COLORFUL COCKTAIL IDLI’S
Growing up in a land where “Idli ,vada ,sambar” was the alarm clock chime in the morning,its just natural that Idli’s would remain my comfort food for life.The mini-idlis of Saravana Bhava restaurant in Tamilnadu,topped with ghee & sambar would be a lifetime romance for the ones who have tasted it.Today, I decided to try a new version of colorful cocktail idlis or idli kabobs as my little one calls them.This could be a colorful showstopping starter for picnics,potlucks or dinners.I can almost hear my Mom saying”I don’t know when you will have the time to pour these mini idlis in the trays,which has 72 holes in total” as I packed my bags on my visit to India.Little does she understand that India for me does not mean just missing Pappa & Amma,its my very core,the breath of life within….that includes everything that has made me the person I am today.Mini idlis/Button idlis are just a figment of that love for my motherland,there is so much more…..,so here I was packing these mini idli moulds,the appam pan,the paniyaram pan etc with utmost glee,coz’ in these moulds I find myself in the cold cold winters here.
These mini idlis could be handy & are user- friendly too in that they can be a great starter dish, very kid friendly in the fact that they disaapear within minutes,they are easy to clean up& do not require any extra utensils to be packed in during long distance travels.One can make them in all possible colors one can think of,I used tomatoes for red, cilantro/coriander leaves for green & coconut chutney for yellow,white is the natural one.One can substitute with Carrots for orange,Beets for purple so on & so forth.Once cooked,display them in skewers for a party or pack them in carry outs & enjoy.
Ingredients
1/2 cup 1/2 Idli batter(Remaining from previous day) for each color
2 tbsp 2 Coconut chutney (for yellow)
2 tbsp 2 Tomato chutney (for red)
2 tbsp 2 Cilantro Chutney (for green)
- Basic ingredients for chutney:
1 cup 1 Coconut grated
2 2 -3 tbsp Split chick peas
2 2 Garlic pods
4 4 -5 Green chillies
1/4 tsp 1/4 Turmeric powder
Salt- to taste
The above would be for plain coconut chutney,now to the same ingredients if you add a lil cilantro/coriander leaves & grind them fine, it becomes cilantro chutney,for tomato chutney,its different ingredients,listed as follows,
2 2 Tomatoes (finely sliced)
4 4 -5 Onions (small-sliced fine)
1/2 tsp 1/2 Chilli powder
Tamarind paste – a bit
Salt- to taste
Fry the onions & tomatoes with chilli powder in a little oil,then blend them together with tamarind paste & salt to taste,& the tomatoe chutney is ready( similar ingredients for carrot or beet,one can skip the coconut if required)
Directions
- Take a serving spoon or two of idli batter in each container,then add 2 tbsp of each chutney into different containers containing batter,mix well ,add salt if required.
- Meanwhile spray oil or rub ghee into the mini idli moulds & pour these different colored batter into each tray.
- Set them in an idli pan,steam for 15- 20 minutes
- Serve hot as starters or interesting lunch packs for kids,saves you time for packing chutneys in different container,thus saving you cleaning time, morever its power packed with flavors of the chuutney & idli,an all in one solution for ones on the go:)
- Enjoy serving them on skewers or packing on long rides.
Notes
- One needs a little patience to pour the batter into these tiny/mini idli moulds….but for the love of idlis & kids anything is possible:)
