Idli Sambar and Chutney

My husband's favourite. He is not my husband, no no don't mistake me, what I mean is that, he is more than a husband to me. I came to his house from Bangalore, not as big a city as Mumbai. I was a very young girl,  just out of college, too enthusiastic, noisy, naughty and mischievous. He was always very sober, controlled and too soft by nature. He would wonder how I could laugh and giggle over small things! I remember my father told him only once just after we got married, not to leave me alone anywhere, since my father was too protective by nature. So much so that when I would be little late from college than normal, he would make both my brothers run all over the place to look for me. So the instruction to my husband. Till date he sees to it that as far as possible I am not alone, except at times when there is no choice! He has pampered me all the 33 years of married life and it still continues. So you see sometimes it is my duty also to make something of his choice. He hardly demands anything anyway. Philosopher, guide and above all, my bestest friend. He is the one who can pamper me and straighten me also when necessary!!

Here comes the recipe of The Idli Sambar and the Chutney. Sounds  more like a title of a film!

Method for Idlis

Proportion is 1 is to 3, one cup udad dal a handful of thin beaten rice and three cups idli ravaSoak one cup udad dal and the beaten rice for abt 3-4 hours in the afternoon and grind it to a fine paste, keep it to ferment overnight.At the same time wash three cups of idli rava and drain out all the water, keep it also overnight.Next morning mix the groud udad dal and the idli rava, add salt to taste and little soda so the idlis become soft and fluffy.Steam the idlis for abt 7-10 mins, they are ready to eat.

Method for Sambar
One cup toor dal, while pressure cooking this add little turmeric pdr, a pinch of asefoetida and also some curry leaves, adding vegetables of ur choice is optionalRoast 3 red chillies, 1/4 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds,1/2 cup fesh scraped coconut,1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon of corriander seeds, 7-8 peppercorns and grind all this to a fine mix.Take a kadhai with some oi lcrackle some mustard seeds add asefoetida, turmeric pdr, then add 2 onions cut into thin long pieces, saute it pink add the ground masala, cut one medium tomato into small pieces and add it cooking all this together till it changes colour and leaves the sides, add the boiled tur dal, bring it to a boil adding salt and 2- 3 spoons of tamarind paste, add finely chopped corriander leaves and sarve hot.

The Coconut ChutneyGrind together half scraped fresh coconut, some corriander leaves, some green chillies, little ginger, 3- 4 teaspoons of daaliya (fried gram or we call it phutana), squeeze lime and add salt as per taste, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, u can add water to grind the mixture according to the consistancy required, remove the chutney in a vessel. Make a tempering in a small kadhai with little oil, splutter some mustard seeds some add some asefoetida and a teaspoon ofudad dal make it pink and then add few pieces of dry red chilli and some curry leaves, pour this over the chutney.