giving out the recipe (Burg's Potato Salad). Then she moves on to talk about her mother & her Blueberry-Raspberry Pound Cake. Likewise, the book is full of short anecdotes about her family, her teens, her love life and finally ends with her Chocoalate wedding cake. It is an absolute delight to go on this journey with Molly and getting to know her a little bit more, with every story.

The best part is - these are short stories, so I read one each night before going to sleep and all I used to dream out is her Stewed Prunes with Citrus and Cinnamon or Fruit-Nut Balls or Vanilla Bean Buttermilk Cake with Glazed Oranges and Creme Fraiche or these Buckwheat Pancakes, the ones that I made today, for you all.

Trust me, I was so confused which one to make as I had almost every recipe bookmarked. Duh-uh! I am planning to make a couple of more in coming days!

Buckwheat Pancakes

Author's Notes: These pancakes are a bit different than your usual ones. Rather than adding melted butter directly into the wet ingredients, you first mix it with the egg yolk. This helps the butter to better incorporate into the batter, making for a more even-textured pancake. Just be sure to microwave the butter in short bursts. These pancakes are great on their own (I will vouch for that!), but they taste even better with berries or sliced banana and/or maple syrup. 

I think pancakes and maple syrup are match made in heaven. :-)

Recipe from A Homemade Life, stories an recipes from my kitchen table by Molly Wizenberg (the Orangette fame)


Ingredients:


2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup buckwheat flour (available in Whole foods)
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp milk (I used 2%)
1 large egg, separated
2 tbsp (1 ounce) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
vegetable oil, for brushing the griddle
maple syrup or honey, for serving 
a handful of fresh or frozen berries (I used frozen blueberries), for serving

Preparation:


Step 1: In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients - the flours, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

Step 2: In a separate bowl, pour buttermilk and milk together. Whisk the egg white. In an another small bowl, using a fork beat the egg yolk with the melted butter. Whisk the yolk mixture into the milk mixture. 

Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients all at once and whisk until just combined. Donot overmix. The batter will be somewhat thick.

Step 4: Heat a large non stick skillet over medium heat. Brush the skillet with oil. sprinkle couple of droplets of water, if they sizzle, the pan is ready to go.

Step 5: Ladle the batter with a 1/4 measuring cup. My skillet was not wide enough, so I did one at-a-time. Make sure not to overcrowd them. when the underside of the pancakes are nicely browned and the top starts to bubble, after 2 to 3 mins, flip them. Cook until the second side is browned, 1 to 2 mins more.

Re-oil the skillet and repeat the same with more batter. Serve warm with maple syrup or honey (like I did) with or without fruit.

Yields 8 -10 pancakes, depending on the size.


Freezing Tip - Arrange the pancakes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, freeze them until they're hard. then put them in a heavy-duty plastic bag and stash them into the freezer. They'll last this way for months. 

Other recipes made my fellow book club members:

Adele baked Molly's chocolate cake.

Aparna baked Molly's French Lemon-Yogurt Cake with Blueberries.

Jaya made Banana bread.

Jessica made Dutch Baby Pancakes.

Judy baked a banana bread with chocolate and crystallized ginger.

Banana bread again with caramel, from Marisa.

Simran made Coeur A La Creme.

I can't wait for her next book and the good news is - it is already under book proposal stage. Good luck to you Molly. :-)

See you all in a few,
Siri

Brown Rice and 16 bean Adai

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A simple 4-step process and there you have an incredibly delicious and nutritious breakfast for you & your family. The batter can be make-ahead of time on that leisure Sunday evening and the following week, you don't have to worry about - "What to eat for breakfast?" question. I bet, the batter wouldn't stay for long, so prepare yourself to soak the next batch, almost immediately just like I do. :-)

[Update] - the 16 bean soup mix has following beans -

• Northern
• Pinto
• Blackeye
• Garbanzo
• Kidney
• Baby Lima
• Green Split Pea
• Cranberry Bean
• Small White
• Pink Bean
• Small Red
• Navy
• White Kidney
• Pearl Barley
• Black Bean
• Large Lima

Brown Rice and 16 bean Adai

my morning breakfast - brown rice & 16 bean adai served with peanut chuntey & hot tea.

Adapted from Saffron Hut.


