Friday, September 30, 2011

Dhokla

The recipe is in response to a request from one of our readers. Keep sending in your requests and we will try our best to present them in our blog.
This was taken from the website of famous Indian chef, Sanjeev Kapoor. 
Batter Bubbling with Eno Fruit Salt
Ingredients
Gram flour (besan) – 2 cups
Warm water - 3/4 -1 cup (approx)
Yogurt – 1 cup (smoothly beaten)
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Green chilli-ginger paste –1 tsp
Oil – 2 tbsps
Lemon juice –1 tbsp
Cooking soda – 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Fresh coriander leaves, chopped – 2 tbsps
Grated coconut– 1/2 cup
Method
Mix the flour, yogurt and water and keep aside for 3-4 hours. Once it has fermented, add the turmeric and chilli-ginger paste (I just mashed the ginger and chillies with a mortar and pestle). Grease the vessel to be used and keep the cooker/steaming pot ready.
 In a separate bowl, mix a spoon of oil, lemon juice and cooking soda (I used Eno Fruit Salt instead). Add to the batter and mix well. Pour the batter into the greased vessel and steam for about 10-12 minutes or until a pierced toothpick/knife comes out clean.
Heat the remaining oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds. Once they splutter, pour over the dhoklas. Garnish with coriander leaves and grated coconut. Bon Appétit.

Note    1) I made the dhoklas in my idly stand. With half the given measurement I made 8 big pieces and 1 small. 
             2) Link to original - http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/khaman-dhokla.aspx

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Chocolate Cake – An old classic with a new twist!

It is my husband’s birthday today and I decided to bake him a cake. This recipe is a combination of a chocolate cake that my mother used to bake and a ‘Devil’s Food Cake’ recipe found on the packet of King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour. 
Ingredients
Whole wheat flour – 1 ½ cups (All purpose flour can be used too)
Cocoa powder – ½ cup
Baking powder – 1 ½ tsps
Brown Sugar – 1 cup + 2 tbsps (super fine white sugar/confectioner’s sugar will also work)
Milk – ½ cup
Vinegar – ½ tbsp
Olive oil – ¼ cup + 1 tbsp (any cooking oil/ 100 grams butter will do)
Coffee decoction / black coffee – ½ cup (optional)
Vanilla extract/essence – 1 tsp
Eggs – 2
Salt – 1 pinch
Method
Add the vinegar to cold milk and keep aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Sieve together all the dry ingredients and place in a large mixing bowl. Pour in oil/melted butter and the milk (which will now be curdled) and mix well.  Add the vanilla, eggs and coffee and salt. If you do not want to use coffee, take 1 cup of milk instead of the ½ cup mentioned here. Coffee enhances the chocolate flavour and who wouldn’t like more chocolate right?
Mix well and pour into a greased cake pan. Tap the sides of the pan to release air bubbles, if any. Bake for 30-35 minutes. 
Frosting
I followed the method but not the quantity.
Ingredients (makes 2 cups approx)
Butter or margarine – ½ cup (1 stick)
Cocoa powder – 2/3 cup
Powdered sugar – 3 cups
Milk – 1/3 cup
Vanilla extract – 1 tsp 
Method
Melt the butter and stir in the cocoa. Add the powdered sugar and milk, alternatively, while beating the mixture. Beat until it forms a nice spreadable icing. Add a bit more milk if the icing feels stiff. Stir in vanilla. Slather the icing on the cake and make sure you refrigerate it else the icing will not solidify. 
I love the idea of serving fresh fruit with dessert, hence the strawberries on the plate. I used a bundt pan because I like the shape. You can of course use the pan of your choice. Bon Appétit. 



Friday, September 23, 2011

Masala Biscuit

I was at the dining table, as usual, doing my work when I heard a chef preparing biscuits on a cookery show on TV. His recipe was slightly elaborate so I decided to look up a simpler one online and found this one. I modified it a bit more and used whole wheat flour instead of maida (bleached flour).
Ingredients
Whole wheat flour – 1 cup
Oil – 4-5 tbsps
Red chillies (cut into small pieces) – 2
Ginger powder – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Carom seeds – a pinch
Baking Soda ¼ tsp
Asafoetida a pinch
Curry leaves
Salt to taste
Method 
Mix all the ingredients to make soft (chapathi dough texture) dough. If the dough feels dry, add a little curd. Roll out the dough, as you would chapathis/pizza dough, and cut out into desired shapes and size. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the cookies on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes. Once the biscuits have cooled, store in an air-tight container. Bon Appétit. 

