Monday, January 16, 2017

Urad Dal ~ Barnyard Millet (Varai) ~ Lapsi (Bansi Rava) Idly.


Soft and Spongy "Urad Dal ~ Barnyard Millet (Varai) ~ Lapsi (Bansi Rava) Idly" With "Green Peas (Vatana) ~ Raw Jackfruit (Kadgi) Gashi" ...... A typical Konkani Saraswat Curry that goes along well with Idly too ..... Millet's are Considered very beneficial for health, So do introduce them in your daily diet ..... Try this combination ..... Very Tasty Indeed ....


By now all my friends are aware that I am very fond of Idly and fruit juices. Yes, but let me share a secret with all of you. Idly was never one of my favorite during childhood. It was poori baji that I loved the most. Though I still love them very much, my passion for creating new combinations in making of Idly has really surpassed my own imaginations. I love the soft and fluffy Idly that can be relished with chutney, sambar or even curries. I relish them with chicken curry too. The healthy combination’s that I have made in preparation of Idlies make them that more easier and enjoying to relish them without guilt. Again my very own attempt that has turned out successful and given me light, spongy and healthy Idlies. It really gives me immense pleasure to keep sharing these wonders that looks so beautiful that I sometimes hurry in clicking pictures so that I can really sit and enjoy them. I really hope with the passage of time I get to prepare and share an immense collection of mix and match recipes in preparation of Idly’s. 


I am just adding in more healthier options and combinations. My eagerness to try out new combinations has now almost turned into an obsession. Idly’s are healthiest of all the foods world wide as they are steamed delicacies and with newer healthier combination they make them that much more delicious and one can not only enjoy them guilt free but also gain the health benefits by and large. You will simply love these spongy Idlies with the added benefit of Jowar / Jwari that has its own benefits giving a boost to the dietary consumption. I served this Idly with spicy curry but it will go well with sambar too. You can also serve them with simple dalitoy (A very well know regular GSB / Konkani Saraswat's preparation of Dal) or any other medium spicy gravy of your liking. Again, this one too is highly recommended breakfast for every individual young and old alike and so also for those who are health conscious and diabetic or BP Patients too. I have already added a few versions before here in my blog too. Please check the same in the Idly section. The Idlies turned out very soft and spongy, so you can also send them in lunch box with some added chutney powder or pickle. Do try this out, you will simple love this porous textured Idly on every bite. 


Ingredients :
Urad Dal : 1 full cup
Barnyard Millet (Varai) : 1 ¼ cup
Lapsi (Bansi Rava): 1 ¼ cup
Methi Seeds : 1tsp
Salt to taste

** Note: If using mixer grinder for grinding urad dal the proportion varies. Please check at the bottom of the Recipe.


Wash and soak 1 cup of Urad Dal for 3-4 hours. Soak methi / fenugreek seeds separately in ½ cup of water. Wash and drain off all excess water of the urad dal by putting it in colander.  When you start to grind the urad dal just add the varai / barnyard millet and lapsi / bansi rava in a bowl and add in plenty of water to soak them both say about 15-20 mins. Tilt the bowl and drain off the excess water on top completely. Allow to rest for another 5 minutes before mixing it with the other batter. 


Grind Urad dal to a smooth paste by adding in the methi seeds along with the water in which it was soaked. Do not discard the methi water but use it while grinding as it is nutricious. Add another ½ cup of water and grind the urad till you get a thick fluffy paste. I use wet grinder which multiplies the urad dal when ground more than that in mixer grinder. You can use any method. Remove and put it in a large vessel.


Now add in the drained Varai and Lapsi, salt to taste and mix well. See to it that there are no lumps. The batter should be really smooth and thick. Leave it aside to ferment for 8 hours or overnight. Next day morning beat the batter and mix it well. 


Gently pour the batter with the help of a rounded spatula into the moulds /vati to ¾ th level only. You should leave gap on top of the moulds as the batter will rise when getting steamed. I have used round 1.5 inch deep vati / cups / tumbler /moulds here to get rounded shaped Idlies, you may choose whichever is suitable to you. Remember to apply oil to the moulds before adding in the batter. Applying of oil to the moulds ensures that the batter does not stick to it and comes off cleanly without crumbling once the Idly is steamed and cooled a bit.


Keep the Idly steamer / pedavana with required amount of water to heat on high level. When it reaches full steam, lower the heat and gently place in the steel vaties / moulds one by one in a single layer, then keep the separtor and place some more vaties in layers and so on. I have a three tiered Idly steamer, where I can place four vaties in each layers in all adding to 12 Idlies. Cover the lid tightly. Increase the heat and steam for 5-10 minutes or till you see steam escaping through the lid, then lower the heat to medium and steam for 20 minutes. The time for steaming process here depends on the size of the moulds. Smaller one’s take lesser time while larger one’s should be steamed a little bit more for evenly cooked Idlies. If using larger moulds you can steam for about 45 minutes in all ie. 10 + 30-35 Minutes. 


Remove and cool a bit. Run a blunt knife through the edges on the inner side of the vaites / moulds and gently flip over the vaties / moulds and tap it a bit to bring out the steamed Idly in one go. Serve the Idly with sambar / dal / chutney or any spicy curry as an accompaniment. I served them with medium spicy curry.


** Note:
The proportions mentioned above of Urad Dal, Varai and Lapsi are when using the wet grinder method. If using mixer then you have got to adjust the proportions as the result of grinding urad dal in wet grinder and mixer are not the same. Wet grinder yields in softer and bulkier quantity of urad dal when ground were as the mixer does not do the same. 

** While using Mixer for grinding If you are using mixer for grinding purpose then the proportion of the urad dal remains the same while Varai and Lapsi should be adjusted and added. Use 1 cup of urad dal and 1 cup of Varai and 1 cup of Lapsi for the same. Rest method remains same.


** For the Green Peas ~ Raw Jackfruit Gashi Recipe, Please follow the link given below ……

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