Ingredients needed -

1 cup 16 bean soup mix (which can be found in almost every grocery store - in the dried beans aisle)
1 cup brown rice
1/2 cup urad dal
2-3 red chillies
1 tsp of minced ginger
1 green chilli
1/2 cup of chopped onions
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
a pinch of asafoetida
salt - to taste
few curry leaves


Preparation -

1. Soak overnight, separately - 16 bean mix, brown rice, (urad dal + red chillies)

2. Drain the soaking water into a separate bowl and grind to a coarse paste, add one by one after short intervals - (16 beans , brown rice, urad dal with red chillies, little soaking water).  

3. To the ground bean-rice-dal paste - add chopped onions, minced ginger, green chillies, cilantro, asafoetida, salt and curry leaves. Keep aside for 10-15 mins (skip this if you are in a hurry).

4. If you are ready to use it right away, heat a little oil on a non-stick pan, laddle a scoop of adai batter in the center and spread evenly into a dosa. Cook until golden brown on both sides and Serve with some chutney.

Note - For a later use, store in a air-tight container and refrigerate. Stays good for atleast a week.

Bhuvana, this is for you. :-)

[Update] - sending this the event I am guest hosting "WWC: Brown Rice" originally conceptualized by Sanjeeta .

until next time,
Siri

Barley Lentil Chunky Soup

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Barley Lentil Chunky Soup

Fall is all around us and during these cold, rainy, gloomy days - we need something that provides some warmth to our sullen bodies and pep us up. Hence this Barley Lentil Chunky soup which is in-short a 'store-house' of all essential nutrients. I made this soup for the first time for dinner in the beginning of the week and served it yesterday for lunch again along with toasted 3-seed Sourdough bread. I have gotten some rave reviews from my other-half. Give this a try and just like me, your loyalty to it forever is guaranteed!

Note: The soup keeps up to 7 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer, which makes it a wholesome make-ahead meal ready to be served on those busy weeknights. 

Adapted from here.

Preparation:

1. Rinse and Drain 1/2 cup of green or brown lentils. (I used green).

2. Chop up 1/2 cup of onion, 1 cup of cubed carrots and 1 cup of (fresh or frozen) spinach. Mince 1 clove of garlic.

3. Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in a big sauce pan, saute chopped onion for 3-4 mins. Add in carrots and cook for 5-6 mins, until a bit soft. Add garlic, mix and saute for 2 mins. Season with salt  and add washed lentils, 1/2 cup of pearl barley, 3/4 cup chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp of cumin powder, 2 cups of vegetable broth and  2 cups of water. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for atleast 25-30 mins or until tender.

Note: If you are using instant pearl barley, then adjust the time accordingly.

4. Finally add spinach and cook for 5- 6 mins. Season with salt (if needed) & pepper and 1 tbsp vinegar.

5. Garnish with cilantro and/or serve with a dollop of yogurt as topping. Yum!

P.S - Don't worry about the proportions. Just keep tasting as you-go. this recipe is very wholesome and very forgiving with measurements. :-)

Variations:

1. Add some fresh lemon juice, instead of vinegar for some tangyness.
2. Dried herbs like thyme, rosemary, basil work very well too.
3. Lentils can be easily substituted with any kind of legumes.

Sending this piping hot soup to My Legume Love Affair # 30, guest hosted this month by Priya, originally conceptualized by Susan of 'The Well Seasoned Cook'.

Hope you all have a relaxing weekend ahead.

until next time,
Siri

Brown Rice Bisibelebath

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There are some recipes which sound just flawless, like this luscious, creamy lentil dish. When best of the two worlds meet and make love, this is what we get (to eat): (Brown Rice + Bisibelebath). I recommend to make this ultra simple bisibelebath powder at home instead of getting some store-bought brand. Go for the latter, only if you fall short of time. I have tried to make this recipe with both and the difference is very evident. Replace the *white glucose coated rice* with such healthy whole-grains as much as you can. Trust me, you will do better, you will feel better & you will automatically eat just right!

The Making of Brown Rice Bisibelebath 

This recipe is adapted from one of my favorite bloggers - Madhuram of Eggless Cooking. In my quest to find wholesome recipes using brown rice, I found this and loved it. The rice and dal proportions are just perfect and once fully cooked, there is no so chewy, gummy texture to the brown rice. All we taste is how smooth and silky the cooked dal coats the rice & with 4 full servings of veggies, this is a one-pot meal in itself.

creamy, delicious, silky textured bisibelebath..

Serves 4 -6

Preparation:

Wash and Soak 1.5 cup of brown rice with 1 cup of toor dal in 7 cups of warm water for atleast 20 minutes. Tranfer the same into a pressure cooker , on medium heat and cook until 5 whistles. Take off from burner and set aside until pressure completely dies down.

Bisibelebath powder: Meanwhile, in a small pan, heat 2 teaspoon of ghee, and roast one-by-one : 2 tbsp of chana dal, 1 tbsp of urad dal, 2 tbsp of coriander seeds, 1 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds, 1 teaspoon of black peppercorns, 4 to 5 cloves, 2 inch broken cinnamon stick, 4 red chillies and 2 tbsp of grated coconut. Cool a bit and grind into a fine powder. We will not use all-of-it for this recipe. I had to use about half of it and saved the rest in a air tight container.

In a wide pan, heat 2 tsp of oil, add 2 tsp of mustard seeds, until they start to crackle. Then drop curry leaves, 2 cloves of minced garlic and 1 medium onion, thinly sliced. Saute for 4-5 mins until they become a bit translucent and then add all the veggies you want. - I used carrots, green beans, drumsticks, tomatoes, yam, cucumber, snake gourd and mango pieces, about 4 cups. Cook for 5-6 mins.

Then add 3 tbsp of tamarind juice (or more depending on your tanginess you want). Cook for couple of minutes more. Add about 3-4 tbsp of bisibelebath masala powder. (recipe above). Mix well and add 1 cup of water if desired. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Finally add the rice & dal mixture and season with salt. Add 1 tsp of sugar (optional). On low flame, let it simmer for 3-4 mins more (make sure the bottom is not burnt). Serve as-is or with yogurt and/or appadams on the side, like we did.

Notes: Make the bisibelebath powder, in advance and store it in a air tight container in fridge, for it to stay fresh. 

Hope you have a fun-filled week ahead.

[Update] - sending this the event I am guest hosting "WWC: Brown Rice" originally conceptualized by Sanjeeta .

until next time,
Siri

How to Cook Brown Rice Perfectly Every Time [In Oven]

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"It is always during a passing state of mind that we make lasting resolutions"

~ Marcel Proust

Who said 'resolutions' can be made only at the beginning of the year??. (or more precisely on January 1st). I made one last Sunday. - to consume white rice just once a week or less. It is my humble start for a healthy living. That means my plain-old-white-rice will be replaced by all kinds of whole grains.

First in such series of posts is - to cook a perfectly cooked, fluffy, tasty 'Brown Rice'. Look no further, below is one such recipe which is absolutely 100% fool-proof and the variations that can be made out of it are countless.

Here are some ideas, just to get you started:

- Instead of olive oil, add butter like the original recipe suggested & replace brown rice with a medley of brown rice and wild rice.
- Use Vegetable broth instead of water for more dense flavor.
- Add any kind of veggies , fresh garlic, tomato paste, flavored oils and/or herbs such as dill, parsley etc to give the dish a whole new twist.


...the flavor possibilities are practically endless!!!.

Baked Brown Rice

It is a known fact that brown rice is much healthier than plain-white-rice. To create white rice, both the germ and the inner husk (bran) of the grain are removed, it is then polished, usually using glucose or talc. Therefore the loss of good nutrients and fiber is substantial. So, that has to make us wonder - "Whats the point of eating such a thing?". Isn't it? Majority of us refrain from using brown rice because - We just don't know how to cook a bowl of brown rice perfectly. Now, you donot have that excuse anymore. This simple recipe takes only 5 minutes to prep and baked in the oven for 1 hour (unattended) should get you started onto making one.. It definitely did for me. :-)

 

perfectly baked brown rice topped with cilantro, just out of the oven

Adapted from Alton Brown's recipe

Preparation -

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Place 1.5 cups of brown rice (I used basmati variety, but short or medium grain can be used) in a baking dish.

3. In a covered sauce pan, bring 3 cups of water, 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tsp of salt to a rolling boil. Pour it over the rice, add some chopped cilantro leaves and stir to combine. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake it (in the middle rack) for exactly 1 hour.

 4. After 1 hour, remove foil, fluff the rice with a fork and it is ready to Serve with almost anything.

brown rice served with a bowl of mango dal

..now no more half cooked or burnt or crunchy brown rice for dinner. Follow this simple recipe for a bowl of perfectly cooked brown rice. Replace this with wherever/whenever you crave for white rice, like I do for that extra ounce of fiber that you need to get going all-day!.

[Update] - sending this the event I am guest hosting "WWC: Brown Rice" originally conceptualized by Sanjeeta .

until next time,
Siri