Whole Wheat Sundal


My mother in law was watching one of her regular cookery shows and I was at the dining table doing some work when I heard this recipe being made. I remembered having a small packet of whole wheat in my pantry and decided to try the dish. 
Ingredients
Whole wheat – 1 cup (soaked and sprouted)
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Red chillies – 2
Chopped green chilli – 1
Finely chopped ginger – 1 -1 ½ tsps
Urad dal – 1 tsp
Curry leaves
Salt to taste
Lemon juice (optional)
Oil
Method
Soak the wheat overnight and then leave to sprout. I soaked in on Tuesday afternoon, threw away the water on Wednesday morning and let it sprout till Thursday. Once the wheat has sprouted, pressure cook till soft. Heat oil (I used gingelly) and add mustard seeds. Once they start spluttering add the red chillies, curry leaves, urad dal, ginger and green chillies. Sauté till the urad dal turns light brown and add the cooked wheat and mix well.
Add salt and cook till any excess water is gone. Add lemon juice and enjoy this healthy snack. Bon Appétit.  

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Tomato and Zucchini Soup with Red Kidney Beans

This soup is inspired from the recipe - Creamy, Vegan, Gluten-free Tomato Soup Thickened with White Beans - from the Foods for Long Life blog.
Ingredients (Serves 2)
Diced tomatoes – 2 cups
Diced zucchini – 1 cup
Garlic – 1 big clove
Chopped Onion – ½ cup
Turmeric powder – a pinch
Fresh/dried thyme – ½ tsp
Bay Leaf – 1
Red kidney beans – ½ cup
Olive oil – 1 tbsp
Lemon juice to taste
Salt to taste
Cilantro for garnish
Method
Heat oil in a medium pot and cook the onions till they are soft. Add garlic and sauté for a minute longer. Now add the zucchini, thyme and turmeric and cook until the zucchini is completely cooked. Stir occasionally. Once the zucchini is tender, add the tomatoes, bay leaf and the kidney beans and simmer. Reduce the heat and let it cook well. Cool the cooked vegetables, add salt and blend to make a smooth mixture. Warm to desired temperature and serve with a dash of lemon juice and pepper. Garnish with cilantro leaves and enjoy. Bon Appétit. 



Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Ennai Kathirika or Stuffed Eggplant/ Brinjal Curry

Eggplant is one of my favourite veggies. Be it fried curry, baingan bartha, kathirika vathal kuzhambu or kathirika kootu; eggplant tastes yummy in all. Unlike me, my husband prefers eggplant only in certain ways. This recipe happens to be one of his favourites and that is reason enough for making it often.
Ingredients (Serves 2) 
Eggplant (small) – 10
Oil – 5 tbs (I recommend using gingelly oil as it enhances the taste of the curry)
Masala
Dhania seeds – 3 tbsps
Channa dal – 2 tbsps
Red chillies – 8 -10 (increase or decrease according to your spice level)
Peanuts – 1 tbsps
Tamarind extract – ¼ cup
Grated coconut – 3 tbsps
Salt to taste
Optional Ingredients

Garlic – 2 cloves
Ginger – ½ tsp grated
Cloves – ½ tsp                                   
Cardamom – ½ tsp                          
Cinnamon – ½ tsp
Method 
In a pan/kadai, heat 1 tbsp of oil. Add dhania seeds, channa dal, red chillies, and peanuts. Roast the above ingredients until they turn brown. Add coconut and sauté for a minute. Remove from the stove and allow it cool. Sauté cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, garlic and ginger in the pan and allow it cool. In a mixer, add the sautéed ingredients and grind into a fine powder. Add salt and mix well. The masala is now ready. 


