Horse gram (Kollu) Idly & Dosai

Category: Breakfast / Tiffin      
Soaking Time: 6 Hrs / Overnight  
Fermentation Time: 6-8 Hrs      
Cooking Time: 10 mins /batch

Horse gram (Kollu) can help with a number of health problems as it is a grain which contains a good and rich amount of vitamins, proteins, and iron. In addition to weight loss, it helps in reduction of extra fat from the body. Horse gram is rich in B-complex vitamin and proteins. It helps in purifying menstruation and cures and prevents arthritis. The presence of a good amount of dietary fiber in the gram helps balance sugar glucose and blood pressure levels.

In our normal Idly - Dosa batter, I just tried replacing Urad dhal with Horse gram and  the result was too good:)
 

Kollu Idly

Kollu Dosai

Ingredients:

• Idly rice - 4 cups
• Horse Gram (Kollu) - 1 cup
• Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
• Salt - To taste
• Sesame Oil - for preparing Dosa

Method:

1. Soak Idly rice and fenugreek seeds together and Horse gram (separately) for 5-6 hrs / overnight

   

   Soaked Horsegram

2. In a wet grinder, first add the horse gram and grind till it becomes soft and fluffy (similar to the normal Urad dhal batter). Once it is done, remove it in a big container and keep aside. While grinding for Idly, make sure you just sprinkle required water at regular intervals rather than pouring it at once. This will make the batter very fluffy and airy which results in soft idlies

   

   Fluffy Horse gram batter while grinding

3.  Add rice to the grinder and grind it till it becomes smooth, but with a slight coarse texture. Once done, remove it into the container with horse gram
4.  Add required salt and mix well with hands

   

   Before Fermentation

5.  Allow to ferment for about 6-8 hrs and it depends on your room temperature; After fermentation, the volume of the batter would be raised. (Make sure to place the batter in a big bowl to avoid spills after it gets fermented) 

   

   After Fermentation

6. Once fermented, make idlies as usual and serve with your favourite side dish

   

   Idlies - Before steaming

   

   Idlies - After steaming

7. Next day, just add little water to the batter and make it slightly thinner than the idly batter. 
8. Heat Tawa and grease it. Pour a ladle of dosa batter and spread it to a thin circle. 

   

   Dosa - Before Cooking

9. Pour few drops of oil around the corners and cook covered till its done.

   

   Dosa - After Cooking

10. If not covering with lid, Flip it over and cook other side
11. Serve Hot with favourite side dish
    

Kollu Kuzhambu (Horsegram Gravy)

Category:  Lunch
Preparation Time: 10 mins + overnight soaking
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Servings: 2-3

We usually prepare Horsegram Masiyal (Kollu Paruppu) and Rasam in our home. I tried this Kuzhambu by adapting a recipe published in some magazine under the topic "Maruthuva Samayal". You can add the masalas as per your taste. This will go well with hot rice and even Idly & dosa.

Ingredients:

• Horse gram - 1/2 cup
• Tomato - 1 no (Big sized or 2 medium ones)
• Small onions - 10 - 15 nos or 1 big onion
• Garlic cloves - 6-8 nos
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp (to taste)
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Tamarind extract - 1/2 cup (I used 1/2 tsp of paste in 1/2 cup of water)
• Coriander leaves - few 
• Sesame oil - 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - few
• Red chilly - 1-2 nos
• Salt - to taste

Method:

1. Clean the horse gram (if there are any stones in it) and soak it in enough water for overnight
2. Pressure cook it with few drops of oil and a pinch of turmeric powder for 2-3 whistles
3. Grind the cooked dhal coarsely and keep aside (Excess water can be used to prepare rasam)
   
4. Take the onion, tomato and garlic in a blender and grind to a smooth paste
   
5. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, red chilly and curry leaves
6. Then add the ground onion - tomato mixture, saute till it shrinks and raw smell goes off (For me it took around 10 mins)
   
7. Add the turmeric, coriander and chilli powders saute for a min
8. Add required salt and tamarind extract, required water, mix well
   
9. Add the coarsely ground horse gram and allow to boil for few mins
   
10. Once it reaches the thick kuzhambu consistency, switch off and garnish with coriander leaves
    
11. Serve hot with rice
    

Selavu Rasam for Cold (Spiced South Indian Soup for Colds)

Category: Lunch
Preparation Time: 10 mins 
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Servings: 2-3 servings

Selavu Rasam is used to treat cold related infections and it would be bit thick than our normal rasam.

Selavu Rasam (Spiced South Indian Soup)

Ingredients:

• Horsegram / Kollu - 2 tsp
• Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
• Pepper - 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Tomato, pureed - 2 big or 3 small ones
• Garlic - 4-5 nos
• Curry leaves - 6-7nos
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Coriander leaves - for garnishing
• Salt - to taste
• Asafoetida / Hing - a pinch
• Water - as required
• Oil - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Dry roast Horsegram and Coriander seeds till you gets nice aroma, then add cumin seeds, pepper, garlic and curry leaves, fry till curry leaves become crisp, Allow to cool
   
2. Grind the above mixture except garlic into a coarse powder, then add garlic and grind for  5 secs
   
3. Prepare tomato puree from 2 tomatoes
4. Heat oil in a pan, once it gets hot add the ground powder along with asafoetida and give a quick fry (Make sure not to burnt it)
   
5. Then add the tomato puree and turmeric powder, saute for a min
   
6. Add required water and allow to boil in medium flame
   
7. Once it starts boiling, switch off and garnish with coriander leaves
   

Paruppu Rasam (Horse Gram)

Category: Lunch
Preparation Time: 10 mins 
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Servings: For 2-3 persons 

We usually prepare Paruppu Rasam with Toor Dhal and for a change, I used Horse gram / Kollu in place of Toor Dhal and followed the same method. The result was awesome and we like it much and also good for children with cold / flu.

Horsegram Paruppu Rasam

 Ingredients:

• Horse Gram / Kollu - 1/4 cup
• Tomato, chopped - 1 no. (Juicy one)
• Garlic pods, crushed - 7-8
• Rasam powder - 1 tsp (I used MTR Madras Rasam powder)
• Tamarind - lemon sized (I used 1/4 tsp of tamarind concentrate paste)
• Salt - to taste
• Water - as required
• Oil - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Red chilly - 1 (to taste)
• Asafoetida (Hing) - a generous pinch
• Turmeric powder -1/4 tsp
• Curry leaves - few
• Coriander leaves - as required 

Method:

1. Pressure cook Horse gram with 11/4 cup of water, Turmeric, few drops of oil  and mash well using blender / mixie
2. In 1/2 cup of water, extract tamarind juice (since I used tamarind paste, I just mixed the paste with water), add rasam powder, salt, mix well till it combined
3. Heat oil in a pan, once it gets hot add the mustard seeds. When it splutters, add cumin seeds, red chilly, followed by curry leaves and asafoetida
4. Add the crushed garlic pods, fry for about 30 secs and then add the chopped tomato. Saute well till tomato turns mushy (It might takes around 3-4 mins)
5. Then add the prepared tamarind extract and allow to boil well in medium flame for about 5 mins, until the raw smell goes off    
   
6. Now add the mashed dhal with required amount of water and mix well
7. Check for salt, tanginess and adjust according to your taste
   
8. Keep the flame in medium and cover the pan with lid. Once it becomes frothy and started to boil, switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves