Thursday, October 24, 2024

Chana Dal- Rice Idly.


“Chana Dal- Rice Idly” served with Coriander Coconut Chutney and Ginger Tea … another variation of steamed idly for breakfast using protein rich split Bengal Gram Dal, a healthier~ filling diabetic friendly dish, for a change from regular ones … tastes great served with chutney/ sambar … yummilicious ….

** I must confess that I am not a chana dal favorite person and use it preferable in preparation of ambado/ dal vadas/ puran poli only. I have shared a few dosa and khotto/ Idly recipes tried by me before which turned out great. However, I prepared them in addition of other lentils or added millet and this is the first time I am preparing these idlies with just chana dal along with rice. I have used Idly Rice Rava here instead of soaking and grinding rice to cut down on workload which is what I follow in most idly recipes. I decided to try this idly as I had excess chana dal in stock, which I wanted to finish off soon.

** These days Dr's/ dietitians suggest consumption of limited carbohydrates as well as food with low GI, and to the best of my knowledge chana dal is low GI food and I guess even a little cut down means a lot when it comes to South Indian Cooking as by large most of us are rice eaters and GI of rice higher as again suggested by nutritionists. Well, I find there is no harm in giving a try, is there? After all more choices means more smiley faces around and that is the should be the aim in life for all of us, to stay happy and spread happiness. Try it, a little bit different from regular ones, nevertheless a good one.

** Here is my recipe for “Chana Dal- Rice Idly” … my style …

** Ingredients :
Chana Dal/ Split Bengal Gram Dal : 2 cups
Idly Rice Rava : ¾ cup
Methi/ Fenugreek Seeds : 1 tsp
Green Chilly/ Tarni Mirsanga/ Hari Mirchi : 3-4
Adrak/ Alle’/ Ginger : 1 inch pice
Curry Leaves/ Kadipatta/ Karbevu : 6-8 fresh ones
Salt/ Namak/ Meeta : to taste
Cooking Soda/ Sode Pitti/ Meeta Soda : ¼ tsp

** Wash and soak Chana Dal/ Split Bengal Gram Dal in plenty of water for 4-6 hours. Similarly wash and soak Rice Rava in separate bowl for 2 hours. Also, wash and soak methi seeds separately in about ½- 1 cup of water.

** Soaking of Methi : Soaking methi/ fenugreek seeds separately in water is just my method. I use it while grinding along with the water in which it is soaked, as I believe by doing so the nutrients, and medicinal properties of methi seeds are not 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.

** Soaking of Methi : Soak methi seeds in a cup of water for an hour or so, just before you start grinding the batter. This is to be used while grinding the idly/dosa batter. I do not add the methi along with dal’s coz. When we drain off the water, the nutrients and medicinal properties of methi seeds are also lost through it. You can use lukewarm water if you have only 10-15 mins time at hand only. It will give similar result.

** Note : Almost everybody I know, even my Mom soaks methi seeds along with dal while soaking the same. So it is not necessary to follow my method and you may do so along with other ingredients if desired. But if you feel that what I say has some reasoning to it then do follow my method and trust me it healthier.  


** Drain and wash chana dal once again with plenty of water and keep it aside in colander for about 15 minutes. The soaked Idly rava will have settled at bottom, gently tilt 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 while we go ahead with preparation of batter.

** Add drained chana dal into a mixer grinder along with soaked methi seeds and water its soaked in. Grind to thick smooth fluffy batter adding water as required only. Do mix the dal well in between a few times for even mixing and grinding of all the dals. Also keep addition of water minimum to required help in grinding only.

** Remove the ground dal mixture into a large stainless steel vessel. Now add green chillies, ginger, curry leaves, all cleaned and cut to pieces into the same grinder and grind to a coarse paste WITHOUT adding water. Do not grind it to a smooth paste we just need all the ingredients evenly and well crushed coarsely. Remove and add this to the batter in vessel and mix well adding more water only if required.

** 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.

** You should add ground batter into a vessel, large enough to hold in batter on rising when fermented. Lastly add salt to taste on top of the batter, do not mix, just cover with a lid and keep it aside to ferment overnight or 6-8 hours depending upon the weather in your place. The batter should be slightly thicker than that of our normal Idly batter. You can always add more water to the batter if needed after fermentation.

** 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 at this step add the cooking soda/ sode pitti and mix well for 1-2 minutes until you find the batter turning smoother and more fluffier in texture. Now immediately pour batter gently into greased with oil Idly molds unto ¾ th level only, taking care to leave 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 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.

** “Chana Dal- Rice Idly” is done and ready to be served. Tastes best served for breakfast with any coconut chutney or sambar of your choice. I served it with coriander coconut chutney for breakfast and we enjoyed these fluffy idlies dunked in spiced chutney very much. These idlies are highly beneficial for diabetic patients compared to normal idlies as the GI of chana dal is low and the rice GI is lesser unlike the amount of rice added in normal idly. Do try it and enjoy with your family and friends.

** Children and teenagers are always reluctant to eat home cooked food as they are not aware of the health benefits and they are at an age when one cannot make them understand the same much or force them to eat too. Once needs to be experimental with presentation too, to make the dishes more appealing and tempting to them. So, if they do not like plain idlies or you do not have chutney handy at home, then just give a tempering/ tadka to the same and they are sure to love it.

** For tempering/ Pannaka/ Tadka : Heat 1- 2 tblsp of ghee (toop)/ coconut oil (nariyal tel/ narlel tela) in a thick bottomed pan, when hot add 1 tsp of mustard seeds (rai/ sasam), when they splutter add ½ tsp of urad dal (black gram split dal), ½ tsp jeera (cumin seeds), a few curry leaves (kadipatta/ karbevu), 1-2 red chillies (byadgi mirchi/ kumte mirsanga) cut to pieces and fry for a few minutes. Add cut pieces of prepared chana dal- rice idly, say about 2-3 cups and toss well. You can add a tsp of gun powder/ chutney podi (Optional) too and mix well, cover and let warm up on low heat for 3-4 minutes (maximum) only, tossing it 1-2 times in between. Lastly you can garnish with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves (dhania/ kotambari pallo) and mix well. It tastes awesome served immediately as it is and there is no need for any other accompaniment. 

** Important Note : You will have to finish off all the batter by steaming them as idlies as we have added cooking soda. Do not store it for later use or keep it in fridge to be used for more days etc. Chana dal too ferments in excess and loses on taste if not used within a few hours of fermentation. For this recipe, I have added cooking soda to get a fluffy texture as chana dal is crispier in nature and will not rise much.

** For those of you who want to avoid excess oil consumption, idlies are always the best bet, as they are not only healthy but tummy filling too. You should make it a point to introduce variations in types of dishes prepared for children as they usually make a fuss in consuming routine dishes. By making good healthy food habits at young age, they continue being so 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 any 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 other ingredients.

** 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 ….

** For “Tea/Chai” recipes, please check out on the common link shared below …

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