A - Z Idli Series ~ N for Navadhanya Idli

 

I had planned another traditional idli recipe from Karnataka for today but could not source an ingredient needed for it and had to discard the idea. I then went ahead and as an experiment, prepared these idlis using navadhanya. To be honest, the idea would never have occurred to me if not for this series and these protein rich idlis turned out soft and fluffy. Navadhanya refers to the nine grains used in Hindu religious rituals - Bengal gram, black gram, black sesame seeds, chickpeas, green gram, horse gram, rice, wheat, and white colored beans (I used black eyed peas for it). 

These idlis are simple to make though advanced planning is needed as the ingredients need to be soaked, ground and fermented before steaming the batter in the idli moulds. Though the process sounds tedious, the steps are quite simple and doesn't need much of one's energy. The idlis can be made in advance and can be refrigerated or even frozen to have a healthy breakfast ready in the morning rush hours with a simple step of reheating them in a microwave.

Navadhanya idli turned out fluffy with a subtle flavor to them, because of the wheat used in the recipe. These navdhanya idlis served with chutney and / or sambhar  make a filling breakfast or dinner option as they are super healthy, nutritious and vegan. Ours were served with peanut chutney and erra karam, Andhra style onion chutney.

I used navadhanya as I mentioned above but some ingredients may be substituted or omitted from the recipe as per preference. Brown rice can also be replaced with idli rice. Wheat can be completely omitted from the recipe as well if it's flavor in the idli is not to your taste. Whole black gram can be replaced with skinned variety as it needs only a couple of hours of soaking and also doesn't need thorough rinsing to get rid off the skins. Omitting one or two beans that are not on hand works too.

Some of the beans used here like chickpeas, black gram and horse gram need to be soaked overnight or for at least 8 hours. It is hard to sort out and soak the ingredients individually according to their soaking periods and therefore I soaked rice, wheat, Bengal gram, green gram, black eyed peas, chickpeas and horse gram in water in one container and black gram in another bowl. The black gram needs some thorough rinsing to get rid off the skins as much as possible and so they were soaked separately.

I soaked the ingredients overnight and ground the batter in the morning. The batter fermented quickly, in about 7 hours which never happens with my regular idli batter. It maybe partly because of the quantity of the beans used in the recipe and partly because of the weather the day I made these idlis, at 80 deg F / 27 deg C. I would recommend to grind the batter in the morning to keep an eye on the fermentation process. I am not sure but guessing that too much fermentation may cause the batter to start smelling foul because of the beans used here.

Ingredients: (Yield - 28 idlis)

1 cup idli rice 

1/2 cup brown rice

1/4 cup wheat kernels

1/2 cup + a handful of black gram *

6 tbsp. each - Bengal gram, green gram, black eyed peas, chickpeas, and horse gram **
Toasted black sesame seeds as needed
Salt to taste (I used about 2.5 tsp. salt.)

Water to grind the ingredients

Notes:

* I used whole black gram but it can be substituted with skinned black gram which takes only about 2 hours of soaking. 

** Some of the ingredients used here like black gram, chickpeas, horse gram need overnight or about 8 hours of soaking.

Directions:

1. Add idli rice, brown rice, wheat, Bengal gram, green gram, black eyed peas, chickpeas and horse gram to a container. Rinse them with water twice and drain. Add enough water and soak them overnight or for at least 8 - 10 hours.  

* Add black gram to another bowl and rinse. Drain and add water to the bowl and soak it also overnight or for at least 8 hours. (Or skinned black gram can be substituted which needs soaking for only a couple of hours.)

* After the soaking, drain the water from the rice - lentil container and rinse again twice with water and keep aside. However the black gram needs some thorough rinsing to get rid off the skins as much as possible. I used whole black gram since it is used in navdhanya but skinned black gram can be substituted to skip the rinsing part.

2. Add all the soaked and drained ingredients to a grinder. Grind them adding salt and enough water into a smooth and thick batter. If using a mixer then grind them in 2 batches. (The salt can be added just before making idlis if living in a warm climate. I add it while grinding since I live in a cold climate and the batter takes longer to ferment.)

* Transfer the batter to a container large enough to allow the batter to raise during fermentation. Cover the container and allow it to ferment for about 7 - 8 hours. (It took me about 7 hours to ferment the batter when the temperature was about 80 deg F / 27 deg C and it may take longer in  cold climate. Leaving the batter out after fermentation may turn smelly.)

3. The fermented batter looks like above in the picture 3. Refrigerate the batter if not using immediately and use within a couple of days. Leave the refrigerated batter on the counter for a couple of hours before using.

