MIDLI (heard of this dish?)

I think I can call myself a wizard in the kitchen; well that's how I would like to put my style of cooking in the kitchen. I like trying out dishes of various kinds not just the usual ones that we normally prepare to fill our bellies just for the sake of it. I'm calling myself a wizard because like a wizard (may be I should say a witch understanding my gender), I mix various spices, things that has never been mixed just to bring variety in our dishes. My husband a silent spectator but the poor victim of my culinary talent smiles silently knowing yet another odd food is going through his digestive tract.

One day I suddenly got the inspiration to try and prepare Idli (south Indian dish). So I went to my south Indian neighbor to ask the recipe. She generously offered me the recipe as well as the dish to prepare that special dish. Actually every time we went out, my husband used to eat Idli so I thought I'll serve him his favorite dish at home. Urad dal ( I was hearing this for the first time) is the main ingredient (if any body gets the inspiration to prepare the same). I soaked that for hours with a pinch of salt and waited for the magical moment of seeing a happy and satisfied smile on my husband's face.

It was almost nearing the time to prepare dinner, but I went to the kitchen knowing I needed whatever extra time I could catch hold of. So I prepared the batter, filled that in the Idli dish and put that on the gas. But to my dismay, when it was cooked, I found that my Idli didn't have that soft and fluffy texture. Instead it was hard like hardened bread kept for days. But the battle was not over; I do not give up easily. I sliced my failed Idli into thin, long slices and kept it aside. Then I fried that with tomatoes,onions, ginger-garlic paste and a lot of chili powder.

My husband sat down at the dinner table, I served him that wonder dish. I think I saw him frowning but before I could notice that he straightened his furrows on the forehead. I knew what he was thinking, "Not again!" but all that escaped from his lips was, "what's this?" "MIDLI," I said not wasting a second for him to gather that it was Idli but Modied Idli (Hence the name Midli).