Rava Idli 

(South Indian Savory Dumplings)

Here they are featured with some coconut oil and sprinkled with chutney powder (idli podi). These were from the recipe of Nisha Madhulika. I steamed them in an Instant Pot (not sponsored), using a very special idli rack. (You can get a glimpse of the idli rack, in the back left of the pic.) Yesterday was #worldidliday !

These idlis are considered "instant" although the batter must rest for 20 minutes, as that is still much quicker than the traditional version. The rava/sooji is basically cream of wheat/farina, and is mixed with yogurt. A little baking soda is added just before steaming, to further lighten the idlis.

These were very tasty just eaten plain, and even better as pictured here. I've been eating them for breakfast that way. Yummy!

Nisha Madhulika Website, Rava Idli Recipe

Nisha Madhulika YouTube, Rava Idli Recipe

Sweet Pizza Bites

These were based on the Kouzounas Kitchen recipe for Sweet & Savory Pizza Bites. These are topped with her own Lavender Sugar (which also has vanilla?). The combination was heavenly.  I "baked" these on a griddle, but maybe next time, I'll bake them in the oven, instead. Oh, and I should try them savory, with pizza sauce. I did find that leftovers were in less-than-optimal condition after a couple days in the fridge. Next time, I think I'd just freeze the leftovers; they probably thaw quickly, anyway. I was glad to finally have a chance to try these out! 

Kouzounas Kitchen Website, Sweet & Savory Pizza Bites

Punjabi Dal Palak 

(North Indian Kale & Legumes)

This was based on the spinach dal recipe of My Tasty Curry. I had kale, so I figured I'd try it this time; next time, it'll be spinach, like the recipe. I made the dish in an Instant Pot (not sponsored). Basically, I just cooked everything together for about 18 minutes on Manual/High Pressure, and let the pressure come down by itself.

This is a blend of spices, fresh ginger, greens, tomatoes, and 3 different kinds of legumes. I used mung dal (yellow split mung beans) and toor dal (pigeon peas), like the recipe, as well as masoor dal (red lentils). I didn't even think of pre-soaking the toor dal, but as I prefer to overcook dal anyway, it came out okay. I know better, so I count that as "operator error" (= my own error). The end result was just a little heavy and very thick -- but that just lends it more to other uses, so it's all good! 

I like having so many nutritious ingredients cooked all together like this. Next time, I'm sure it will be even yummier! 

My Tasty Curry Website, Punjabi Dal Palak

Noodles Dosa

(South Indian Savory Crepes, 

with Spicy Noodles)

This was based on a recipe from Magic of Indian Rasoi. The recipe calls for dosai (savory South Indian crepes) filled with Chinese-style noodles.

The dosa batter is considered "instant" although it must rest for 15 minutes, because this is still much quicker to prepare than the traditional dosa batter. These dosai were delicious by themselves, and they were even a bit crispy with just a small amount of oil.

One reason I was so eager to make this, was because I already had leftover Thai Massaman Noodles. I used these (instead of the noodles in the recipe) to fill the dosai this time. These were chuka soba aka ramen noodles, which cook in 3 minutes. I cooked them with some chopped veggies (green peppers, onions, celery, and carrots), as well as leftover Thai Massaman Curry paste, soy sauce, and a little brown sugar. Hopefully next time, I can make this Noodles Dosa with the noodles from the recipe. 

These were awesome! 

Magic of Indian Rasoi Website, Noodles Dosa/Spring Dosa/Chinese Dosa Recipe

Magic of Indian Rasoi YouTube, Noodles Dosa/Spring Dosa

Almond Halwa 

(Indian Milk Fudge)

I made this with ground almonds, sooji/cream of wheat, milk, sugar, and cardamom. The recipe is from Suneeta Vaswani's Easy Indian Cooking. Halwa is an Indian sweet that's thicker than a pudding. I've seen it described as "fudge." This one stays nicely in the fridge for several days. 

Dal Para(n)thas

(Indian Flatbread)

I made these Parathas with leftover Sambhar (South Indian Dal/Legumes & Veggies). I don't recall the specifics of what was in the Sambhar (as it was from the freezer), but it certainly contained tomatoes. In the interest of full disclosure, I'll mention that these weren't perfect . . . but I sure enjoyed them! Nice for a light meal with some whole-milk yogurt.

Chawla's Kitchen YouTube, Punjabi Dal Paratha / Dal Wali Roti

Instant Rava Kuzhi Paniyaram 

(South Indian Savory Dumplings)

These were from the recipe of Hebbar's Kitchen. These dumplings are made from rava/sooji/farina/cream of wheat, mixed with yogurt. They are "instant" even though the batter must rest for 20 minutes, as this is still much quicker than the traditional version. I cooked these in an ebelskiver pan, as I don't have an appam/paniyaram pan.

The results were amazing! Even with using little oil, they were still a bit crispy. The leftovers kept in the fridge weren't crispy, but were still spongy and yummy for the time they lasted. They were good just by themselves with whole-milk yogurt.

Hebbar's Kitchen Website, Instant Kuzhi Paniyaram Rava Appe 

Hebbar's Kitchen YouTube, Paniyaram recipe | Instant appe recipe | Instant rava kuzhi paniyaram