* Heat about 2 cups of water in a idli cooker base or a idli cooker or a steamer on medium heat. 

4. Grease the idli moulds with ghee / oil and sprinkle black sesame seeds over them.

5. Gently stir the batter a couple of times with a ladle. Pour the batter into the idli moulds carefully without spilling.

6. Place the idli stand in the prepared cooker / steamer and close the lid. Don't use the valve for the lid if using a pressure cooker.

* Steam the idlis on low heat setting for about 20 - 25 minutes or until done. (The idlis should not stick when touched with moist fingers.) Check the water level in the steamer base and add extra if needed.

7. Wait for about 10 minutes and then remove the idlis from idli stand. Remove the idlis by running a spoon around the edges.

Serving the idlis: 

* Drizzle melted ghee over the idlis and serve them with a chutney, and sambhar if preferred. Mine were served with peanut chutney and erra karam / Andhra style onion chutney.

What to do with leftover idlis:

1. Refrigerate the left over idlis and use in a day or two. 

2. Or they can be cooled down immediately after preparation and frozen to use later. Nuke them in a microwave, covered and enjoy hot, piping idlis when needed.

Comment

Gahat Ke Parathe / Gahat Dal Paratha / Kulthi Ke Parathe / Spicy Horse Gram Parathas

I have been posting under 'Thaalis and Platters' theme this month. Every day kind of meals picked from four corners of India were posted the first week while I opted to go with various breakfast platters across India, the second week. I reserved the third week for Indian regional thaalis, full course meals I picked from various Indian states. The fourth starts from today and I am going to post six Indian flatbread recipes this week. I have posted so far the following thaalis / platters this month. 

Week 1 - Everyday Thaalis
Tamil Nadu thaali (From South)
Goan vegetarian meal (From West)
North Indian mini thaali (From North)
Bengali niramish thaali (From East)

Week 2 - Breakfast Platters
Banarasi kachori aur subzi
East Indian Breakfast Platter 
Dal Pakwan
West and Central Indian Breakfast Platter
Kerala Breakfast Platter
South Indian Breakfast Platter

Week 3 Regional Thaalis

Andhra 'Dasara' Thaali (From South)

Bihari Thaali (From East)

Assamese Thaali (From North East)

Uttarakhandi Thaali (From North) 

Andhra 'Taddinam' Vanta (From South)

Maharashtrian Festival Thaali (From West)

 

Gahat (horse gram), urad dal (black gram) and soy beans are three important legumes used in cooking in Uttarakhand, especially during winter months. Many varieties of dishes are made locally using these legumes. They induce warmth in the body which is very much needed during the harsh winter months in the pahadi / hilly regions of Himalayas. Parathas stuffed with a spicy horse gram filling called gahat ka paratha is a popular winter dish for the same reason. These parathas were a part of Uttarakhandi thaali I posted last week. 

Obviously, these parathas are healthy and nutritious because of the bean stuffing and are diabetic friendly. And they are delicious and very filling as well and one does not need to prepare any side dishes to go with it. These parathas are spicy on their own and actually a simple raita or yogurt will do. However as part of the thalli, I had a soybean dal, a spinach gravy called kaapa, Kumaoini raita, a potato curry called aloo thechauni and sesame - cilantro chutney which are all popular side dishes in the state cuisine. I had jhangore ki kheer, a millet kheer for the dessert which is again a common one in the region. 

The filling can be prepared in advance and can be refrigerated too. And the outer wheat flour dough can be prepared and refrigerated for about to two to three days given that it is properly covered and there are no power cuts in the area. Allow it come to room temperature before using it to make rotis. If in a hurry, cover the dough and warm in the microwave for few seconds, until it comes to room temperature. Check out this easier method if new to paratha making and is not able to roll a stuffed paratha.

Recipe Source: Here
Ingredients for parathas: (Yield - 6 to 7 parathas)
1 + 1/4 cup atta / wheat flour
1/4 tsp. salt
Water (I used about 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp.)
1 tsp. oil
Oil to make rotis
Ingredients for stuffing:
1/2 cup horse gram, soaked overnight
1 tsp. grated ginger
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp. chili powder
A handful of cilantro / coriander leaves, finely minced
1 tsp. garam masala
1 finely minced green chili

Directions to prepare the paratha dough:
* Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl or a wide plate. Add water to the dough and knead into a soft, pliable dough. Don't add all the water to the flour at once. Start with 1/2 cup and go on adding as needed. If accidentally more water was added then it can be fixed by just adding some extra flour and then kneading.

