Funky Forest Health & Wellbeing
  • Home
  • About
    • About Casey
    • Philosophy >
      • Non-Diet Approach
      • Health At Every Size HAES ®
      • Intuitive Eating
      • Holistic Dietitians
    • Modalities >
      • Dietitian
      • Naturopath
      • Nutritionist
    • Treatments >
      • Dietetic & Nutritional Therapy
      • Eating Disorder Therapy
      • Herbal Medicine
      • Flower Essences
  • Services
    • Consultations >
      • How I Can Help
      • Fees & Rebates
      • Book a Consult
    • Community Clinic
    • Yoga >
      • Class Schedule
      • Private Sessions
      • AcroYoga
    • Herb Walks
    • Freebies >
      • Newsletter
      • A Modern Yogi's BS-Free Guide to Wellbeing
      • Elimination Diet Email Series
  • Apothecary
  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • Contact
    • Newsletter

Casey's blog

Brown Rice Idli & Coconut Chutney

9/2/2013

 
Picture
By Palasis Cooney, wholefoods chef

Travelling really opens up the senses and brings to light little treasures that you would never normally come across sitting at home with your everyday routine. The first "treasure" meal in India we stumbled across was the magically soft, fluffy, fermented and steamed rice treats called idli.  Oh man what an experience!

With your right hand you grab this little disc of fluffyness and mop up nicely tempered and blended chutneys until there is absolutely nothing left. Then you need some more of everything.

The first experience with this dish was a completely satisfying one. You may want some organic leafy greens to balance it out or a fresh raw salsa to give it a crisp zing. By all means add these, but the truth is that it's a perfectly satisfying whole meal as it is. There's definitely a sweetness to wholegrains that fulfills the needs of your senses and satisfies your belly. Idli meets those needs.

The good part is that these babies are fermented so digestion is easier. In this recipe we substituted white rice for brown rice and allow for a little more fermentation time.

Here's what to do.

Picture
Idli  (Fermented Rice Cakes)

50 grams Fenugreek   
250 grams Black Dhal (urad dhal)
1 kg brown or white rice
1 tsp salt
filtered water

Soak the fenugreek with the rice and in a separate bowl soak the black dhal. Use 2 parts water to 1 part rice or dhal. After 4 hours drain dhal and separate and discard the husks. Drain the rice and the fenugreek and mix together with the dhal, reserving the same water for blending.

Next, blend the mixture with salt and 2- 3 cups of water to get it to a puree or paste. It needs to be blended well so a vita mix or blender with power is necessary. The mixture needs to be quite thick, like a thick muffin mix or cashew cream.

Leave the mix covered with a teatowel at room temperature for 6-8 hours (more if using brown rice and in low temperatures) and once it ferments we are ready to go. If you're not using it that day put it in the fridge to stop it from over fermenting.

Add salt to taste and stir the mix with a spatula or your hands. Fill a steamer tray with mixture. Indians have a special Idli steamer which is metal and has many levels, which the keen can find on ebay. You can also improvise with lightly greased creme caramel moulds, dariol moulds, creme brulee ramekins or anything of the like in water baths. Chinese bamboo steamers lined with lightly oiled greaseproof paper would also work. Be creative, you can steam in a slab and then cut it or steam careme caramel moulds in the bamboo steamer. They should only be 1 inch thick.

Cooking time is about 10 minutes. You can check if they're ready by dipping a skewer in one of the idlis - if  cooked it will come out clean just like a cake test.

Chutney, sambar and idli go so well together it would be unfair to stop now, so here are 2 more mouth watering recipes.


Picture
Coconut Chutney

50 grams dessicated coconut
50 grams cooked or tinned organic chick peas
25 grams raw peanuts or cashews
2 raw garlic cloves
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
25 grams yellow dhal
2 red chilies
1/4 tsp turmeric
12 curry leaves
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water
salt to taste

Roast the chick peas either in a pan on a medium heat stirring for about 5 minutes, or in the oven at 160 degrees C for 5 minutes.

