Daily Archives: August 20, 2021

My Kitchen with Kenwood

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When the latest Kenwood sale was on, I visited their showroom in Abu Dhabi. I was fascinated to see the wide variety of kitchen products. As a home-maker, I depend on certain Brands for preparing staple traditional foods. I value them as unavoidable necessities in the kitchen.

When it comes to my role as a Food Blogger, I believed I was more flexible. But, after visiting the Kenwood showroom, I realised I had been unknowingly collecting products of Kenwood, as a result of my ever-increasing cooking aspirations, for more than 10 years. From the basic Kenwood chopper to the latest Meat mincer to an Ice cream maker, I found my Kitchen filled with Kenwood appliances. A silent revelation isn’t it?

It seems like a long story to narrate, with my first Kenwood device purchased about 12 years ago. That was the basic chopper, which is a quintessential thing in the kitchen even today. The blades are as sharp as newly bought ones.

Indian gravy dishes- South Indian or North Indian, normally involve ginger-garlic-onions that have to be finely chopped, as a first step. This chopper finishes off the laborious job of chopping, in a jiffy.

Puttu – Steamed rice flour cylinders

This could be supposedly the best use of a contemporary appliance, put to use in a traditional dish. Puttu is a staple breakfast meal of Kerala. It is a much sort after healthy meal in Tamilnadu, especially during special ceremonies. My favourite childhood breakfast and dinner meal used to be Puttu with Banana, and still remains to be one.

Puttu is a rice or millet cake, steamed in the shape of a cylinder. It is made with powdered white or brown rice; powdered millets like Finger millet or Pearl millet. My latest version of Puttu is made with Bamboo Rice powder. Blending just enough water to make a lump free moist powder is the tricky part in making this delicacy. The Kenwood chopper helps in creating a lump free, yet perfectly moist puttu mix to be steamed. Once water is sprinkled over the rice or millet powder, I add the moist mixture into the chopper and give it a quick grind. The result is a lump free moist powder. This mix brings out the best ever, soft steamed Puttu.

This handy chopper is an easy travel partner too. When you thrive for home cooked meal on a holiday, chopping to tears is the worst thing to happen. This certainly solves half the stress of an annoying job in a hotel kitchenette.

Next in next.

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Kollu Idli/ Horse Gram Steamed Cakes

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Kollu or Horse Gram can be used to make soft and fluffy steamed cakes. Other millets used previously to make Idlis were grains and Horsegram is a lentil. Hence, the lentil here is combined with rice to make Idli, the staple breakfast/dinner food of Tamilnadu.

Kollu Idli/Steamed Rice Cakes with Horsegram

Ingredients (makes approximately 25-30 idlis)

  • kollu/horsegram– 1 cup
  • puzhungal arisi/parboiled rice or idli rice – 2 cups
  • uppu/salt – as needed approx. 1 tsp

Method of Preparation

  1. Wash and soak horse gram and rice separately in enough water for 6-8 hours

2. It is important to soak both rice and gram separately for idli. To make dosai, soaking and grinding together doesn’t alter the crispness or softness of pancakes

3. First, drain excess water and grind the horse gram into a smooth batter. It would be super foamy

4. Important point to note in Kollu Idli batter is, horse gram should be ground with minimum water needed. If excessive water is used, the final batter cannot be used to make Idli or steamed cake. Only Dosai/Pancake can be made

5. Remove horse gram batter from the blender and grind soaked rice separately to a smooth batter

6. When both batters are ready, add salt and blend well with a ladle or by hand. Do not use blender to mix both as batter will become watery

7. Leave the batter to ferment for 8 hrs or overnight

8. Millet or Gram batters do not need as much time as Rice Idli batter. They turn sour sooner

9. 8 hrs in a warm place is enough; If the climate is too hot, check after 6 hours; In an air conditioned environment, I place it in the oven overnight with the oven light on

10. Once fermented, mix the combined Idli batter well

11. Always keep the batter refrigerated for further use

12. Steam Idlis in the mould and serve them hot with chutney of choice.