There are a
multitude of dishes that taste amazing emanating from the Indian Sub-continent,
in fact so many that one gets spoilt for choice. Three favourites for
vegetarians are idli, a sort of steamed rice cake, dosas which are similar in
ingredients and of course the favourite of all who taste it, dal makhani or
butter dal as it is also known.
The dosa and
idli is made from a mixture of lentils (urad dal) and rice that has been soaked
for several hours and is then ground into a fine mixture, like a batter one
makes for pancakes. For dosas, this mixture is left over night to ferment
slightly, giving it a tangy taste and often one can add fenugreek seeds to
flavour it a little more. When making the dosas, one heats a pan (actually a
pancake pan serves the purpose well and you lay the batter out and cook one
side and then flip over and crisp on the other side. For idli, one can go to
specialist Asian shops where you will find steamers which have the serving
sizes built in and just steam away until they are ready.
These two bread
substitutes originally came from south India and are accompanied by a variety
of chutneys and curries that add flavour and offer the perfect accompaniment.
Try them with dal makhani, for example, a lentil dish made with a variety of
spices that is a hearty meal in itself with a long wonderful buttery finish
(that is the makhani part).
There are many
variations of the dosa and idli and they are served in a variety ways in
different regions in India and even in sweet variations for children for whom
south Indian food may be too spicy. Often dosas are served for breakfast at the
start of the day, while idli is served in a host of ways, stuffed with spicy
potatoes being a favourite of almost everyone. Whatever your tastes, you can
find a recipe that will suit your tastes and you will have a lot of fun tasting
the different accompaniments that go with them.
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