“Urad Dal- Moong Dal- Masoor Dal-Rice Idly” served with Carrot (Gajar)- Tomato Curry and Coriander- Coconut- Chutney” … there are plenty of varieties of mix and match that can be experimented and tried out to prepare Idlies and here is one more combo I tried that turned out soft- spongy- delicious … tastes awesome served with any chutney, sambar, curry etc. … In my home, we relished them dunked in equally tasty carrot- tomato curry and chutney for lunchtime and it was a lovely combination, … Yummilicious …
** Once again Idly time, and here is another combo of lentils I mixed and tried these delicious soft spongy steamed idlies that were truly majestic served with equally tasty carrot- tomato curry and coriander coconut chutney. About Idly, nothing much to pen which I have not already mentioned in my end number of posts before so let’s move on to this recipe, a mix and match of three grains, the final result of which was fantastic.
** Though I have mentioned plenty of times, I would still like to keep repeating for those who are not aware that Idly prepared with proper fermentation is healthiest compared to instant ones. While adding on ingredients for instant preparations are fine at times, one should also make effort to prepare the old traditional method as fermented dishes are not only good for the gut but also the proper method to do so.
** With moving times, increase of workload, it is but natural to move on to faster methods, the same way as we are getting used to new technologies. I too try them out in my home when I am too busy or have forgotten to soak ingredients for grinding. All said and done anything prepared at home under hygienic conditions with best of ingredients is always far more better than readily fast foods, it’s all about planning.
** So, let us keep on with moving times without forgetting traditional and healthier ones and introduce them as and when time permits. Life is all about enjoying with family without hurting anybody else in the process be it intentionally or otherwise. There are plenty of recipes added in the Blog and will be done so in near future, so please do stay in tuned to my website, page and instagram profiles for updates on new dishes.
** Here is my own recipe for “Urad Dal- Moong Dal- Masoor Dal- Rice Idly” … my style, tastes awesome dunked in chutney and carrot- tomato curry …
** Ingredients :
Urad dal/ Black Gram Dal : 1 cup
Moong Dal with skin/ Green Gram Dal with skin: 1 cup
Masoor Dal/ Red Lentils : 1 cup
Idly Rice Rava : 3 cups
Methi/ Fenugreek Seeds : 1 tsp
Green Chilly/ Tarni Mirsanga/ Hari Marchi : 4-6
Ginger/ Adrak/ Alle’ : 1 inch piece
Curry Leaves/ Kadipatta/ Karbevu : 8-10 fresh leaves
Salt/ Namak/ Meeta : to taste.
** Oil/ Tela/ Tel : for greasing the vati/ molds.
** Wash and soak urad dal, moong dal (with skin) and masoor dal, all together in plenty of water for about 6-7 hours. Also, wash and soak the methi seeds separately in a small bowl with about ½ to 1 cup of water.
** Note : I have used moong dal (green gram dal) with skin for this recipe as they are much healthier than the ones without, you can use any.
** Soaking of Methi : Soaking methi/ fenugreek seeds separately in water is just my method of doing so for dosas. I use it later along with the water in which it has been soaked while grinding the dosa batter as I believe that if methi is added to dal while soaking, the nutrients, and medicinal properties of methi seeds are lost when being washed again after the soaking period. The same goes for barley too, the water in which barely is soaked overnight is consumed as a health promoting drink, the very reason why I have soaked both of them together so that I need not throw away the soaked water, there by discarding the healthy nutrients in them.
** Add plenty of water to Idly Rice Rava in a bowl and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. When the rice rava settles at the bottom, gently tilt the vessel and drain off the excess water on top taking care not to spill the rava, now keep it aside covered and let it rest for 15-20 minutes, no issues if soaked for an hour too.
** Note : I prepare the above mentioned step for idly rice rava just before I begin to start the grinding process of Idly batter which gives it enough rest and soak in the water. There is no need to soak it for more time.
** Drain off the water from dals soaked together, rinse well with fresh water and drain out excess water completely. Add it into a wet grinder or in mixer grinder whichever you are using for grinding, also add the soaked methi seeds along with the water its soaked in and one cup of water. Grind all together to a smooth fluffy batter, mixing well in between and adding water for smooth grinding as required only.
** Note : I always use table top wet grinder for grinding of batter. It gives the best results, so if you are grinding often then it’s a wise investment. Always add water little by little water while grinding be it in wet grinder or mixer grinder to get good fluffy batter. Here is a tip for those of you who are using mixer grinder for grinding batter. Always use chilled water for grinding dals for best results as using of cold water reduces the friction and cuts down on heat, which heats the mixer vessel resulting into a thinner textured batter.
** In a mixer grinder add green chillies and ginger cleaned and cut to pieces. Add curry leaves and grind to a coarse paste WITHOUT adding water. Do not grind it to a smooth paste we just need all the ingredients well crushed coarsely.
