South Indian Breakfast Thali

Ingredients
Homemade soft Idli
- 1 cup Idli batter
Medu Vada
- 1 cup White Urad Dal Whole, soaked for 2 hours
- 1 inch Ginger
- 1 Green Chilli finely chopped
- Coriander Dhania Leaves , small bunch, finely chopped
South Indian Coconut Chutney
- 1 cup Coconut Fresh, grated
- 1 tbsp Chana dal Bengal Gram Dal, roasted
- 5 Almonds
- 2 Green Chilies
- 1 inch Ginger
Ingredients for Seasoning
- 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1 tsp White Urad Dal Split
- 1 tsp Oil for seasoning
- 4 Curry leaves
- 2 Dry red chilies
- Salt to taste
South Indian Sambhar
- 1 cup Arhar dal Split Toor Dal
- 2 Tomato diced
- 1 cup Tamarind Paste freshly squeezed
- 1 tbsp Sambar Powder
- Salt to taste
Ingredients for Seasoning
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1/4 tsp Asafetida hing
- 5-6 Curry leaves
- 2 Dry red chilies
- 1 tbsp Oil
- Coriander Dhania Leaves , roughly chopped for garnishing
Tomato Chutney
For tempering
- Oil as required
- 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
- Curry leaves few
- 1 Asafetida hing, big pinch
- 2-3 Dry red chilies
Tomato Uttapam
- 1 cup Idli dosa batter
- 1/4 cup Green Bell Pepper Capsicum, finely chopped
- 1 Tomato finely chopped and deseededÂ
- 2 tbsp Coriander Dhania Leaves, finely chopped
- Oil for greasing
Instructions
How To Make Homemade Soft Idli
- To begin and make soft homemade idlis, grease the idli molds with a little sesame oil. This process is purely optional. I like to do this as it adds to the flavor of the idlis.
- Pour spoonful of the batter into these moulds.
- Do make sure you fill the idli batter only half way through as they will rise up to the top when steamed. Once all the plates are filled, place the filled idli racks one above the other making sure the holes are facing the filled portion.
- Prepare the idli steamer with a little water in the bottom. Place the filled idli racks in the steamer. Place the steamer on high heat and steam the idlis for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes of steaming, turn off the heat. Open the steamer and insert a knife or a pick to test whether the idlis are cooked. If nothing sticks then the idlis are perfectly steamed.
- Now you can remove the idlis from the steamer. Have a small bowl filled with water. Dip a spoon in the water and then scoop the idlis out starting from the edges. Dipping the spoon in water helps in the easy removal of idlis from the plates.
- The wholesome homemade soft idlis are now ready to be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
How to make Medu Vada
- To begin making the Traditional South Indian Medu Vada Recipe; we will first soak the dal for about 2 hours.
- Using a strainer, strain all the excess water from the urad dal. We need to use very little water to grind the urad dal, so that you can shape them well if you are deep frying.
- Next we will grind the dal along with the ginger using a blender into a very smooth batter. Make sure add very little water while grinding the dal to make a smooth batter.
- Transfer the batter to a bowl. Make sure add very little water while grinding the dal to make a smooth and thick batter. Transfer the batter to a bowl.
- Add the salt, green chilies and chopped coriander and stir well to combine the ingredients well into the medu vada batter.
- Cover the vada batter and allow it to rest until we preheat the oil. This resting process will allow the batter to fluff a little and making it ready to make the vadas.
- Preheat the oil for deep frying the medu vada's. I am using the Medu Vada maker to make the shapes for the traditional vada.
- Using the Medu Vada Maker: Spoon the batter into the Medu Vada Maker, using the instructions given on the mater, press the vada maker over the oil and allow the batter to form its shape through the hole. As you notice a ring of batter come out of th
- Using the Medu Vada Maker: Spoon the batter into the Medu Vada Maker, using the instructions given on the mater, press the vada maker over the oil and allow the batter to form its shape through the hole.
- As you notice a ring of batter come out of the vada maker, release the press and allow the vada to drop into the oil. It might take not more than a couple of tries to get the perfect vada shape.
- Deep fry the batter until it is browned evenly and crisp on both sides. Strain the Medu Vada off the excess oil and place it on an absorbent paper. Proceed the same way with the remaining Medu Vadas.
- Serve the Medu Vadas along with Sambar and Coconut Chutney for breakfast.
How To Make South Indian Coconut Chutney
- To begin making the Coconut Chutney recipe, grind all the ingredients except the seasoning together with 1/2 cup of hot water. Hot water prevents the coconut from getting curdled and sticky.
- Heat oil in a small pan on medium heat; add mustard seeds, urad dal, and curry leaves and allow it to crackle. Add the seasoning to the ground coconut chutney mixture. Now add the lemon juice and salt to taste and mix well.
- Serve the delicious Coconut Chutney along with Dosas, Idlis and upma or any other dish you want to savor it with.