* Next knead the oil into dough for about a minute, cover the dough and leave it aside for a couple of hours. (I don't usually knead the dough as the resting period will allow the gluten to develop and yield soft rotis. One can knead the dough and make the rotis immediately as well but I prefer resting the dough.)

How to prepare the stuffing:
* Soak horse gram overnight. Drain and rinse them in the morning.

* Pressure cook the horse gram with a cup of water (or more) to 3 or 4 whistles. If the horse gram was not soaked, cook for more whistles. When the valve pressure is gone, transfer the cooked horse gram to a colander and drain all the water. Leave it aside so that there is no trace of water present. 

* Mash the cooked horse gram in a food processor or by using hand. (I think people traditionally ground it on the stone aka silvatta. Food processor does a quick and neat job.) The ground mixture would be crumbly but moist enough to bind it into a ball.

* Add the remaining ingredients mentioned under stuffing and mix to combine. 

* Divide the mixture into 6 or 7 portions and shape them into balls. (Divide them into same number of balls as the dough balls.)

Rolling the parathas:
* Divide the dough into about 6 or 7 portions and roll them smoothly between your palms to shape them into balls.
* Work with one dough ball at a time and keep the rest covered. 
* Roll a dough ball into 3 - 4 inch disc and place one stuffing portion at the center of the disc, leaving the edges free. 

* Bring the edges together so that there are no gaps and the stuffing is inside intact.
* Press it into a disc taking care that there are no gaps anywhere so that the stuffing wouldn't spill out while rolling. 

* Roll the disc carefully into a 5 to 6 inch thin circle, dusting with flour if necessary. 

* Take care not to break it or let the filling coming out. Repeat the steps of paratha making with the remaining dough. (If a newbie to paratha making, rolling out a few and then start frying them will be easier. Or one can roll and do the frying simultaneously.) 

Frying the parathas:

* Heat iron griddle or a shallow, non stick pan and place the rolled out paratha.

 * Toast the parathas, brushing generously with oil / ghee, until both sides are cooked well and brown spots appear.

* Repeat the steps of rolling and toasting the parathas with the remaining dough balls and the stuffing. 

* Serve them hot with yogurt and a spicy pickle. Ours parathas were very spicy and raita was enough.

Comments

Horse Gram Dosas / Ulava Dosalu

South Indian breakfast dishes are preferred over bread / cereal any given day in our home and I therefore keep rotating them. However idlis and dosas, which everyone seem to like mostly contain rice and I am trying to make them a tad healthier. Over the recent years, I have started to substitute a healthy ingredient for a portion of the rice in those recipes. Today's recipe is such one though a traditional one to make idlis and I make dosas with it as well. 

Horse gram, though chiefly is horse fodder as the name suggests is beneficial to humans as well as it is rich in iron. It is being used in Indian cuisine from a long time though not used as extensively as the other beans. Here is one way to include these in the diet if interested. One cannot miss the distinct flavor of horse gram, when tasting the dishes made with this bean. If one is bothered about it, serve these dosas with a coconut chutney / sambhar instead of dry spice powders which masks the flavor.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup horse gram / kulthi
1/2 cup skinned black gram / urad dal
1/2 cup idli rava
Salt to taste 
Any neutral flavored oil to make dosas 

Directions:
* Rinse horse gram and black gram with water thoroughly and drain. Soak them together in water for at least 3 hours, such that water level is at least two or three inches higher than the ingredients during the soaking period. 
* Similarly rinse idli rava and soak separately, covered in enough water.
* After the soaking period, drain the water completely from beans and rava containers. Add all the soaked and drained ingredients to a blender and grind into a thick, smooth batter adding salt and enough water. The batter should not be too runny. 
* Pour the batter into a container, with some extra space to allow the fermented batter to rise. Cover the container and leave it in a warm place overnight or for at least 8 hours or more depending upon the local weather to ferment. 
* Heat a tawa / flat non stick griddle when ready to make dosas. Stir the fermented batter once with a ladle. Pour a ladleful (about 1/4 cup) of batter at the center of the griddle and quickly spread it thinly with the back of the ladle. Pour 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. oil around the edges (I use very less oil.) 
* Cook until the bottom side is done and the surface no longer looks wet. Flip it with a spatula and cook the other side as well for few seconds. Transfer the cooked dosa onto a plate and repeat the dosa making process with the remaining batter. 
* Serve them warm with coconut chutney or any other spicy chutney.

Comments