Foamy White Steamed Rice and Bean Dumplings

Preparation 1. Pick clean and wash the beans. Put them in a bowl and add water to cover by at least 2 inches, and let them soak for 8 hours. Drain and rinse the beans. 2. Add the beans and 1 1/3 cups water to the container of a food processor or blender and puree them. The puree should be extremely smooth, light, and fluffy. Transfer to a large bowl. 3. Line a sieve with a double layer of cheesecloth and put the cream of rice cereal in it. Hold the sieve under cold running water right in the kitchen sink. Rinse the cereal until no clinging starch is remaining and the water begins to run clear through the cheesecloth. Squeeze the rice cereal thoroughly of all moisture and add it to the bean paste. Beat the bean and rice mixture thoroughly. Add salt if desired. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and place it in a warm place for 8 to 12 hours to ferment the batter. 4. When you are ready to make the dumplings, stir the baking soda gently into the batter, using a rubber spatula. (Do not overblend as the batter must remain foamy and airy for the dumplings to come out light.) Let the batter rest for 4 to 5 minutes. 5. While the batter is resting, cut pieces of cheesecloth into neat rounds or squares to fit the depressions of the idlee dumpling racks. Each piece of cheesecloth lining can be used twice. Therefore you will need half as many pieces for lining as the number of dumplings. The cheesecloth pieces should be slightly larger than the depressions so that they overhang by about 1/3 inch. 6. Line the dumpling racks with the pieces of cheesecloth. Brush them lightly with oil. Bring water to a boil in the idlee steamer, a pressure cooker, or a 6- to 8-quart sauce pot in which the idlee racks fit. 7. Spoon about 1/4 to 1/3 cup batter into each lined depression of the rack. Attach the racks and place in the steamer. 8. Steam the dumplings for 12 to 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into them comes out clean. Remove the racks from the steamer apparatus and separate the dumpling racks. Pick up each dumpling with the cloth and gently peel away the cheesecloth. Place the steamed dumplings in another steamer or a covered dish to keep them warm. 9. Turn the cheesecloth pieces over and line the racks with the smooth reverse side up. Brush lightly with oil. Proceed with the remaining batter the same way. To serve, place the dumplings (2 per person) in a rimmed soup plate or a shallow bowl about 5 inches in diameter. Make an indentation in the center of the dumpling with your index finger or with the back of a wooden spoon. Pour about 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil in the depression and over the dumplings. Julie Sahni shares her tips with Epicurious:• An idlee steamer looks like a a multitiered serving platter with egg-shaped indentations in each round tier to hold the batter. The indentations are perforated to allow the steam to pass through as the idlee are cooking (which keeps them light), and the whole stack fits into a covered pot. Idlee steamers are available online at www.innoconcepts.com/idleez.htm. If you don't have one, an egg poacher can be used, but the idlee won't be quite as light. • Split white gram beans are available online at www.ethnicgrocer.com, under the name urid dal. • Part of the vegetarian cuisine of south India, this dish, which is traditionally served at tiffin (a lunch or midmorning snack), contains the perfect proportion of rice to beans to create a complete protein—the combination of various sources of protein that vegetarians must consume in order to get all the amino acids present in meat. "And," says Sahni, "because the beans are fermented, their molecules are broken down in a way that makes them easier to digest." Reprinted with permission from Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking by Julie Sahni ©1985 William Morrow and Company, Inc.