How to make South Indian Sambar
- To begin making Sambar Recipe, wash toor dal and soak in water for 10 minutes. Transfer soaked toor dal to a pressure cooker, add 2 cups of water.
- Close the lid of pressure cooker. Put the weight on of Pressure Cooker. Once lentil is cooked turn off the heat. With the spoon whisk and mash the boiled lentil. Keep aside until required.
- Now cook the tomatoes in the Pressure Cooker with tamarind extract, sambar powder, salt and 1/4 cup of water for about two whistles over the medium heat.
- After two whistles turn off the heat. Allow the steam to release naturally from the pressure cooker. Open the lid once steam is released.
- Now mix the cooked lentils with the tamarind gravy. Stir to combine and transfer to a large saucepan.
- To temper the Tomato Onion Sambar, heat oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds. Once mustard seeds start crackling add asafetida powder, curry leaves and red chili. Fry for few minutes. Turn off the heat and pour the seasoning into the sambar.
- Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring the sambar to a boil. Turn the heat to low and allow the sambar to simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring in between.
- If the sambar is too thick, add a little water to get the right consistency and simmer. Taste seasoning and adjust to suit your liking.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.
How to make Tomato Chutney
- To begin making the Tomato Chutney recipe, add oil in a wide pan and roast the channa dal and chilies and add it into the mixer along with the coconut and set aside.
- In the same pan, add a little oil and add the tomatoes and cook until they are soft and lose some of their juices. Set aside and let it cool completely.
- Blend the ingredients in the mixer jar until they are coarsely pounded and add the tomato mixture into the jar along with some salt and blend till its smooth.
- Transfer into a bowl and add the coriander and mix gently.
- The next step is to temper the chutney. In a tadka pan, heat a teaspoon of oil, add mustard seeds and let them crackle.
- Once they crackle, add the asafetida, curry leaves and chilies and pour the tempering on the tomato chutney. The Tomato Chutney is ready to be served!
How to make Tomato Uttapam
- To begin the preparation of Vegetable Uttapam, take the dosa batter in a bowl. Add water if required to get the desired consistency. Finely chop all the vegetables and keep aside.
- Heat a non-stick tawa. Grease it with oil. When the tawa becomes hot, pour one ladleful of batter and spread it in circular motion. Don't make it too thin.
- You will find small holes appearing on the surface, add the chopped vegetables. Drizzle oil around the edges and at the center. Reduce the flame to medium. Cover and cook on medium flame for a few seconds.
- By this time the veggies would have cooked. Gently press it with the back of a spatula. Flip the dosa to the other side and cook on medium flame for 2 - 3 minutes.
- Transfer the dosa to a serving plate. Serve the Tomato Uttapam with coconut chutney and sambar.
How To Make Mini Ghee Idlis
- Make Mini Idlis in same way like regular Idlis by using mini idli stand.
- In a serving plate place them, pour a hot sambar and drizzle it with a spoon of ghee.
- Mini ghee Idlis are ready to serve
- So your South Indian Breakfast Thali is ready, enjoy!
Recipe Nutrition
Featured Recipes
Langcha (A Sweet From Bengal)
Sweets are very important in Bengali's food culture, especially in festivities and ceremonies we can…
Broccoli Cilantro And Saffron Soup
Skip your meals? No worries, You will love this scrumptious soup prepared with broccoli, Cilantro…
Soft Homemade White Sandwich Bread
A homemade white sandwich bread in breakfast is the best way to start your day.…
Licious Malabar Fish Canapes
I recently signed up with Plattershare Associate Program (Belly Nirvana) which helps me associate and…
Crispy Baked Potato Wedges Aka French Fries
Crispy Baked Potato Wedges aka 'French Fries'Does this look deep fried or baked… These Crispy…
Israeli Couscous Salad
Israeli food comprises of the usual Middle east suspects like Hummus, Msabbah, Falafel, Shakshouka and…
Featured Articles
7 Secret Cabbage Benefits for Health, Cabbage Vitamins & How To Grow Cabbage
Do you know Cabbage Benefits for Health, Cabbage Vitamins & How To Grow Cabbage? No? Then, just read on… Brassica…
The Ultimate Guide To Making The Perfect Cup of Coffee
Are you a coffee lover? If so, there’s nothing like a perfectly brewed cup of coffee. Nothing quite like the…
Chia Seeds Benefits and Side Effects – A New Fad Or Real Super Food?
Chia Seeds Benefits and Side Effects! The internet, health community in particular, never fails to surprise all of these with…
Healthy And Easy Fish Recipes Which You Can Make In A Jiffy
Healthy And Easy Fish Recipes! Fish lovers always fight over the best fish but definitely fish is a very healthy…
A Balanced Diet for Effective Weight Loss: Optimizing Your Nutrition
Losing weight is a goal that many people aspire to achieve, and it often leads to an exploration of various…
7 Monsoon Food You Need To Try This Rainy Season
Monsoon – ah those lovely trickling raindrops fills the heart of a foodie with monsoon food cravings. The rains, winds,…