Wash the brinjals and cut the stems. Make perpendicular slits on the cut brinjal heads. Do not cut until the bottom. Cut ¾ lengths of the brinjals.  Take liberal helpings of the ground masala and stuff the brinjals. In a kadai, heat oil and place the stuffed brinjals one-by-one. Sprinkle some masala on top after placing the brinjals. Pour the tamarind extract, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes on medium flame. Do not keep stirring the curry, as the brinjals will break. You can choose to have the gravy or cook until the gravy is soaked up completely. Enjoy this mouth-watering curry with rotis or rice.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Masala Pori (Puffed Rice)

A few days ago, it was a little cold and I was trying to decide what to make for our evening snack. I could only think of various pakora and bajji options, all of which are of course deep fried. I finally decided to make masala pori. I decided to start making it just a few minutes before my husband would reach, so that we could have it warm.  Meanwhile, I got a call from Gomathi and she said, “Hey, suggest some evening snack without onion, garlic and preferably not fried.” We started discussing various options but nothing seemed to work out and she finally said, “Maybe I’ll make masala pori.” So we decided to make the same snack that evening. She also suggested making fried aval. The concept sounded interesting, but since I wanted to avoid a completely fried snack, I decided to fry just a handful of aval and mix it with the pori.

Ingredients (Serves 3-4)
Pori/puffed rice – 3 cups
Turmeric powder – 1-1 ½ tsps
Chilli powder/red chillies to taste
Salt to taste
Curry leaves
Split chickpeas / roasted peanuts – ½ cup
Chat masala (optional) – 1 tsp
Fried Aval/rice flakes – 1 c(optional)
Oil
Method
Fried Aval (rice flakes)
Heat oil and deep fry the aval. The process is very quick and will hardly take a minute or so. Make sure it does not turn brown. Remove onto a paper towel to drain the excess oil and then add to the masala pori. It adds a nice crunch to the masala pori. 
Masala Pori
Heat a little oil in a wide pan (I use olive oil). Keeping it on low heat, add turmeric powder, curry leaves, red chillies (if using chilli powder, add later) and split chickpeas/roasted peanuts and sauté well. Once the curry leaves are nicely coated with the turmeric powder, add the pori, salt and chilli powder and mix well till the pori turns yellow. Add the chat masala, mix well and turn off the heat. Mix in the fried aval and enjoy with a cup of hot coffee/tea. Bon Appétit.

Note – The fried aval can be had on its own, mixed with a bit of chat masala/salt/chilli powder.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Raw Mixed Vegetable Soup

Last night’s dinner was my own creation. I figured that any vegetable that could be eaten in a raw salad could very well be blended into a soup. There are no correct measurements for this, as you can add more or less of any vegetables you have available. 
Ingredients
Tomato
Capsicum
Spinach
Carrots
Peas
Corn
Clove
Red chilli flakes
Pepper
Salt
Method
Thaw any frozen vegetables that are being used. Blend them all together with salt and chilli flakes. Garnish with carrot slices, peas and corn and serve. Bon Appétit.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Continuing the raw theme, my breakfast today was a yummy smoothie made with fruits and nuts and fat free milk. I was wondering if I will feel full till lunch time and I actually almost made it through. You can try substituting strawberries with other berries and almonds with other nuts too. Also, if you want, you can add honey for sweetening the smoothie. 
Ingredients (Serves 1)
Strawberries (frozen) – 4
Banana – ½ large banana
Almonds (soaked overnight) – 10
Milk – 1-1 1/4 cups
Method
Add all the ingredients to your blender/mixie and get blending till you have a smooth mixture. Pour into a large glass and enjoy. You can use the green tops of the strawberries too. Bon Appétit

Blueberry Banana Smoothie
Note
1) I usually buy slightly large quantities of strawberries when they are in season and freeze them, so that I can enjoy them whenever I want. To freeze berries, wash them and towel dry them. Put them in a zip lock bag and freeze.
2) Soak the almonds (or any other nut) overnight so that they grind well. Else they only get broken.         

Raw Vegan Pea Soup

It has been a while since my husband and I have wanted to switch to a raw food diet. We have tried it many times but have never been able to continue for more than a few days (shows how strong our will is right?) Anyway, this time around, we decided that instead of eating all meals raw, we’ll try doing one or two meals a day. So starting with dinner yesterday, our raw food plan has officially started. There is an amazing blog called ‘Foods for Long Life’, which will be my main source for innovative raw food recipes. 
Ingredients (serves 2)
Fresh/frozen peas – 3 cups
Celery – 1 cup (I did not use celery)
Onion – 2 tbsps
Garlic – 2 cloves
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) – 1 tbsp
Lemon juice – 2 tbsps
Ground cumin – 1 tsp
Water – 1 ½ cups
Salt to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste (I used regular chilli powder)
Corn –( Fresh) 1 medium; (frozen) - ½ cup
Parsley or cilantro for garnish (optional)
Method
In the big jar of your mixie/blender, add water, peas, celery, onion, garlic, cumin, salt, chilli and blend until smooth. Add EVOO and give it one more pulse. Remove into serving bowls and garnish with corn, herbs and lemon juice. Bon Appétit.
Recipe linked to Food on Friday @ Carole's Chatter

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Saag Aaloo

I have always been under the impression that ‘saag’ meant mustard greens only. It was only yesterday that I realized that ‘saag’ comprised all kinds of greens. This recipe was taken from a very interesting blog called ‘Foods for long life’.  I used two varieties of greens, spinach and a green and red coloured variety. Here is the recipe.
Ingredients
Baby potatoes (cut in half) – 1 ½ cups
Greens (coarsely chopped) – 3 ½ cups
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Ghee – 1 ½ tsps
Ginger (finely chopped) – 1 ½ tsps
Garlic powder (you can use fresh too) – 1 ½ tsps
Crushed red chillies – 1 tsp (more if you like it spicy)
Garam masala – 1 tsp
Boiling water – 1 ½ cups
Salt to taste
Method
Heat ghee and add the cumin seeds. As they start spluttering, add the potatoes and toss well. Let them cook for about 10 minutes. Now add the greens, 1 cup at a time and wait till they wilt before adding the next cup. Once you have added all the greens, mix in ginger, garlic, red chillies and salt and mix well. Pour in the water, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for another 10 minutes, or till most of the excess water is gone. The greens will now have a nice soft texture and the potatoes will be well cooked. Add garam masala and take it off the stove. Serve hot with rotis or rice. 

Note - Substitute potatoes with paneer to make Saag Paneer. 

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Onam Special

Onam is the ‘Harvest Festival’ of the state of Kerala in South India. Celebrated over a period of 10 days, it marks the return of King Mahabali. People decorate their front yards with elaborate flower patterns to welcome the king. To learn more about Onam check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onam.
Onam also provides an exquisite culinary experience, especially on the 10th day, when everyone makes a sumptuous feast, a sadhya. Though not too big, we also made a sadhya and invited one of our friends for dinner. Here are a few of the dishes that we enjoyed yesterday.  I have left out the usual sambar and cabbage ‘upperi’ (sabzi). 
Kootu Curry
Ingredients
Yam (cut into medium pieces) – 1 cup
Raw plantain (cut into medium pieces) – 1 cup
Cooked black channa – 1-1 ½ cups
Tamarind extract – 2 tbsps
Grated Coconut – ¼ cup + 1-1 ½ tsp (for garnish)
Red chillies – 2-3 (more or less according to your taste)
Cumin seeds – 1 tbsp
Turmeric – 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Method
Kootu curry is part of the traditional Kerala sadhya. 
Soak the black channa overnight and boil in the cooker for at least 3 whistles. Once the pressure has released in the cooker, remove the channa. Use the excess water to cook the yam and plantain. Add a little turmeric powder and salt while cooking the vegetables. Once the vegetables are tender, add the channa and boil for a few more minutes. Add the tamarind extract. Meanwhile, grind the grated coconut, red chillies and cumin seeds to make a smooth paste. Add this to the cooked mixture and let it simmer for a few minutes. In a small pan, take the grated coconut for garnish and roast till dark brown. Add this to the dish and serve with rice. Works well with chapathis too.
Manga (mango) Pachadi
Pachadi can be made with various vegetables/fruits like okra, bitter gourd, pineapple, ripe mangoes etc with ground coconut and mustard. This recipe is made with raw mangoes.
Ingredients
Grated raw mango – ½ cup
Grated coconut – 2 tbsps
Green chillies – 2 (more or less according to your taste)
Mustard seeds – 1 tbsp (you can reduce it a bit if you do not like the strong taste of ground mustard)
Curd – 3-4 tbsps
Red chillies - 2
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves
Salt to taste
Method
Add curd to the grated mango and keep aside. Grind the coconut, mustard and green chillies to make a smooth paste. Add to the mango mixture and add salt. Season with red chillies, mustard and curry leaves.

Kaalan
This is one of my favourites among the various dishes from Kerala. 
Ingredients
Yam (cut into small pieces) – 1 cup
Curd (preferably sour) – 1 cup
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Grated coconut – 3/4th cup (more if the curd is very sour)
Green chillies – 2-3 (more or less according to your taste)
Pepper powder – 2 tsps
Mustard seeds – 2 tsps
Red chillies – 2-3
Curry leaves
Asafoetida powder – a pinch
Oil
Method
Cook the yam with a little water, turmeric powder and pepper powder in a cooker. Once it is nicely cooked, add the curd and salt and let the mixture simmer till the entire extra liquid is gone. Meanwhile grind the coconut and green chillies into a paste and keep aside. Add this to the cooked yam along with the asafoetida powder and mix well. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they start spluttering, add the red chillies and curry leaves and season the yam mixture. Your kaalan is ready.

Pacha Manga Curry (Simple Mango Pickle)
Ingredients
Raw mango (cut finely) – 1
Asafoetida powder – 1 tsp
Chilli powder to taste
Mustard seeds – 2 tsps
Curry leaves
Salt to taste
Oil
Method
Add chilli powder and salt to the cut mangoes. In a pan heat oil and add the mustard seeds. As they splutter add the curry leaves. Turn off the heat and add the asafoetida. Pour this seasoning over the mangoes and mix well. This pickle will not last long, so please refrigerate and consume within 2-3 days. 
Aval/Rice flakes Payasam
No ‘sadhya’ is complete without a payasam (sweet dish). So here is what we had.
Ingredients
Aval – 1 cup
Milk – 2 litres (approx)
Sugar – 2 cups
Cardamom powder – 2 tsps
Ghee (clarified butter) – 1 tsp
Method
Add ghee to a pan and toast the aval till it is crispy (shouldn't change colour). Keep tossing to make sure it doesn’t burn. Keep aside. Heat the milk in a thick bottomed vessel, I used a cooker. Add the toasted aval and keep stirring. Once the aval has cooked well (it will become soft) add the sugar and continue stirring. Do keep an eye on the milk, else it will boil over/burn. Keep simmering till the milk thickens and reduces. The whole process will take some time, at least 30 minutes, so please be patient. Remove from the heat and let it cool. Keep stirring or else the milk will form a layer on top. Once it has cooled a bit, add the cardamom powder and savour!
Make your own Kerala sadhya and enjoy. Bon Appétit!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Aappam

Aappam is a traditional dish from the South Indian state of Kerala. It is usually enjoyed with a side of potato stew or plain coconut milk sweetened with sugar. Special vessels are available for making the aappam (aappa chatti in Malayalam). You can also make them in a small kadai.  
Ingredients
Raw rice – 1 cup
Boiled rice – 1 cup
Cooked rice – 2 tbsps
Urad dal – 2 tbsps
Grated coconut – 2 tbsps
Methi/fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp
Sugar – 1 tsp
Salt – 1 tsp

Method
Soak the raw and boiled rices, urad dal and fenugreek seeds for at least 4-5 hours. Grind all ingredients except sugar, salt and cooking soda into a smooth batter. Add salt and sugar and keep aside for fermenting.
Making the aappam is a skill. It is not tough, just takes a few tries to get it right. Watch the video to learn how.  Pour the batter into the aappa chatti, cover and let it cook till the sides turn light brown and the middle is completely cooked. Remove with a spatula and enjoy with potato stew/coconut milk. Bon Appétit.




















Note - Potato stew recipe available at http://squaremeals.blogspot.com/2011/06/aval-poharice-flakes-dosai-serves-5-6.html

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Seedai

Seedai is a crunchy, savoury snack from South India. The traditional recipe calls for rice flour and black gram flour but this is a variation that uses Maida (refined wheat flour). 

Ingredients
Maida/Refined wheat flour – 2 cups
Cumin seeds – 2 tsps
White sesame seeds – 3 tsps
Ghee/Clarified butter (melted) – 2-2 ½ tsps
Asafoetida powder – ½ tsp
Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Water (enough to make a pliable dough)
Oil (for frying)

Method

Sift the maida and fill into the idly trays/moulds. Steam the flour as you would the idlys, for about 15 – 20 minutes.  Once the flour has cooked, remove into a wide mouthed vessel and add all ingredients except the water and mix well. Now add water, little by little, and knead to make soft, pliable dough.
Take portions of the dough and make small balls. Try to make them uniform so that they will cook evenly when dropped into the oil together. Keep the balls aside and heat oil in a pan. Once the oil is ready, drop the balls, in batches, and fry till they turn golden brown. Remove onto a plate lined with a paper towel, to drain out the excess oil. Store in an air-tight container once the seedai has cooled. Bon Appétit. 

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Rusk and Condensed Milk Pudding

It’s the weekend and if you are looking for a simple dessert to make your Sunday more special, why not try this one? There is no cooking involved and this yummy dessert can be assembled in just a few minutes. The best part in my opinion (forget your diet for sometime) is licking the condensed milk tin clean! 

Ingredients (This is what I used, please change according to your needs)
Tea Rusk (broken in small, bite size pieces) – 8-10 pieces
Condensed milk – ½ tin
Milk – ½ cup
Dried fruits (for garnish)
Method
In a wide mouthed dish, place a layer of rusk pieces. Mix the milk and condensed milk and pour a little over the rusk. Add a layer of dried fruits and continue layering the ingredients. Refrigerate and enjoy this yummy pudding. Bon Appétit.
Note - 'A rusk is a type of crisp, dry biscuit or twice-baked bread.'

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Kozhukkatta/Modak (Stuffed Rice Dumplings)


A thought struck me last evening…why not make modak for Ganesh Chathurthi! I did not pursue the idea more but this afternoon my mother-in-law and I suddenly decided to make some…both sweet and savoury. As this was an impromptu attempt, the measurements are approximate. 
 
Ingredients

For outer covering

Rice flour – 2 cups
Boiling water (enough to make dough)
Salt – 1 tsp
Gingelly oil / ghee – a few drops

For Sweet Filling

Grated coconut – ½- ¾ cup
Jaggery – 1 cup
Cardamom powder – 2 tsps
For Savoury Filling
Cooked split moong – 1 cup
Chopped green chillies – 2 (more if you want it more spicy)
Mustard seeds – 1 ½ tsps

Method
Outer Covering
Take rice flour in a wide mouthed pan. Add salt to water and boil. Add a few drops of oil to the water and pour the it, little by little, into the flour and mix well to make soft dough. The dough should not be too sticky, but soft enough to roll into balls. Keep aside.
Sweet Filling
In a pan, melt the jaggery with a little water. Strain the melted jaggery and pour it back into the pan. Add the grated coconut and keep stirring till the melted jaggery starts thickening. Add cardamom powder and keep stirring till all the liquid is completely  gone and you are left with a gooey coconut mixture.
Savoury Filling
Cook the split moong and keep aside. In a small pan, heat some oil and add the mustard seeds. As they splutter, add the chopped green chillies and sauté for a minute. Add the seasoning to the cooked lentils, add a little salt and mix well. 
Putting it All Together
On a smooth, greased surface (we used a zip lock cover cut in two and greased with oil), flatten the rice balls to the desired size. Place the filling in the center and bring all the sides together to make a modak shape. Else, you can fold in half and join the edges. Make sure you wet your hands with water while shaping the modak. This keeps the dough from sticking to your hands.
Once all the modaks are ready, steam them in your idly vessel for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat when the dough no longer sticks to your hand. Serve hot. Bon Appétit.

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