Oats Idly - Instant

This is an instant variety of idly. Adding the sour yoghurt will enhance the spongy texture of the idly. 

Oats idly with coriander chutney

Ingredients:
Instant oats powder – 3 cups
Semolina (Fine variety)– 1 ½ cup
Yoghurt – 4 cups (should be very sour)
Baking soda – 1 tsp
Salt

Method:
Dry roast the oats powder and semolina separately.
Mix them with yoghurt along with salt and rest it for 1 hour
Just before making the idly, add baking soda and mix everything.

Scoop the batter into idly moulds and steam for 12- 15 minutes.
Serve hot with any chutney.  

Note: If you do not have the instant oats, you can use the rolled oats and pulse them into coarse to fine powder.

Raagi idly

A healthy recipe both for kids and older people.  It's in fact the staple diet in many villages across South India. Ragi also known as finger millet, is rich in calcium and Iron. Can be consumed as a porridge with Milk or butter milk.

To make idly, instead of having just rice and urad daal, I have added Ragi flour also. 

 

Ingredients:

Whole Ragi Flour- 1 cup
Idli rava -  1 cup

Urad daal / Black gram - 1 cup

Methi seeds -1 tablespoon
Salt to taste

Baking Soda - 1 pinch

Method:

Soak the urad daal and methi seeds for about 6 hours.

Using a blender or wet grinder, grind the urad daal into smooth paste.

To this add idly rava and ragi flour. Add water if necessary. The consistency should be the same as any other idly batter.

Ferment the mixture for about 8 hours in a warm place.

When it is fully fermented, add salt and baking soda, mix thoroughly and scoop the batter into idlymoulds and steam for 15 – 20 minutes.

Serve them warm with your favourite chutney, sambar or even spicy powders with a dallop of ghee.

 Ragi Idly

Note:

Instead of using the idly rava, you can use normal rice and soak it seperately and grind it coarsely and mix it with the urad daal paste. If you are using rice, then use only 3/4 th cup.

 

Pesara Idly / Moong Daal Idly

This is another variety of idly with green gram. As we are using the whole grains, this will be rich in B Vitamin. All my efforts are just not to prepare new recipes, but also do healthy meals for my family.

Pesara idly / Moongdaal idly with Sambar

Ingredients:
Whole Urad daal / Black gram – 1 cup

Rice Rava - 1 cup

Whole Green gram - 1 cup

Method:

Soak urad daal and green gram together for atleast 6 hours and grind them into into fine paste.

Add Rava and combine every thing without any lumps and allow to ferment for at least 8 hours.

When it is fully fermented , scoop the batter into idli moulds and steam for 15 – 20 minutes.

Serve them warm with your favourite chutney or sambar

Idly with left over rice

This is another version of idly where cooked rice is the main ingredient. These are very soft in texture as we use lots of cooked rice.

Idly with left over rice

Ingredients:
Cooked rice – 2 cups
Rice Rava / Idly Rava – 1 cup
Urad daal (with skin)– 1 cup
Salt
Baking soda - 2 pinches

Method:
Soak urad daal for 4 hours
Grind the urad daal and cooked rice to smooth paste by adding enough water.
Wash, drain and add Rava into the ground paste along with some salt and mix every thing with out any lumps. Finally it should form thick creamy consistency.
Leave the batter for 8 hours in warm place to get fermented.
Add baking soda just before making the idly and mix the batter momentarily.
Grease the idly moulds and scoop the batter into each mould and steam for 15 to 20 minutes.

Time Management:
How I do …
Pour about 300 ml of water in the rice cooker or Idly steamer and turn on the heat.
Whilst the water is getting warm, I grease the moulds and scoop the batter into the moulds. Once the moulds are ready, place the mould stand in the rice cooker or idly steamer. In the mean time prepare chutney. Finally hot hot idlys will be served with chutney in less than 20 minutes.

Idly with Sambar and Peanut chutney

Chiyali

This is made up of with left over idlys. Can be served as it is with out any chutney as this itself good enough containing chilli, salt, lemon and coriander flavours. This is a nice alternative tiffin for those who don't like idlys.