** Note : Addition of spices are a step followed for some type of Idly and Dosa only. It does bring on additional aroma and taste to the dish, however, it is optional and if not desired by you or your family, you may skip the same.
** Add ground batter into a vessel, large enough to hold in the batter on rising when fermented. Add prepared and kept Idly rava, the coarsely ground spice mixture, salt to taste and mix all together evenly with hand. Check the thickness of the batter and add water only if necessary. The batter should be thick and fluffy as that of our normal Idly batter. Cover and allow to ferment overnight or for about 8-10 hours.
** Note : Remember to always use hands for mixing of batter as this enables in fermentation as the heat from hands pass on to the batter. In my community we all follow this method, just see to it that you wash your hands well before doing so.
** Note : The fermentation period depends upon the weather of the place and also the type of dals used. In cold weather, it may need more time duration and if the weather is hot then the duration would sometimes be lesser. This batter ferments a lot in shorter time so keep a keen watch out for the same. (Check pic. Included in collage).
** After fermentation, mix the mixture well as the Idly rice rava tends to settle at the bottom. If you find the batter too thick, you can add some water and mix well. Now gently pour batter into greased with oil Idly molds to ¾ th level only leaving a gap of minimum ¼ level on top of the molds as the batter will rise when being steamed.
** Note : Always remember to apply oil to any of the molds your are using to prepare Idly, before adding in the batter. Applying of oil to the molds ensures that the batter does not stick to it and comes off cleanly in one go without crumbling once the Idly is steamed and cooled a bit, this is a must and easy procedure.
** Keep the Idly steamer with required amount of water to heat on high level. When it reaches full steam, lower the heat and gently place in the stand or steel vaties/ katori which ever you are using and cover the lid tightly. Cook on high heat for 5-7 minutes and then lower the heat to minimum and further cook for another 15-20 minutes.
** Note : The cooking time depends upon the utensil used for preparing Idlies, if small sized vati or flat type one’s are used it takes lesser time as compared to the larger molds, so check if need be by inserting a wooden stick or knife in center of mold, if it comes out clean its, done. If not, ie if still its sticky then continue steaming for another 5-10 minutes and it will be done. There are plenty of Idly posts that include step by step procedure which you can check out from common link shared at the bottom of this recipe.
** When done, remove and let cool a little bit, say 3-4 minutes. Run a blunt knife through the edges on the inner side of the vati/ katori and gently flip over and tap it a bit to bring out the steamed Idly in one go. You can use the remaining batter if any in the same molds and they will work fine. Only if you want to repeat in the same mold for more than three times then you must check out the condition and clean if need be.
** “Urad Dal- Moong Dal- Masoor Dal- Rice Idly” is done and ready to be served. Tastes best served for breakfast with any coconut chutney or sambar of your choice. However, this was for lunchtime and I wanted to try something different, so tried this new combo of serving it with “Carrot (Gajar)- Tomato Curry” and Coriander- Coconut Chutney and it was truly a fantastic combination. I am sharing link to the recipe of the curry at the bottom of this recipe, do try it out and enjoy with your family and friends.
** Important Note : I always use table top wet grinder for grinding of the Urad Dal which not only gives fluffy batter unlike mixer grinder but also yields in larger portion of ground batter, the very reason why variations of mixing of ingredients are needed. Please note that, If you are using mixer grinder for grinding of urad dal, always use cold fridge water while grinding as it gives better results and also decrease the amount of addition of Idly rice rava, say for this recipe add about 2.5 cups to get perfect soft Idlies.
** For those of you who want to avoid excess oil consumption, idlies are always better than dosa or other items for breakfast and they are not only healthy but tummy filling too. You should make it a point to introduce these dishes to children at young age so that they continue it through lifetime and thereby for generations to come. Amma always said that home cooked meals are the best gift to give your family after all health is that which should always be of top priority as the rest will always follow with time.
** Note : In case you do not want to use Idly Rice Rava for any reason or if not available in your vicinity then just soak raw rice in plenty of water for about 3-4 hours. Drain, rinse well and then grind it to a coarse rava textured paste without adding much water and add the same to batter along with ground urad and barley. Just use 2.5 cups of rice for soaking unlike 3 cups of rava as when you grind the rice will increase in volume.
** For “Carrot (Gajar) Tomato Curry” recipe, please follow the link given below …
** For more “Idly” recipes, please check out on the common link shared below, it includes step by step procedures too …
** Idlies always taste best served with either chutney or sambar, however in my home we love it more with spicy chutney and there are plenty of varieties shared in Blog. Check out the common links shared below for more choices of “Chutney/ Sambar” recipes to enjoy with idlies with your family in your home ….
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