<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
 
>I would love to correspond with any list subscribers living in or
>originating from India....I lived with a family in a small village on
>the Malabar coast for a whole year in '73-'74...
>
>Chris
 
Hi Chris,
 
I am not Indian but I appreciate many things Indian.  Beautiful saris, good
coconuts, the variety of fruit you get there and especially south Indian
food.  I am a big fan of masala dosa although it can be a bit on the oily
side.  I am even a bigger fan of what are called idilis.  These have become a
major bread substitute in my diet.  They are incredibly easy to make and very
easy to digest.
 
The basic recipe is:
 
* Two cups of rice soaked for at least four hours and then ground up in a
  blender into a fine thick batter.
 
* One cup of hulled urad dal soaked for at least four hours.  Any dry bean
  can work here though.  Then blend into a fine thick batter.
 
* Spice as you like.  Many different spices work well here.
 
* Mix together.  Let ferment for at least eight hours.  The fermentation
  makes them tastier and easier to digest.
 
* Spoon the batter into some sort of form that will allow it to be steamed.
  There are many possiblities here.  Egg poacher, a muffin pan, tamale husks.
  I bought an idili maker on my last trip to India.  Then steam from 15 to 45
  minutes depending on how rubbery you want your idilies to be.
 
These are usually served with a spicy soup called sambar and coconut chutney
in south India.  But they are very adaptable to any kind of taste.  They make
a good beginning to veggies burgers.  When cold they can be pressed into flat
bread and heated on a hot griddle and filled with veggies.  They can also be
made with grains other than rice.  They are in their basic form very low fat.
They are great for dropping into soup as a kind of veg meatball.  The
possibilities are endless.