Idlis are little pieces of heaven. They are the perfect pillows to rest your hungry heads on first thing in the morning. They are also the perfect vessels to scoop the chutneys and sambars of your choice. This steamed rice cake, which is made with fermented rice batter, makes for one of the healthiest breakfasts. The trick to a good idli lies in a fermented batter with increased acidity. But so often, people get it wrong. And even more often, they stick to the only idli recipe they know. At Slurrp, we understand your passion for idli and present to you five variations that are to die for. Don’t listen to us idly; try these variations of idli yourself.
1. MOONG DAL IDLI
Taste: Savory
Prep time + cook time: 11 hours + 1 hour
Calories per serving: 430
Soak 1 cup moong dal and 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds for 3 hours. Separately, soak 1 cup of rice for 3 hours. To make the moong dal idlis, in a grinding jar, add soaked 1 cup moong dal and 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds. Blend to make a smooth batter. Empty it into a mixing bowl. Into the grinder jar, add one cup of soaked rice. Blend them together to make a smooth batter. Add this to the dal batter along with some salt, and mix well to combine both batters. Cover and leave to ferment for 8 hours. After 8 hours, gently mix the fermented batter. Air pockets are an indication that the batter has fermented well. Next, grease a mini idli pan and spoon the batter into each cavity. Steam on high for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Remove the idlis from the mold, using a spoon to push them away from the edges. Your protein-rich moong dal idlis are ready. You can set aside the batter in the refrigerator for next use.
2. Dal Idli with Ura Dal and Moong Dal
Taste: Savory
Prep time + cook time: 16 hours + 1 hour
Calories per serving: 325
Wash, clean, and soak 1 cup of moong dal, 1 cup of whole white urad dal, and 2 tbsp of fenugreek seeds separately for 4-5 hours. Drain the dals, transfer them to a mixer jar, and grind them separately to a fine paste. Combine the urad dal and moong dal paste and add salt according to taste. Keep this mixture aside to ferment overnight for 10–12 hours or until the batter rises. Once the idli batter is fermented, grease the idli stand. Steam like regular idlis for 10–15 minutes in a steamer or pressure cooker without a whistle. You may also steam the batter on a dhokla plate. Allow the idlis to cool, unmold, and serve!
3. TIRANGA IDLI KEBABS
Taste: Savory
Prep time + cook time: 8 hours + 15 minutes
Calories per serving: 425
For these idlis to evoke patriotism, soak 2 cups of white rice and 1 cup of white lentils, or dal, separately for about 5 hours. Grind these two separately. Make sure to grind the dal with very little water. Add 1 cup of cooked rice and salt to this and leave to ferment overnight. The next day, grease the idli molds as usual. And then divide the three batters into the three colors. Leave the white as is, and for green and saffron, add food colorings. Steam as usual for 12 minutes. Cut these idlis and arrange them on skewers. And your patriotic breakfast is ready for consumption!
4. ADAI IDLI
Taste: Savory
Prep time + cook time:
Calories per serving:
Wash and soak 1 cup rice, 1/2 cup chana dal, 1/2 cup arhar or tur dal, 3 tbsp urad dal, and 3 tbsp moong dal. Soak them together for an hour. Drain it. Add drained lentils, 2 green chilies, 1/2 tsp ginger, and 1/2 tsp cumin seeds to the grinder jar. Grind it to a coarse batter by adding a very small amount of water. Remove it in a bowl. In the coarse batter, combine salt to taste, 1 chopped onion, and 4 tbsp chopped coriander leaves. Mix well. For seasoning, in another small pan, heat 2-3 tbsp oil; add 1 tsp urad dal and 1/4 tsp chili flakes. Let it sputter for a second. Tempering is ready. Keep aside. Add 1 packet of Eno (basically soda) and 1 tablespoon of water to the idli batter. Mix well. The batter will become foamy thanks to Eno. Take idli molds. Brush it with seasoning. Add idli batter. Place the idli molds in the idli steamer and steam for 15 to 20 minutes. Adai idlis are ready to serve.
5. SABUDANA IDLI
Perfect for your vegetarian breakfast requirements.
Taste: Savory
Prep time + cook time:
Calories per serving: 330
In a bowl, take 1/2 cup of sabudana, and to this, add 1/2 cup of idli rava. Add 1 cup of (preferably) homemade curd, and mix well. You may add half a cup of water, and make sure there are no lumps. Let the batter sit overnight (6–8 hours). After 8 hours, if required, add water to get the idli batter consistency, and mix well. To the batter, you can add tempering now; for this, take 2 tsp of oil in a small kadai and heat it. Add some mustard seeds, cashews, and some chopped kadi patta. When the cashews are golden brown, add this tempering to the batter. Add the batter to the greased idli molds as usual. Steam it for 10–15 minutes. Allow it to cool for 5 minutes before removing it from the idli molds. Then slowly remove from the molds with the help of a spoon. Soft sabudana idlis are ready to serve with any chutney or sambar! You can also add dill leaves to the batter before steaming, but this is entirely optional.