Basics and Tips

I had always thought about having a new page for Basics of Indian cooking. I also had a few requests from my friends and readers for tips on common Indian cooking. I started this page to meet the needs of my friends and also to any beginners in cooking and newcomers to kitchen.

1. How to make Idli-Dosa Batter
2. How to make Perfect Puli Kulambu
3. How to make frozen (canned) chickpeas - garbanzo beans
4. Need more tips?? Add your question.. I will try to post a reply in this page.

Idli-Dosa Batter
These steps to make a perfect idli / dosa batter is a collection of my experience, tips from home and home away from home.
Making sponge like, jasmine touch idlis is not much of a mystery. Malligapoo* Idlis are very easy to make with little care and patience. Knowing the right texture of ground rice and urad dhal is always a question. Here I have given step-by-step pictures to show the consistency of the batter to achieve soft idlis. I have not used any idli rava or cooked rice or beaten rice (poha) or Yogurt. Just rice, urad dhal and fenugreek seeds.
Rice: Idli rice / Parboiled rice / Puzhungal arisi is the best choice and make sure the rice is of good quality.

Urad dhal: Always use whole urad dhal (Urad gota/Uruttu Uzhundhu). Broken urad dhal or urad dhal powder wouldn't cut it

Fenugreek seeds: Gives the fluffiness of the batter which gives soft idlis and crisp dosas.

Now moving on to the ingredients and the process.
Ingredients: 
Rice - 4 cups
Whole Urad dhal - 1 cup (Also read FAQs below)
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp  or to taste based on your proportions.
Washing/Soaking:
Place the rice in a big vessel and wash with several exchanges of water until the water is almost clear. This may be around 7 to 10 times. Soak the rice for a minimum of 6 hrs in clean water.
Take the urad dhal and methi seeds together in another vessel and wash with just 4 to 5 exchanges of water. Washing urad dhal too much will not allow it to rise while grinding or fermenting. Use a container which has twice the volume of the dried urad dhal, because it tends to increase in volume while in water. Soak the urad dhal in room temperature for 1 hour and transfer it to the fridge until ready to grind.
I soak both my rice and urad dhal for 6 to 8 hrs.

Grinding:
Always grind rice and dhal seperately for best results.
Wash the wet grinder with water and drain it. Drain the rice, reserving the water used for soaking. Add the rice slowly in 4 additions, with the grinder on, alternating with 1/4 cup of reserved water. Allow the grinder to run for 10 minutes and add water as needed. Whenever you add water pour it in a steady stream when the motor is running. It would take around 30 to 40 minutes for you to get a smooth liquidy paste. To check if the rice is done. Take some batter in your middle finger and stroke it with your thumb. If the batter is smooth and you do not feel even a little grit, it is done. Transfer the rice batter to a large mixing bowl.

Take the urad dhal from fridge when you are ready to grind. It goes directly from the fridge to the grinder. Drain the dhal, reserving the water used for soaking. Add the dhal slowly to the grinder with the motor on. After all the dhal is added, add about 1/4 cup of water in a steady stream when it is grinding. Keep adding water in the same way every 10 minutes. After 45 minutes the urad dhal will be soft, airy and frothy. And the volume will be same as the ground rice in the mixing bowl. Now transfer the urad dhal batter to the rice batter and add salt. Wash the grinder with about 1/2 cup of water and add this washed mixture also to the batter.

Mixing and Fermenting:
Use your hand to mix the batter. Dip your hand into the bowl and mix well scraping the bottom and sides with your fingers. You would need to beat the batter in a circular motion for 3 to 5 mins. When done, clean the sides and cover the bowl with a loose fitting lid and set undisturbed in a corner of your kitchen counter. Works like a charm for tropical climate. For fermenting batter in cold countries, place in your conventional oven undisturbed for 12 to 14 hours.
Fermented batter will rise in about twice the original volume.

To Make Idlis
Use a ladle to beat the fermented batter until it reaches to three-fourth of its volume. Grease idli plates with oil and pour the batter in the moulds. Steam using the idli steamer until done. To check the done-ness, a tooth-pick inserted should come out clean. Remove the idli plates from heat and allow to cool. Use a spoon to scoop the idlis from the plates. Serve hot with sambar/chutney/podi.

To Make Dosas
Heat a flat griddle. Take a ladle full of batter and pour in the center of the griddle. Use the back of the ladle to gently spread the batter in circular motion. 