Ingredients:

Idly – 8

Peanuts – 1 tbsp

Onion – 1 Chopped into small pieces

Green chilli – 2

Curry leaves – 1 string

Chopped coriander – 1 tbsp

Lemon juice – 2 tsp

Mustard + Cumin – ½ tsp

Turmeric – ¼ tsp

Salt

Oil – 1 tbsp

 

Method :

Cut each idly into 8 pieces or bite size. Heat a pan with oil. When it is hot enough add Mustard+Cumin. When they start spluttering, add curry leaves and chopped onion. Fry the onion until they slightly become tender. Now add the idly pieces, turmeric and salt. Toss every thing and cover it with lid for less than one minute, so that the idly pieces absorb the flavours.  Remove the lid, toss again and turn off the heat. Drizzle the lemon juice and sprinkle the chopped coriander. Toss again and serve immediately.

Cold idly turned into hot & spicy chiyali

Masala Idly

This is another variety of idly with added spices. This is very much similar to Rava idli. 

Masala Idly

Ingredients:

Urad daal - 1 cup
Ground Rice / Idly Rava - 2 1/2 cups
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp

For Masala:
Mustard - 1 tsp
Cumin - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 5
Grated carrot - 2 tbsp
Cashews - 10
Channa daal - 1 tsp
Green chilli chopped - 1 tsp

Method:

Soak urad daal for 6 hours and grind it into fine paste.
Wash and drain the excess water from idly rava and mix it with the urad daal batter.
Mix well and allow it to fermant.
Once the batter is ready, then prepare the masala
Heat a small tava and add 1 tbsp of oil.
When the oil is hot enough, add mustard, cumin, channa daal, cashews, chilli and curry leaves one after the other.
Fry until carrot becomes transparent.

Idly masala

Just before making idly, stir the batter thoroughly by adding salt and baking soda, and the above mentioned masala.

Masala Idly mixture

Pour 1 ladle of batter into each mould and steam. for 15 to 20 minutes.

Masala Idly

Sorgham /Jowar / Jonna Idly

As many of you know that idlies are integral part of South Indian cuisine and Rice is the main ingredient to prepare this. Most of us use the polished rice which has got no / less fibre in it. Not only that, rice has a tendency to increase the blood sugar levels very quickly which is not so good for diabetes. I thought to give a go using protein and fibre rich jowar instead of rice.

Benefits of Jowar:

Though the caloric value of rice is almost same as jowar, compared to rice, jowar is richer in protein. Jowar is enveloped with covering of bran that is rich in B complex vitamins, cellulose and a large quantity of Phytates. The excess of phytates interfere with the absorption of calcium and iron from other foods.

You can find more details here.

Jonna Idly

Ingredients:

Jowar – 3 cups

Urad daal / Black gram – 1 cup

Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp

Boiled Rice - Handfull (Optional)
Rice Rava - 1/2 cup

Method:

Soak jowar separately and urad daal + Fenugreek seeds + Boiled rice separately for atleast 6 hours.

Grind the Urad daal mixture into fine paste and jowar bit coarsely.

Add salt and combine both the batters and allow to ferment for at least 8 hours.

When it is fully fermented , scoop the batter into idli moulds and steam for 15 – 20 minutes.

Jowar idly ready to melt with hint of ghee

Idly roast

There were few left over mini idlies not eaten by my little one, during morning rush. When I asked him to eat them in the evening, he said Naaaa…So, I have implemented modification.com

Roasted Mini idly

Ingredients:
Mini idly
Grated carrot - 2 tbsp
Chopped capsicum - 2 tbsp
Curry leaves
Mustard seeds
Salt

I have used this special pan (Ponganala penam)

Method:
Smear the moulds with little oil
When it is hot, place the mini idllies into each mould and fry them until golden colour. Turn them and allow frying the other side.

Take a deep frying pan and add 1 tsp of oil.
When it is hot add mustard, curry leaves, grated carrot, capsicum and a pinch of salt. Stir for a minute, still capsicum and carrot should retain their crunchiness
Finally add the roasted idly to the mixture, toss it and serve warm.

