Taushe Idli/Dosa ( Cucumber Rice Cakes & Crepes); Meatless Monday

Recently I visited my cousin who lives upstate. She had a huge bounty of vegetables in her garden in this summer. She gave me a bunch of tomatoes and some cucumbers to bring home with me. I was thrilled to have fresh vegetables that were just plucked off the plants! The cucumbers were huge and delicious. Looking at them made me nostalgic and crave for taushe idli. Taushe idli / Tausali is another very traditional Mangalorean Konkani breakfast item that very few people are familiar with elsewhere! It is basically cucumber- rice- coconut steamed cakes that is usually sweetened with jaggery( unprocessed sugar). The same batter can be slightly diluted and made into crepes. Both taste good to me. I am partial to the idlis more than the crepes ( this is one rare case where I don't profess my love for dosas!). There is also a savory version that can be made in which jaggery is not used and the crepe is served with a spicy chutney/dip.

These idlis look like the regular idlis in shape and size but are golden yellow in color. Some people also steam the batter in a plate and slice it into squares/rectangles like a dhokla.
The steaming method for this is the same as for regular idlis. This is one idli for which the batter is not fermented at all. In fact, you are likely to ruin the idli if you leave the batter uncooked once it is made, as the cucumber releases water and thins the batter. Hence it is very important to steam the idlis as soon as the batter is made.

Do try it if you get a chance. It will be something different and nice.

Servings: Makes 16 idlis

Prep time: 20 mins + atleast 1 hour soaking time for rice.Cook time: 10-15 minsTotal time: 35 mins plus rice soaking time.

Ingredients:

White rice/dosa rice: 2 cups
Cucumber: 1 large sized, peeled and grated.
Freshly grated coconut: 1 cup
Jaggery: 1.5 cups, grated
Salt: a pinch
Water: 6 cups for soaking the rice.
Oil: to grease the idli mold/skillet.

Method:

Soak the white rice in 6 cups of water for atleast 1-2 hours.

Using your hands, squeeze out as much water as possible from the grated cucumber. Reserve the water. Keep the squeezed cucumber in a different bowl.

Grease the idli moulds and keep ready.

Add water to the idli steamer as per the instruction on the steamer or to the required water level. Heat the steamer on medium heat.

Drain the rice. Put it in the mixer/blender and grind it coarsely. Use the reserved liquid from the cucumber to grind. Use as little water as possible for grinding. (Later when the jaggery is added, it thins the batter!)

Once the rice is coarsely ground, add freshly grated coconut, grated jaggery and salt and pulse it until it is all nicely mixed.

Take the prepared batter in a bowl.

To prepare idlis:

Add 1 ladleful of to each of the impressions in the mold. Place the rack in the steamer. Steam on high flame for 10-12 mins.Test if done by inserting a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is done.

Let it cool down for 5-10 mins before attempting to remove the idli out of the mold. Use a butter knife to remove it. If the plate has been greased well, the idli should come right out!

Serve hot with butter or ghee ( clarified butter ) on top.

Enjoy!

To make crepes:

Heat the griddle/tawa. Grease the griddle/skillet with coconut oil.

Add a ladleful of batter to the center of the griddle. Spread it by moving the ladle in circles over the batter and spreading it. Reduce the flame to medium and let it cook for 2-3 mins until the crepe is cooked. Flip it and cook the other side for a minute.

Serve hot with butter or ghee ( clarified butter).

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

If you don't have jaggery, you can use brown sugar or coconut-palm sugar.

The no-grind method:
If you are in a rush and don't have the time to soak the rice and grind it, you can use rice rawa/idli rawa to make the batter. Just mix all the ingredients in a bowl . The steaming process is the same.

Tip for healthy living:

Jaggery is a great substitute for crystallized sugar. It is inexpensive, less processed, rich in iron and therefore much healthier. Read more in references below.