Daily Recco, September 24: Idlis with a spicy-fried twist
We have a variant of the good ol' idli for those lazy mornings when leftover food is godsent.
Since March 24, many of us have become - okay, at least tried to become - master chefs. With that extra time in hand and the stress of the work commute off our heads, we have turned our attention to the finer arts in the kitchen.
However, after cooking many of those five-course meals, there are days when we settle for tossing the leftovers together on a lazy morning and sit back with Netflix. One such recipe we tried, tested and now recommend is pan-fried, spicy crumbled idlis.
What You’ll Need:
A few (at least two) leftover idlis from the previous meal
Idli podi (the spicy powder that is often served as an accompaniment for idlis/dosas along with oil). If this is not available, you can use any other coarsely-ground spice mix of your choice.
A pinch of turmeric
For tempering:
Mustard seeds and oil
How to:
Crumble the two idlis in a bowl after sprinkling a little water on them.
Add about two teaspoons idli podi or any other coarsely-ground spice mix, and turmeric. Mix with a very light hand. You don’t need a dough. Just spicy crumbled idlis — the drier, the better. Add salt if you prefer.
Heat oil in a wok (enough for stir-frying). Add about half a teaspoon mustard seeds and let it crackle. Now add the spicy crumbled idli mix and stir fry till it is slightly browned (or looks golden). Use a flat spatula to scrape it off the sides.
Have it piping hot — straight from the wok, if you so prefer!