Madras Bars Chez Moi (rolled in Chamandhi podi)

 http://potsnpans-peanuts.blogspot.in/2012/11/spicy-idlis.html

This post was meant to go up much earlier but I received the saddest news this afternoon about one of our friends detecting cancer at an early stage. She's already into five months of her breast cancer treatment. Both the husband and I called her and her husband.We spoke for long. It just didn't feel right. They were our first family friends when we moved into Chennai. My million dollar question was also about the lovely long hair that she had...the chemo got that and she also did away with it soon after. We are glad that it is in the initial stage and was only a cm...so those of you who are believers and think that miracles can happen, please keep a prayer for her. I do not want to see her suffer at all! She is such a kind human being, there is no family history of the illness...

That link above is an old post of mine in which I had mentioned how my mother (who incidentally also died of cancer; she got a good twelve years! ) used to serve us idlis when we were kids. Those of you who are not used to this version, it will take some time getting used to it especially pulling out all the things that are added to beautify this fermented and steamed rice cakes.

So into the Idli batter I added finely chopped ginger, slit green chillies, sliced shallots and curry leaves. I ran out of shallots hence used a finely chopped onion. Do stir it well and then pour into the moulds and steam them. Once steamed and cooled, extract them from their moulds and slice them into bars. I retained the shape from the round without throwing out any excess as it was just the two of us having our idlis.

If you are serving the same rolled version to your guests, do shape them into neat bars.

 This is the good old Kerala Chamandhi podi. I always get my stock from my in-laws. Do google this to know what the ingredients and the composition is or how it is prepared. It is indeed a concoction of all things healthy and homemade. It is almost like a dry pickle that can go with your plain rice and a bowl of curd.

 So what did I do with that? And what does that have to do with my idlis. Well, I just rolled the cut bars of idlis into this powder and we had this like so for breakfast.(Psst! I have almost imitated the taste of those Idli/Madras Bars one gets these days for Rs.60/-) If you want to make it extra tastier, add a bit of ghee over the idlis and then let them roll and play around in the Chamandhi podi.

A tasty snack on its own with a cup of filter coffee or you want to go an extra mile, then dip them into plain green chilly coconut chutney and enjoy them. I haven't coated the idlis too much as the podi/powder does contain salt to help in its preservation and shelf life.