Monday, December 2, 2013

Ragi Idli | Finger Millet Idly

ragi idly

Me & my hubby have put on weight so much that, we had to have a resolution to reduce the weight (Even before the new year!!). I am against all crash diets & wanted to keep it very healthy by including lots of whole grains, legumes & salads. We are even planning on a "no rice" week.

Today is the second day & I packed this ragi idli for lunch. I'm challenging myself to cook healthy & yet delicious meals. I'm planning to post my lunch/dinner menu on the facebook page. Keep following my facebook page if you want to know what we will be eating for lunch & dinner in the coming days.

Nutrition information of ragi idli: (Got this from myfitnesspal. I added this recipe there) Not to forget, we have added benefits as this idli is made with a  fermented batter!!
ragi idli nutrition
Note: This is an approximate nutrition information. I am not a nutrition specialist or a dietitian. I added the quantity of ingredients used & the website calculated the nutrition information. 

Preparation Time: 30 mins
Steaming Time: 10-15 mins (for each batch)
Serves: 5-7 (Makes about 45 idlis)

Ingredients: 
Skinned black lentils/Urad dal/Uddina bele: 3/4th cup
Fenugreek seeds: 1/2 tsp
Ragi flour/ragi hittu/finger millet flour : 2 cups
Salt: As needed.
Oil: A drop on each mould to grease.

Special utensils:
Idli moulds
Steamer or a pressure cooker.
ragi idli

Method:
Soak the urad dal & fenugreek seeds together for a minimum of 4 hours.
Grind the urad dal & fenugreek seeds to a very smooth & fine paste. Refer here to learn more about grinding  the urad dal to make perfect idlis using a food processor or a blender.
Scoop out the urad dal mixture to a large utensil. Add the ragi flour, salt & adjust the consistency of the batter (add little water at a time). Batter should be of dropping consistency.
Allow the batter to ferment overnight or a minimum of 8 hours. Refer notes for more details.
The batter would have doubled after fermentation. Mix the batter gently.
Grease the idli moulds. Add enough water to the steamer.(I use a pressure cooker & this is what I do!)
Add about 2 tbsp of batter to each mould & steam it for 10-12 mins. If you are using a steamer, you might need to steam the idlis for 15-20 mins.
Turn off the heat. Let the idlis cook in the steam for couple of more mins. Remove the mould from the steamer.
Scoop out the idlis using a spoon or a spatula.
Serve the idlis hot with a sambar & a chutney of your choice.


Notes:
  1. The same batter could be used to make dosa too. I have the dosa recipe here. I usually make more batter. On day 1 of fermentation, I make idlis for lunch & Day 2 evening, it would be ragi dosa with the same batter :)
  2. Some tips for fermenting the batter in cold weather. 
  • Soak the lentils for a couple of hours more. 
  • Add a tbsp of fresh plain yogurt to kick start the fermentation fast. 
  • Keep the ground batter inside the oven with the oven lights ON. 
  • If your oven doesn't have a light, use a microwave instead. Keep the batter inside the microwave oven. Do not close the microwave completely. The idea here is to keep the microwave lights ON. Close it, but do not lock it. I hope you get the point! 
  • Grind the batter at around 5 or 6 pm & let the batter ferment for 10-12 hours. 

2 comments:

  1. You are one health buff.... simple low cal, and nutritious recipe...Sushma wish you and your hubby a fast meltdown... keep feeding us with more of these recipes... seema sirdeshpande your facebook BB sahodari

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's a very healthy choice of meal....

    ReplyDelete

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