IDADA / WHITE DHOKLA

Idada / White Dhokla

This is a zesty snack made of rice and lentils. It is popular in the state of Gujarat, located in the western part of India. Gujarat is famous for its wide varieties of sweet and savoury snacks. Idada also works great as a starter for dinner/lunch when paired with coriander chutney. Today I am writing this for my friend who had asked me for this particular recipe.

This recipe needs some preparation time as you need to soak the rice and lentils for hours and then ferment the batter for 7-8 hours before using it. You will need a steamer to steam these idada. It also uses Eno, which is a kind of fruit salt readily available in Indian grocery stores. If you are unable to find Eno, you may substitute it with baking soda. Note that this might not give the same fluffy texture and color to the idada. Both the variety of lentils are easily available in Indian grocery stores.

Yummy mouth-watering idada!

Ingredients :-
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1 cup white rice
1/2 cup urad dal (split matpe beans)
1/4 cup chana dal (split chickpeas)
Salt to taste
3 tbsp plain yogurt/dahi
1 1/2 inch piece of ginger
3-4 green chillies
5-6 garlic cloves
1 tsp Eno (fruit salt)
Coriander, chopped for garnish

Tempering
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1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/8 tsp asafoetida/hing
5-6 curry leaves (optional)
3-4 dried red chillies (optional)


Directions :-
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1.  Mix rice, urad dal and chana dal in a big container, wash properly and soak them in enough water for 7-8 hours.

2.  Now drain the extra water. Add yogurt and grind it into a coarse batter, use water if needed. The batter should be like the consistency of pancake batter - not too thick, nor too thin.  

3.  Add salt to the batter and leave it to ferment for 7-8 hours     in a warm place like a cupboard (which is not opened often). If you are making this recipe in winter, pre-heat the oven to 200 F, turn off and place the container inside the oven, do not open the oven door frequently. 

 Always use a bigger container when fermenting any batter as it tends to rise. It will need space or else the batter will overflow and the container will be messy. 

4.  Grind green chilles, ginger and garlic into a fine paste. Add it to the fermented batter. 

5.  Fill the steamer with water and place it on medium heat. Grease the steamer plate with oil. Before pouring the batter, add Eno and mix the batter properly removing any lumps. Pour the batter onto the greased plate till it reaches around 1/2 inch thickness. Steam the idada for 25-30 mins. To check, insert a toothpick in the idada, if it comes out clean, idada are done. Cut them into diamonds or any shape you like.

Idada getting cooked in the steamer

Use the remaining batter to cook more idada or refrigerate

it for later use. Batter stays good for 3-4 days.

6.  For tempering, heat oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add mustard seeds, once they start to crackle add asafoetida, dried red chillies and curry leaves. 

Idada ready to get served!

7.  Arrange idada on the serving platter, spoon the tempering on all the pieces, garnish with coriander. Serve with coriander chutney or serve them with tea/coffee as a mid-afternoon snack. Enjoy!!!

Spicy, savoury idada

VEGETABLE FAJITA

Hearty and delicious vegetable fajita

This is a healthy, easy and delicious main dish from mexican cuisine. I have had this dish in restaurants couple of times and I absolutely love it. So I tried it at home and came out perfectly fine.  Here are the list of ingredients you will need.


Ingredients :-
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1 10-pack Tortillas (Taco size)
1 green/red bell pepper, sliced into long strips
1 zucchini, sliced into long strips
1 summer squash, sliced into long strips
1 large red onion, sliced
5-6 baby portobello mushrooms, halved/quartered
10-15 broccoli florets
3 Jalapenos, sliced (optional)
Sour cream
Guacamole
Salsa
Mexican blend cheese
Salt 
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil, couple of tbsp
1/8 tsp sugar

Sliced zucchini and summer squash

Directions :-
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1.  Pre-heat oven to 450 F. Note that we have to bake all the veggies separately, you may use separate baking sheets if you like or use a large baking sheet and spread 2/3 vegetables in separate groups as per the quantity, do not over-crowd them. Bake veggies for around 15 mins. till they start to turn golden but are still firm.

2.  Drizzle olive oil on all veggies. Season all veggies with salt and black pepper except onions and jalapenos. 

Seasoned Green bell pepper

3.  While baking the onions if you add some sugar, it pulls out the natural sweet flavor from the onions, making the result intensely flavorful. If you want the caramelized result, bake them for longer period till they turn brown, stirring occasionally.

Red onions, broccoli and jalapenos ready to bake

4.  For baking jalapenos just add salt. These tend to bake quickly so keep an eye on them.

5.  Once the veggies are done, assemble them on a big platter into separate groups so everyone can get veggies of their own choice.

6.  Warm tortillas on the skillet one at a time for 4-5 seconds turning on both sides.

7.  For serving, spread a tbsp of guacamole on the warm tortilla, add the veggies of your choice, 2-3 pieces per tortilla as we don't want to overstuff it.

Guacamole and veggies on warm tortilla

8.  Add a tsp of salsa, dollop of sour cream and generous handful of cheese.

Salsa and sour cream are added 

Garnish with a handful of cheese

9.  Now fold the tortilla from both sides simultaneously as shown in the picture, serve hot. Buen Provecho!!! 

Enjoy your mouth-watering veggie fajita!

GUACAMOLE

This is a dip made of mashed avocado mixed with chopped onions and other seasonings. It goes well with chips and is also used in many mexican dishes.

Guacamole

2 avocados, peeled, chopped & mashed with fork

1 small tomato, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
salt to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp lemon juice
Handful of cilantro chopped


Mix the above ingredients properly and serve.