Ravva idli using Cream of wheat

Idli is an age old breakfast dish in South India. Now, it gained popularity, not only all over india, but in many other countries also. Idlis are steam cooked, fat free and make a delicious breakfast dish or snack!

Main ingredients for regular idli are urad dal and rice. But the preparation takes a long time as the dal has to be soaked, ground and fermented. During winter season, it is difficult to ferment the batter.
There are variations of regular idli where the fermentation is not needed and you can have instant idlis! One of such variations is ravva/ semolina/cream of wheat idlis.

Idlis are steam cooked in a special container available in many Indian stores in USA.  Even if you do not have the container, you can use the "idli stand", a set of plates you can place in a pressure cooker or instant pot.

Ravva idli mix is commercially available and is available in many Indian stores in USA. But, it is easy to make your own batter and not too time consuming. So, even if you do not have an Indian store in your vicinity, ravva idlis can be made at home!

                                                            

Ingredients:

•      1 cup sooji/ Bombay ravva or Cream of wheat
•      1/2 to 3/4 cup curd (yogurt)
•      2 Tbsp. oil
•      1 Tsp. chana dal
•      1 Tsp. urad dal
•      1/2 Tsp. mustard seeds
•      Pinch of hing (asafetida)
•      1 green chile chopped
•      1/2 inch ginger chopped
•      1 medium size carrot grated
•      2 or 3 beans chopped fine
•      2 Tbsp. red bell pepper or red sweet chile chopped
•      A few curry leaves
•      1/2 Tsp. baking soda
•      Salt to taste

Directions:

1.      Heat oil in a thick wide pan.
2.      Add chana dal, urad dal and mustard seeds.
3.      Keep stirring.
4.      Add asafetida.
5.      When the dal is getting brown in color, add chile and ginger pieces.
6.       Saute for a minute and add carrot, beans and red pepper pieces.
7.      Keep stirring.
8.      When the vegetables are getting soft, add the ravva (cream of wheat).
9.      Add salt.
10.      Mix well and let it roast for about 5 minutes.
11.      When the ravva is turning brown and has a nice aroma, turn off the heat.
12.      Let it cool for some time.
13.     When the mixture is at room temperature, take curd/yogurt in a vessel and add about 1/2 cup of water.
14.      Whisk it well so that thick buttermilk is formed.
15.      Add the roasted ravva mixture and mix well.
16.      Let it stay for ten minutes.
17.      If the mixture is too thick, add some more water so that the batter has idli batter consistency.
18.     The batter should fall down easily from the spoon as you mix it,
19.     Add the baking soda and mix well till the batter turns frothy. 
20.     Grease the idli plates and pour 2 or 3 table spoons of batter in each mold.
21.     Steam the idlis for about 10 minutes and turn the heat off.
22.     Let the idlis cool for a few minutes and remove from the plates.
23.     Serve with sambar and chutney.

Mexican sour gherkins subzi

Mexican sour gherkin are also known as mouse melon or melothria scabra. They are the size of large grapes, look like our kundru (miniature) or doll sized watermelons and taste like cucumber or kundru. This variety is not  genetically-modified hybrid developed in laboratories! It is heirloom that has been grown and eaten in Mexico for centuries. A long-lost heirloom, cucamelon has only recently been rediscovered. Now, they are grown in USA and are available in farmer's markets etc during summer. Mexican sour gherkin is mostly used in salads, pickles along with pearl onions etc.
If you are looking for seeds to plant in your garden, you may have to look for "melothria scabra"

  

Google search provided some information about its availability in India, though I wonder if it is the same vegetable. Kachri or kachari is a wild variety of cucumbers, and grows wildly in Rajasthani desert. It is supposed to be sour to taste and kachri powder is used in tenderizing meats etc.

Last year it was planted in our yard and the fruits were eaten raw from the plant as snack! It almost looks like kundru and also tastes very much like kundru or cucumber. I wanted to make use of this vegetable in making Indian subzi. This year we got quite a few of cucamelons and I got to experiment. You may use the same masala as in the recipe for dondakaya kothinira karam kura also. I am inserting some photos of the climber etc for more information.

Here is one recipe:

Mexican sour gherkin on the climber:





 Ready for cutting:                                                                           Cut only partially:

As compared to kundru you can see the size:

After microwaving and in the pan:

After adding besan and masalas:

 

Ready to be transferred:

Ingredients:

•      2 cups sour gherkin
•      2 to 3 tsp. oil
•      3 tbsp. besan (chickpea flour)
•      1 tsp. chili powder
•      1/4 tsp. jeera powder.
•      Salt to taste
•      1 tsp. jeera seeds (cumin)

Directions:

1.      Place sour gherkin in a microwave safe bowl.
2.      Sprinkle a little water.
3.      Cook covered in a microwave for 1 or 2 minutes.
4.      Melons must be parboiled and not mushy.
5.      Heat oil in a nonstick pan.
6.      Add jeera and stir for a minute.
7.      Add microwaved melons and keep stirring for a few minutes.
8.      Mix besan, salt, chili powder and jeera powder in a plate.
9.      Sprinkle the powder mixture to the melons.
10.      Keep cooking on medium heat and keep stirring.
11.      When besan gets golden brown in color, stop cooking.
12.      Transfer to a bowl and serve.
13.      A good side dish for rice, roti etc.