Do's and Dont's
1. Always bring the batter to room temperature before making idlis or dosas. Cold batter would yield hard idlis and rubbery dosas.
2. Always use the water used for soaking to grind the batter.
3. Try to use cold water while grinding urad dhal.
4. Grind rice and dhal separately.
FAQ's
1. Can I use my mixer grinder/blender to make idli / dosa batter?
Yes. You can use a mixie to make batter. Grind the rice/ urad dhal 1/2 cup at a time to avoid overload and make smooth batter. 
2. How long should I ferment the Idli/ Dosa batter?
It depends on the climatic conditions in the place you live and the seasons. In tropical countries like India, 6 - 8 hours is enough to get the batter ferment on the kitchen counter. Even lesser time during summer. 
In cold countries like UK, US it is difficult to get the batter ferment in less time. This is the method I have been following for the past few years. After grinding the batter and mixing well with hands (after adding salt) close with a lid (not tight fitting) and place inside the conventional oven or radiator (basically anyplace warmer than the rest of the house). DO NOT turn the conventional oven ON. Mine takes about 16 - 20 hours for a well-risen batter. You could lessen the time by leaving the oven light on.
3. In what vessel / utensil should I ferment the batter?
Hands down, a vessel which is not plastic. I would suggest a stainless steel vessel. A glass bowl would work fine too. I got a 8 qt mixing bowl just for idli/dosa batter.
4. Can I freeze idli / dosa batter?
Yes. Idli / Dosa batter freezes well. It can be frozen for 2 months. Transfer to a plastic container with tight-fitting lid. Take required quantity of batter, close tightly and freeze. Leave 1" space between the rim of the container and the batter since liquids expand while freezing. The frozen batter should be thawed 24 hours in the refrigerator before use. Again, should be in room temperature for 1-2 hours.
5. Why are my idlis flat? (also see Q.no 6)
Flat idlis mean too much Urad dhal. You may ask how can the urad dhal be too much if done according to proportion. Every Urad dhal is different. The urad dhal we used in India was different. It gave more volume of batter. So I would have the urad dhal rice proportion to be 8:1, as opposed to 4:1 I have mentioned above. The urad dhal I use here in US does not give that much volume. Some times I may have to use 4 cups rice to 1.5 cups urad dhal to get spongy idlis. It takes a couple of times to get the perfect idlis by changing the amount of urad dhal and sticking to what works for you.
6. Why are my idlis flat (I have reduced the amount of urad dhal as stated in Q.no 5 above but still flat idlis)?
In this case, grind your rice batter a teensy bit grainy. I mean not super smooth as I have shown in the picture but a little bit grainier than that. Then mix and ferment in the usual process.
7. Why are my idlis hard?
Hard idlis may mean one of two things. Cold batter or too less urad dhal. The batter should always be in room temperature before making idlis or dosas. The urad dhal should be ground to fluffy consistency to make soft idlis. If the ground urad dhal batter is tight it would lead to hard idlis. Having said that, do not add water to make it loose. It doesn't work that way. Adding water little by little while grinding gives the fluffy cloud like consistency. 
8. Why are my dosas rubbery?
Cold batter yields hard idlis and rubbery dosas. Bring the batter to room temperature before making dosas.
9. Why are my dosas not crispy/ Why are my dosas are white?
There are two known reasons for this. First, the batter should have fermented well and slightly sour (compared to idly) for crisp golden dosas. Second, the batter should be in room temperature for golden dosas. 
10. Why does my dosa stick to the pan or break while flipping?
If the dosa tawa is heated too much, the dosa tends to stick to the pan. Always maintain the heat in medium-high flame. If the dosa sticks to the pan, Cut an onion / shallot in half and rub the cut side all over the tawa and then make dosas. It will not break.



How to make perfect Puli Kulambu?
I do not have a recipe to post here per se for Puli Kulambu. It is like a frequent starer in my kitchen but I never got the opportunity to click it. Will try to put one soon. But there are some tips you can follow to make perfect puli kulambu like grandma.
1. Always use Gingelly oil/Nallennai to make Puli Kuzhambu/Kaara Kuzhambu.
2. Be liberal on the usage of gingelly oil. It may feel like a lot of oil at first but sure is THE taste maker in kulambus.
3. Add fenugreek seeds for tempering instead of mustard seeds.
4. Coriander powder is an important ingredient for thickening of the Kulambu.
5. Good quality tamarind is the key to make a good kulambu. Tamarind paste can be used, but it can never beat the taste of using tamarind.
6. After adding all ingredients let the kulambu come to a boil (remember it should be watery at this stage to thicken later).
7. After it comes to a boil, allow it to simmer for atleast 15 to 20 mins, Yes you read it right. 15 - 20 mins is a good time to have the kulambu simmer where the flavors meld and it thickens. Stir once or twice during the time.
8. The oil should be floating on the top, which indicates the flavors have melded well.

How to make frozen "canned" garbanzo beans / chickpeas?
I always love using canned beans for my cooking. They are instant, no soaking required, no pre-cooking required and overall easy to use. It was until recently when I discovered how easy it is to make frozen chickpeas at home with dry chickpeas. One may ask why would someone make these at home when they are readily available in cans. I can list out the pros..
1. It is "home-made". So you know what goes in the making.
2. Control the amount of salt in the beans by which you could control the amount of salt in the dish.
3. Cost. The dry chickpeas is far more cheaper compared to the canned ones.

 

Now to the process. A pressure cooker is a great nice-to-have equipment for making these at home. Since most of the recipes call for units of cans for beans, here I am starting with dry garbanzo (chickpeas) required to make 1 can equivalent of beans. 
Ingredients:
Yield - 1-3/4 cups cooked or 1 can drained; Soaking time - 8 hrs; Cooking time - 15 mins
Dry White Garbanzo beans / Chickpeas / Konda kadalai - 2/3 cup or 1 rice cooker cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Water - 3 times of the dried beans + more for soaking

Method:
Pick any twigs or stones from the beans and wash well. Soak in 2 litres (approx) of water for 8 hours. After soaking, drain well. In a pressure cooker, add the drained beans, 3 times water and salt. Cover and pressure cook for 1 whistle. Drain well and spread on a plate lined with kitchen towel. When it is moist-free, transfer to a quart sized ziploc bag and seal, removing excess air. Freeze flat. No need to thaw when using. Simply transfer the contents of the ziploc bag to boiling water. Drain after a couple of minutes. Now it is fresh and ready for use in any recipe.