For the uninitiated, Idli is a steamed dumpling made from a fermented batter of rice and black gram lentils (urad dal). The rice can either be in the form of rava (cream of rice) or a whole rice variety called ponni rice. I consider idli as my ‘cereal’. At least two weeks in a month, this is my go-to breakfast.
Idli Varieties
Think of idli as a concept, let us say like a pizza, or a pasta or simply a cereal. There are several variations! While the basic version is made with a fermented batter or urad and rice, there are many which are not fermented. My personal favorite is Cracked Wheat Veggie Idli, which is not fermented, has lots of veggies and tastes divine! Check out our fluffy Quinoa Idli, which is also yummy, with chutney. There are variations with millets, mung beans and so on.
Cracked Wheat Veggie Idli
What is best pairing?
In general, the basic idli does not taste great by itself. This triggers my memory about an interesting story last year. A Britisher called Edward Anderson who tweeted that it is the most boring food in the World. This triggered a huge backlash from a lot of South Indians who consider this their beloved dish! I must admit It is bland, so it needs to be paired with Coconut Chutney, Sambar, or spiced chutney powder with ghee(Mm mm!). If you order Idli at a South Indian restaurant, you’ll probably get all these accompaniments. My personal favorite is a spicy, somewhat watery coconut chutney.
Idli served with spicy, watery coconut chutney
Plain & Veggie Multigrain Idli
To bring in more nutrition and variety to my recipes, I play around with different grains. I don’t always use the same combination. I have been lucky that most of my experiments have been successful. For this recipe, I used a multigrain batter that includes millets, barley, brown rice, oats, flax seeds and rawa (cream of rice) . The traditional batter recipe has 3 parts rawa for one-part urad dal.
Idlis are made from fermented ingredients and then steamed; fermentation is highly recommended by nutritionists. This version uses oats, millets, barley brown rice and flax seeds, making it wholesome.
Check out some of our delicious South Indian breakfast/snack recipes:
- No Ferment Cabbage-Onion Dosa
- Multigrain Dosa
- Vegetable Uthappam
- Cracked Wheat Veggie Idli
- Multigrain Pesarattu
- Delicious Veggie Poha Upma
- Vermicelli Upma
- Sooji Upma
- Cracked Wheat Vegetable Upma
- Soft Kefir-Quinoa-Rawa Idli
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Plain & Veggie Multigrain Idli
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 Cups Multigrain Idli Batter
- 1/2 Cup Cabbage - (For veggie idli)
- 1/4 Cup Spinach - (For veggie idli)
- 1/8 Cup Carrots - (For veggie idli)
- 1 Pepper Green Chili Pepper - (For veggie idli)
Instructions
- Mix multigrain idli batter with a little filtered water, if needed, to get the consistency of pancake batter. Click here for Multigrain Idli Batter recipe.
- Spray oil into idli molds, spread evenly and pour batter into the molds. Add a cup of water in the Instant Pot (IP) and set idli tray in the pan. Close lid and set on 'steam' mode for 7 minutes. Idlis are ready
- Hot steaming idlis are ready to serve with idli powder and hot sambar. Check out video below, on how to enjoy idli with sambar.
- Cut up some cilantro, green chili pepper, cabbage, spinach and also grate some carrots. Add 1 cup of veggies to 1 cup of batter and mix well.
- Spray oil into idli molds, spread evenly and pour batter with veggies into the molds. Add a cup of water in the Instant Pot (IP) and set idli tray in the pan. Close lid and set on 'steam' mode for 7 minutes. Idlis are ready
- Serve hot veggie multigrain idlis with idli powder and organic ghee, with some guacamole on the side for a nourishing breakfast.
How many idlis in a serving? As a Vegetarian I am always wanting to know the amount of protein in a serving? Thank you.
Hi Visa, great question. In the bottom of the recipe we have a nutrition label that lists our serving size. Our normal recommendation for this recipe is 4 idlis per serving. Please note that the calorie information applies to ‘Plain Multigrain Idlis’ and not to the ones with vegetables. It is 10g protein per serving- there should not be much difference in protein between the plain and vegetable idlis. Hope this helps.