Kanjeevaram Idly

Ingredients:
Boiled Rice- 1/2 cup
Urad dal- 1/2 cup
Salt- 1 tsp
Pepper corns- 10-12
Cumin seed- 1tsp
Hing- 2 pinches
Ginger powder- 2 pinches
curry leaves- 2 sprigs
Curd- 2 tbsp
cooking soda- 1/4 tsp
Oil- 3 tbsp
ghee- 2 tbsp

Method:

Wash Rice and dal together and soak for 4 hours. Grind to a coarse consistency- like rawa. Powder pepper/ jeera coarsely and add to batter as also ginger powder, hing, curry leaves. Also add cooking soda, curd, oil, ghee and keep for 3-4 hours.

Grease the bottom and sides of a flat pan which you can keep inside the pressure cooker. Pour the batter in this and steam in the cooker. DO NOT PUT THE WEIGHT OF THE PRESSURE COOKER. Steam for 20 minutes. (Keep enough water in the cooker since the steaming duration is long).

Check if cooked by inserting a needle or knife which should come clean. Cool for some time and turn over to a plate and cut into pieces.

Date and Walnut Cake

Ingredients:
250 gms de-seeded dates
100 gms shelled walnuts
100 gms unsalted butter
100 gms powdered sugar
250 gms flour (maida)
1 egg
150 ml water
2 tsp baking powder

Method:

Chop walnuts coarsely. Chop the dates into small chunks. Add boiling water and a pinch of baking powder to the dates, mix well and set aside.

Sieve together the flour and the remaining baking powder. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in the egg. Fold in the flour and the then the nuts and then the dates. Add a teaspoon or more of milk if needed. Put the mixture in a pre-greased loaf bin and bake at 360 F for 50 minutes. Check if done by inserting a needle in the center. If needle is coated keep for 5-10 minutes more. Remove from oven, cool, wrap in foil and keep. Cut after 24 hours and serve alone or with a bit of butter.