Next make the tempering. Heat the oil to a medium heat. Add the garlic, dhal and chillies and cook for 2 minutes stirring, taking care not to burn. Add the mustard seeds, turmeric and curry leaves and cook lightly for another minute before taking off the heat.

Next add the chick peas, cashews , coconut, coconut milk and extra water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes. Take off the heat and blend all ingredients well. Check for seasoning.


Picture
Tomato Sambar

3 diced tomatoes
1 diced red onion
2 red chillies
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp roasted chick peas
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp dessicated coconut
1/4 tsp mustard seeds  
25 grams yellow dhal
12 curry leaves
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/3 tsp tamarind puree
salt to taste

This one is best made in two separate pans, one to start off the tomato and another to make the tempering.

First roast the chick peas as in the coconut chutney. Heat 1 tbsp of coconut oil and gently fry off the onions for 2 - 3 minutes then add the tomatoes and continue to fry for another 5 minutes on medium heat.

Add the roasted chick peas, dessicated coconut, tamarind puree and 1/2 a cup of water. Simmer gently for 30 minutes while making the tempering.

Heat the other tbsp of oil on medium heat and add the chilli, yellow dhal and garlic. Stir gently for 1 - 2 minutes. Next add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and cumin seeds and fry while stirring gently till fragrant. This should take about 2 minutes more. Take off the heat.

Add this mixture to the tomato mixture after 30 minutes stir in well.

Blend this mixture well in a high powered blender and serve.

Nisha
19/2/2013 07:09:36 am

Suggestion: For Idli- you can find urad dal without the husk in Indian stores. Using this will eliminate the step of separating and discarding the husk before grinding it.

Casey Conroy
19/2/2013 02:44:04 pm

Thanks Nisha that is a fantastic hint! Will definitely go to the Indian grocer first :)


Comments are closed.

    Categories


    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    POPULAR POSTS


    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    ARCHIVES


    April 2025
    November 2024
    October 2024
    March 2024
    November 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    October 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    July 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011

    MORE CATEGORIES


    All
    Allergies
    Autumn
    Ayurveda
    Babies & Children
    Best Of The Blog
    Body Care
    Body Image
    Body Inclusivity
    Body Positive
    Breakfast
    Breastfeeding
    Chocolate
    Consultations
    Cravings
    Desserts
    Detoxification
    Dinners
    Disordered Eating
    Dreaming
    Eating Disorders
    Education
    Environment
    Essential Oils
    Exercise
    Family Nutrition
    Farming
    Feminism
    Fermented Foods
    Fertility
    Fitness
    HAES
    Healing
    Health
    Health At Every Size
    Health On A Budget
    Herbal Medicine
    Herbs
    Homesteading
    Hormones
    Immune Health
    Integrative Medicine
    Intuitive Eating
    Lunch
    Magic
    Meditation
    Menopause
    Menstruation
    Metabolism
    Mindful Eating
    Moon
    Motherhood
    Movement
    My Personal Story
    Natural Cycles
    Naturopathy
    Non Diet Approach
    Non Diet Yogi Podcast
    Non-Diet Yogi Podcast
    Nutrition
    Omnivorous
    Paleo
    Permaculture
    Plant Spirit Communication
    Podcasts
    Postpartum
    Powerlifting
    Prenatal
    Probiotics
    Raw
    Recipes
    Recommended Reading
    Self Love
    Sex
    Simple Eating
    Skin
    Smoothies
    Snacks
    Social Justice
    Spirituality
    Spring
    Strength Training
    Stress
    Summer
    Superfoods
    Supplements
    The Wellness Diet
    Traditional Chinese Medicine
    Traditional Foods
    Traditional Wisdom
    Vegan
    Vegetarian
    Veterinarian
    Weight Neutral
    Wildcrafting
    Winter
    Witch
    Women's Health
    Yoga

    RSS Feed


    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
Picture
All content copyright Casey Conroy - Funky Forest Health & Wellbeing. For more information please click here to see my disclaimer.
Natural health for EVERY body. Copyright © 2024
​
0432 618 279 | [email protected]