Roasted idly - crunchy outside and soft inside

Sajja Idly / Sorgham / Bajra / Pearl Millet idly

Among Millets Bajra is the predominant crop in India. It is also called as Pearl Millet in Western Countries, it is a wholesome grain which has high nutritive value. It is usually very popular in the States of Maharashtra and Rajasthan in India. Generally people eat in winter season. It has the same quantity of protein as wheat. Bajra is rich in Iron, B vitamins, Thiamine, Riboflavin and niacin.

Generally roties made from the fine flour are eaten with various vegetables as main dish. It has some medicinal properties when bread is eaten with honey in the morning.

 

I just want to try some thing different from the normal rotis. I have succeeded in making idlis. I have used urad daal with skin.

Ingredients:

Bajra / Pearl millet – 3 1/2 cups
Urad daal / Black gram – 1 cup
Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp
Baking Soda – ½ tsp (Optional)
Salt - 1 tsp

Bajra / Millet & Urad daal with skin

Method:

Soak bajra and urad daal + Fenugreek seeds separately for atleast 6 hours.
Grind the Urad daal into fine paste and bajra bit coarsely.
Combine both the batters and allow it to ferment for at least 8 hours.

A fully fermented idly batter

Just before making idly, stir the batter thoroughly by adding salt,baking soda (optional) and pour 1 ladle of batter into each mould and steam.

Steamed Bajra idly

Bajra idly with Coconut & Corriander chutney

If you don’t have idli steamer, you can still steam them in any big container with lid, even a deep pan will do. If you do not have idli moulds you can use any small cup like containers.

Rava Idly

Idly plays a dominant role in Indian kitchen. There are lots of variations in idlis. Rava idli is the easiest variety.

Click here for more useful tips.

Ingredients:

Urad daal - 1 cup
Ground Rice / Idly Rava - 2 1/2 cups
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Method:
Soak urad daal for 6 hours and grind it into fine paste.
Wash and drain the excess water from idly rava and mix it with the urad daal batter.
Mix well and allow it to fermant.
Just before making idly, stir the batter thoroughly by adding salt and baking soda, and pour 1 ladle of batter into each mould and steam.

 

I have used the below idly mould to prepare mini idly or button idly

Mini idly mould

Rava idly

Rava idly served in sambar

Note: If you don’t have idli steamer, you can still steam them in any big container with lid, even a deep pan will do. If you do not have idli moulds you can use any small cup like containers.

Chittor idly

The unique method of preparing the idlies is very famous in Chittor district (Andhra pradesh). My mom is an expert in making these sponges. Yes, I call them as sponges, as the idli will retain its shape back like a sponge when we squeeze and release.

Few useful tips:

Always soak the rice and daal separately for at least for 6 hours.

Once you grind them allow to ferment for at least 8 hours.

In cooler countries, always place the batter in a warm place like heated oven (turn on for 5 - 10 min and make sure to turn it off) or even place the batter vessel inside a hot pack or thermo pack to maintain the temperatures.

If the batter has not fermented enough then you can add baking soda by which idly will become fluffy.

Ingredients:

Rice of any variety – 3 cups
Urad daal – 1 cup
Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp
Cooked Rice - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp (Optional)

Method:

Heat water until it just starts boiling. Wash rice and transfer the rice into hot water and DO NOT CLOSE THE LID until the water gets cool. This is a true substitute for par boiled rice. Soak the urad daal separately.

Grind the urad daal and cooked rice into fine paste along with fenugreek seeds. Grind rice not too smooth and not too coarse and mix everything together and allow to ferment. It is not a big deal to grind the batter using wet grinder. But, it is a tough task to gring the urad daal in a mixer as urad daal is very sticky in nature, it get stuck when there is not enough water. I grind urad daal bit watery (Make sure not too watery). We do not require water to grind rice,so drain all the water from the rice and grind coarsely. Now add the grounded rice to urad daal and allow it to fermant.

When it gets fermented scoop the batter into idli moulds and steam them.

 

Usually it takes 12 - 15 minutes to steam idly. Leave them for 5 minutes, so that the idly becomes bit firm and we can scoop out easily with out disturbing the shape.

 

Idly with peanut chutney