Undi ( Steamed cream of rice balls)

Undi is a traditional Konkani breakfast item. When I say Konkani, I mean South Canara Konkani people. I am sure other people living in the Konkan region also make it.Undi is also known as "pundi" in Tulu and "mootli" by Catholic konkanis. "Mootli" means fistful, as fistful of batter is taken and shaped into balls which are then steamed.Traditionally in the Hindu households it is served with jaggery syrup. Others eat with with spicy curries like fish curry& egg curry. I like it with a little butter/ ghee filled in the little hole/ indentation and spicy dry chutney like lasun ( garlic) chutney sprinkled over it! :) yum!

Coincidentally, this is also the first dish that I cooked all by myself as a little girl in my "play kitchen". I must have been 8 or 9 years old at the time. I had miniature pots and pans which also included a miniature idli steamer! If a little kid can cook it, it has to be a easy dish to make!:)

Servings: 2-4

Ingredients:

Rice rava( idli rava or cream of rice): 1 cup
Coconut oil:1 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Urad dal: 1/2tsp
Methi seeds( fenugreek seeds): 1/8
tsp
Curry leaves: 1 sprig
Freshly grated coconut: 1/4 cup
Water: 1 1/2 cups
Salt: to taste
Sugar/ jaggery: 1/2 tsp 

Method:

Wash idli rava thoroughly and keep aside.

In a kadai, heat oil, add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the urad dal, methi seeds, curry leaves and saut� for few seconds until the urad dal starts turning golden.

Now add the washed  rice rava, grated coconut, hot water, sugar & salt. 

Cover and cook on low flame until all the water evaporates and the rava mixture starts to easily leave the kadai( about 7-10 minutes). 

You know it is done if when you touch with your finger, nothing sticks to your finger. Turn off the flame.

Let it cool down a little. With damp hands take small portion ( fist full) of the batter and shape it into a ball. Indent the center of the ball with your index finger. Make such balls until all the batter has been used. Keep it aside.

Fill the idli steamer with little water and bring it to boil. Place the steamer plate in it.

Arrange all the balls on the plate and steam for 10 minutes on medium flame. You can also use the pressure cooker/ pan for this but without the whistle.

Photo credit: Shailaja Rao

Photo credit: Shailaja Rao

Serve hot with butter/ghee and chutney of your choice or with jaggery syrup or honey or with some spicy gravy dish like prawn curry or fish curry.

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

You could make efficient use of your time and save energy( gas) by utilizing your resources to the fullest. When you are cooking rice in the cooker, also place the dal( lentil) or beans that you will be using to make another side-dish for lunch of dinner.

Another good example is the above dish. When you are steaming Undi or Idlis, you could steam/ cook another vegetable that is required for your lunch / dinner in the bottom half of the steamer. Of course, this depends on the size of your steamer/cooker.

Tip for healthy living:

Aerobic exercises are essential for the well being of the cardiovascular system. Aerobic exercises includes activities like walking, jogging, biking, running and swimming. An activity is considered aerobic only if it is done for at least 20-30 minutes. At least 45 minutes of aerobic activity is required before stored body fat  is utilized as a source of energy. At least 30 minutes of daily aerobic activity is recommended for a healthy cardiovascular system. 

References:
http://www.exrx.net/Aerobic/AerobicComponents.html
http://acsm.org/about-acsm/media-room/news-releases/2011/08/01/acsm-issues-new-recommendations-on-quantity-and-quality-of-exercise
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/583553_7
http://quizlet.com/4507792/exercise-prescription-for-aerobic-fitness-flash-cards/

Food for thought:

Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom. Hannah Arendt

Basic Coconut Sauce( Masala/ masolu )for Konkani ( GSB) Dishes

Cooking Konkani food is super easy! I am talking about the South Canara Gowda Saraswath Brahmin ( GSB) cuisine.  This is a relatively small community of people who are konkan and originally were Kashmiri Pandits but migrated along the Saraswati river and settled along the konkan coast of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala. Each group has been influenced by the local regional traditions and culture. Hence you will see konkans speaking different konkani and significant variations in their cuisine. Majority of the GSBs settled in the Udupi- Kundapur- Mangalore ( South Canara) region of Karnataka. Coming back to the cuisine,most of the dishes are coconut based and use coconut oil.

The most common gravy based curries (randayi)are called:

1.Ghashi :when tempered with mustard and curry leaves.
2.Ambat : when tempered with onions, and
3.Koddel :when tempered with garlic.
4.Sasam: when mustard seeds are added to the masala while grinding.

The most common dry side dishes are :

1. Sukke :when masala has oil- roasted urad dal in it.
2. Sagle :when masala has oil-roasted coriander and methi seeds in it.
3. Bhutti : when masala has oil-roasted coriander seeds in it.
4. Song :has nothing additional in the masala, but is cooked with saut�ed onions and is dry.

The common denominator is the basic coconut-red chilli-tamarind masala. Here is the recipe for the basic masala enough for one dish that would serve 4-6 people.

Ingredients:

Grated fresh coconut: 1 cup( from 1/4 coconut).
Dry Red chillies:4-5 nos ( depends on the spice level of; the chilly), roasted lightly in in 1/2 tsp oil.
Tamarind: marble sized if dry, 1/2tsp if pulp.
Water: 3/4 cup( could add more as needed).

Method:

Grind all the above ingredients in a blender using little water at a time into a fine paste.

You could use it immediately or store it in a airtight container in the freezer until you need it the next time. You could keep it in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Note:for the sukke masala, the coconut does not need to be ground to a fine paste. For everything else, it tastes best when the coconut is ground to a fine paste.

Cooking made easy:

The above coconut paste can be made from fresh or frozen grated coconut. If using frozen grated coconut, make sure that you thaw it to room temperature. Also, while grinding use lukewarm water.

Whenever I grate fresh coconut, I make sure I grind a batch of coconut masala enough for 3-4 different dishes and keep it in airtight containers in portions in the freezer. When needed, I just thaw a portion and add any additional ingredient if needed and blend it once or use it as is depending on what the recipe calls for.

Tip for healthy living:

In recent years, there was a huge uproar that coconut, coconut oil should be limited in your diet as it is a saturated fat and would increase the cholesterol in the body and clog your arteries. Many people I know either switched to "healthy" oils like canola or corn. I have always believed that the way our ancestors lived was a healthier way. They lived closer to nature, and had healthier eating habits. So I wondered could all out previous generations who cooked exclusively in coconut oil were all wrong? In fact my  mother eats exclusively eats food that has been cooked only in coconut oil . Any other oil upsets her stomach and makes her sick. We now understand that the whole"coconut oil is bad for you" was a myth propagated by the big companies who wanted to promote canola and corn oil industries. In fact canola and corn production is a big industry! Today, we know that health proponents are strongly promoting the use of coconut oil and sing praises of the health benefits of coconut. People are even encouraged to eat dry coconut pulp as a snack! Coconut is a great source of dietary fiber and vitamins C& B. It has healthy fats, breakdown of which might actually help the liver function more efficiently.

References:
http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/nutrition_news_information/health_benefits_of_coconut_coconut_oil_coconut_milk_coconut_water_coconut_flour
http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/surprising-health-benefits-coconut-oil

Food for thought:

The best thing one can do when it is raining is to let it rain. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow