My Favorite Food Ever: Idli Sambar

Is there any such food that you love so much that it makes you feel alive and leaves a smile of satisfaction on your face? I don't mean to sounds crazy but Idli-Sambhar does have that effect on me. It makes me feel better about everything (Pittsburgh and Winter included). My husband always says that I should have been born in south India for my love of all kinds of idlis and dosas. I could eat them all day. And night. But, since you are not here to read about my obsessions, we'll move on to the recipe.

Now this may not be the authentic recipe since I, unfortunately, do not actually come from the South and this recipe is a mixture of my mom's recipe+some blogs+my own touch. But it sure is yummy enough to remind you of Udipi hotels back in India. Let's get ya droolin', shall we?

The recipe serves 4 regular people, or one if it's me.

Ingredients
For the idli batter
Rice (I used basmati, but you can also use Sona Masoori or any other non-sticky rice) : 1 cup
Urad Dal : 1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon
Methi (Fenugreek) Seeds: 4-5
Salt - about 2-3 teaspoons

For Sambhar
Toor Dal : 1 cup
Oil : 2 tablespoons
Hing : 1/2 teaspoon
Green Chillies : 2, finely chopped
Garlic : 2 cloves, finely chopped
Onion : 1 small, finely chopped
Curry Leaves : 4-5
Cumin Seeds : 1/2 teaspoon
Mustard Seeds : 1/2 teaspoon
Tomato : 1
Tamarind paste : 1 tablespoon
Salt : 2 teaspoons, or as needed
Sugar: 1 teaspoon
Turmeric Powder: 1 teaspoon
Red Chilly Powder: 1-2 teaspoons, according to taste
Carrot : about half a cup, chopped
Frozen Peas : about 1/4 cup
Sambhar Masala/Powder (I use Eastern Sambhar masala, but Everest and MTR are good too): 1 tablespoon

Procedure
For the Idlis
1) You need to plan ahead for this one. If you want to serve tomorrow evening, plan to start with the prep today evening. Wash and soak the rice, urad dal, and methi seeds with about 4 cups of water overnight.
2) Next morning, discard the water and grind the soaked mixture to a paste adding little water as required. Too much water will hinder the fermentation process, so only add as little as needed. It might be helpful to grind in batches if your blender does not have supernatural grinding powers (my humble Oster doesn't).
3) Add salt and mix well. Leave the batter to ferment in a warm spot for 10-12 hours. I usually preheat my oven to 240F (or the lowest temperature) and leave it for about 3-4 minutes before placing the batter in the oven. I've also found steel utensils to work much better for fermentation than plastic or glass for their ability to retain heat longer. If you are lucky enough to live in a warm place, you can leave the batter out in the sun.
4) You know the fermentation gods are happy when your batter rises to twice its original volume. Those little air bubbles will make your idlis spongy and soft.
5) Now start heating about 1.5 cups of water in a pressure cooker, without the lid on. Remove the small lid/weight from the whistle to let the steam escape as the idlis are cooking.
6) Grease your idli stand and pour the batter into the cavities. I have a "mini" idli stand so I can only scoop about a tablespoon batter in each.
7) Make sure that you arrange the cavities over the small hole provided for steaming in the idli stand. That way, the water from the above cavity does not directly fall on the idli below. Explaining that was complicated and I'm still not sure if that makes sense. Please let me know if it doesn't. I'm not even sure if it's called a "cavity", but I think you know what I mean. Here's a picture:

8)  By this time, the water in the pressure cooker should be steaming. Place the idli stand in the water and make sure that the bottom layer does not get submerged or even touch the water. Letting idlis go waste is an offence in my part of the town.
9) Let the idlis cook on medium-high for about 15-17 minutes. Then remove from flame and let it rest for 5-6 more minutes.
10) Use a knife or a spoon to run around the edges and dislodge the idlis.
11) Continue the process for remaining batter. Before doing that, eat one to make sure its cooked through and salted enough. Just to be sure, eat another one. And another. Maybe just one more, but that's it.
OK, one last if no one's watching.

Making the Sambhar
1) In a pressure cooker or another pan, cook toor daal until it is cooked through and mashable.
2) In another pan or kadhai, heat oil and add mustard and cumin seeds. When they splutter, add hing, onion, curry leaves, garlic, and chillies. Cook until onions are pink and translucent.

3) Add tomatoes and cook them for 2 minutes, until they are all mashed up.

4) Add turmeric powder and red chilly powder and saute for a minute.
5) Add the mashed toor daal and mix well to combine.

6) When the bubbles start appearing around the edges, add salt, sambhar powder, and sugar. Mix well.
7)  Add tamarind paste and stir to make sure no lumps remain.
8) Add water if the sambhar appears too thick. Do a taste-test and adjust accordingly.
9) Garnish with cilantro and serve!

Don't the idlis above look like a bunch of people chilling in the pool? :)