Little millet idly
Idlies are one of the favourite breakfast dishes of South India. They can be made very easily without rice with little millets
Ingredients
Skinned Black Gram (Whole) : 1 cup
Little Millet Rava : 3 cups
Fenugreek Seeds : 1 teaspoon
Salt : to taste
Ghee/Oil : to grease idli moulds
Instructions
Steaming Procedure
- Take a cupful of little millet rava in a wide bowl. Sprinkle one fourth cup of water over rava and mix it well.
- Leave it covered for an hour. By now the rava would have absorbed all the water and become dry. Sprinkle a little more water over rava and mix it well and keep it covered.
- Repeat the process once again if the rava turns dry.
- The rava should be moist just enough to form a lump but must disintegrate even by a slight nudge.
- The idea is to keep the rava moist for a period of two hours.
- Before steaming add a tea spoonful of oil to the rava and mix well.
- Bring approximately three cups of water to a boil in a large vessel and steam the moist rava for seven to eight minutes.
- Keep mixing the rava at regular intervals with a fork.
- If needed sprinkle a few more spoons of water.
- Three cups of rava will rise in volume to nearly five cups.
- Turn off the stove. Let it cool and split the lumps if there are any.
Idly batter preparation
- Soak black gram dal along with fenugreek seeds three hours before grinding the batter.
- Grind the batter by adding a little water at a time until it gets smooth and frothy.
- Do not add too much water at the beginning itself.
- At regular intervals take a little batter in your hand and check whether it is of desired consistency and texture.
- If it is too tight sprinkle a little more water and continue to grind.
- Once the batter is ready add the steamed rava and salt to it and mix well.
- A word of caution. Do not add warm rava to black gram batter as batter may turn too sour. If needed add a little water.
- Keep it covered in a warm place for four to five hours. Do not ferment it overnight if the weather is warm and humid.
Idly preparation
- Check the consistency of the batter. If needed add a little water and gently mix it. Do not vigorously beat the batter.
- Boil about two cups of water in an idli steamer.
- Grease the idli moulds with ghee/oil.
- Fill batter in the moulds.
- Place the mould stand into the steamer vessel and steam idlis for ten minutes (for the first five minutes on high flame and later on a medium flame).
- Reduce the flame, open the lid and with wet fingers check if the idlis are done. If the batter doesn’t stick to the fingers it means the idlis are cooked.
- Turn off the stove and keep the steamer covered for another ten minutes.
- Scoop out the idlis gently using a wet spoon and serve them hot with coconut chutney and sambar.
Notes
NOTE:
● Do not cook idlis for too long as they can turn hard.
● Do not pour too much water in the steamer as the idlis in the lower plates can get over cooked.
● The total preparation time for this recipe is just about eight hours.
● Siri rice idlis made using this procedure are very soft and fluffy.
● Do not cook idlis for too long as they can turn hard.
● Do not pour too much water in the steamer as the idlis in the lower plates can get over cooked.
● The total preparation time for this recipe is just about eight hours.
● Siri rice idlis made using this procedure are very soft and fluffy.
