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.

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Lauki Idli / Sorekayi Idli / Sorakaya Idli / Bottle Gourd Idli

I had two kind of idlis on my mind for alphabet 'L' and in fact, I had already cooked one of those 'L' idlis, about an year ago. Lauki idlis / bottle gourd idlis was not on that list and to be honest, the idea did not even occur to me. The suggestion came from my husband at the last minute. Bottle gourd is one of those low calorie vegetables and I try to sneak in our diet as much as possible and so, I thought why not? A quick google search showed me that there are enough creative minds who had already experimented with the idea. 

I would have thought of a different batter if I had time but I had to keep it quick since these were made for today's breakfast with no advance preparation. I used an instant batter made with semolina aka rava idli batter for these idlis. And so there is no soaking, grinding or fermenting the batter. If one has toasted semolina on hand or a MTR rava idli packet, 😀 the idli preparation becomes a breeze. One can do the toasting semolina part in the recipe in advance and keep it handy. If one has never tried idli making, rava idli is an easy and instant version to try. 

The semolina is toasted with a seasoning and soaked in yogurt for about 20 -30 minutes and the batter is ready to go. I usually add grated carrot and peas to the rava idli batter to make it nutritious and today, bottle gourd went in instead. They turned out good and one would not even notice the difference between regular rava idlis and these. They make a great meal anytime of the day though these are considered a breakfast dish. We enjoyed them today with a chutney made with fried gram sans coconut. Vegetable saagu would be a delicious accompaniment to these idlis.

Ingredients: (Yield - 14 idli)
2 tbsp. oil

1 to 2 tbsp. cashews 
1 tsp. split chickpeas / Bengal gram / chana dal
1 tsp. skinned black gram / urad dal
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 inch ginger piece, finely chopped / grated
1 or 2 green chili, finely chopped
1 sprig of curry leaves

1 & 1/2 cups semolina (medium coarse)
3/4 cup peeled & grated bottle gourd
1/2 cup yogurt
3/4 cup water
1 tsp. salt or to taste
2 tbsp. minced cilantro

1/2 tsp. Eno's fruit salt

Directions:

1. Heat oil in  a pan and add cashews. Toast them until golden brown, by turning them once. Transfer them into a small bowl with a slotted spoon.

* Add Bengal gram, skinned black gram, mustard and cumin seeds to the same oil. When the lentils start to turn reddish brown, add ginger, green chillies and curry leaves. Sauté for about a minute. 

2. Next add semolina to the pan and toast on medium flame, continuously stirring until you start to smell the aroma and it starts to slightly change the color.

* Turn off the stove and transfer the mixture into a bowl and let it come to room temperature. (This can be done in advance and the mixture can be stored in air tight container for weeks.)

3. Add grated bottle gourd, salt and minced cilantro to the semolina bowl.

4. Next add yogurt and water to the bowl and mix well. Cover and keep it aside for about 30 minutes.

5. Stir the mixture once and if the mixture appears too thick, add some water. 

* Grease the idli moulds with oil / ghee. Place a cashew at the center of each idli mould. (Or the cashews can be added to the batter.)

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

6. Add Eno's fruit salt to the semolina bowl just before making idlis and sprinkle a tsp. of water over it and mix well. 
* Ladle the batter into the idli moulds.

* 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 or a toothpick / knife inserted in the center should come out clean.) Check the water level in the steamer base and add extra if needed.

* Wait for about 10 minutes and then remove the idlis by running a spoon around the edges.

* Drizzle melted ghee over the idlis and serve them with a chutney / saagu.

* Refrigerate the left over idlis and use in a day or two. Or they can be cooled down immediately after preparation and frozen to use later. Nuke them covered in a microwave, and enjoy hot, piping idlis when needed. 

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Dal Pandoli

So far in the series,

First week - Sweets
Malaadu / Hurigadale Unde
Dry Gulab Jamun
Coconut Burfi / Kobbari Mithai
Almond Halwa / Badam Halwa
Elaneer Payasam
Godhuma Sojjappalu

Second week - Snacks from Gujarat
Damni Dhokla
Doodhi Muthia / Lauki Muthia

I came across this recipe while searching for snacks in Gujarati cuisine. Black eyed peas are soaked and ground into a batter and then steamed as small sized portions. If not for this event, I would have been skeptical to even consider trying this recipe but glad that I tried and found out a healthy snack / light meal option. This is like a grain-less idli option for south Indians and also a gluten free recipe if asafoetida is omitted or gluten free asafoetida is used.

Most of the pandoli recipes I came across are made with moong dal but there was this variation where black eyed peas was used. There is basically only one basic recipe online that everyone seems to be following. I am familiar with the steaming ground moong dal concept but black eyed peas version was a novel and interesting one. I wasn't even sure whether the dal would hold without any binding agent but hold, it did. One can include spinach leaves in the recipe and grind it along with the batter. I added cilantro and peas instead and added a bit of tadka to make it more flavorful. I served them with peanut cilantro chutney.

Pandolis are made in an old fashioned way on a cloth tied to a steamer, pouring portions of a big spoonful of batter over it, spacing them apart. However idli tray would be the perfect or even a better substitute for pandoli making which would allow one to use up all the batter at once and for an easier clean up. Pandoli are shaped similar to idli and I made the first batch the traditional way and the rest in idli plates. I made only a small batch as mentioned in the recipe and the pandoli cooked to perfection. I am a person who cooks for six even when there are two people and my husband was surprised to see why I had made a small portion when they tasted good. I am not sure about the results when made in large quantities.

Ingredients: (Yield - 12 pandolis or 9 if made in idli stand)
1/2 cup black eyed peas
1 tsp. grated ginger
1 tsp. green chillie paste / 2 green chillies
Salt to taste
3 - 4 tbsp. sour yogurt 
2 tbsp. minced cilantro (optional)
2 tbsp. fresh / frozen peas (optional)
1/2 tsp. fruit salt (Eno's brand)
Ingredients for tadka:
1 tsp. oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 pinches of ground asafoetida

Directions:
1. Rinse and soak the black eyed peas in water, for about 3 - 4 hours. Drain the water completely after the soaking period.

2. Heat oil in a small pan (just hot and not to smoking point) and add mustard and cumin seeds. When mustard seeds start to pop, add asafoetida and turn off the stove.
3. Grind the soaked peas along with ginger, green chillies, salt and spinach if using, adding only as much as yogurt needed to make a thick and smooth batter. 

4. Add minced cilantro, green peas and the tadka from step 2 to the batter and mix well to combine.

5. Take a deep and wide vessel or a cooker base and fill half of it with water. (I used less and it is a hassle when the water evaporates and the water needs to be added in the middle of steaming pandolis.)

6. Tie a muslin or thin cotton cloth over the top and heat the vessel until the water to starts to boil.

7. Add the fruit salt to the batter and sprinkle a spoon of water over it. Mix it well to combine.
8. Pour spoonfuls of batter on the cloth, spacing evenly. Cover it with a dome shaped lid or even a cooker lid without the whistle. 

9. Steam them on medium heat, until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean, about 15 - 20 minutes.
10. Turn off the stove and let it sit for a few minutes, Remove the pandolis and repeat the steps 5 and 6 to make more pandoli.
Serve them warm with green chutney.

Note:
1. Moong dal can be used instead of black eyed peas for variation.
2. Pandolis can be steamed in an idli stand instead to cook more at once.

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