Idlis are a classic South Indian breakfast made of fermented rice and some lentils that are steamed. While they are delicious, they are high in carbs. This version cuts out the rice entirely. It is made with just urad dal and yellow moong dal that is soaked overnight and ground. I was not able to even tell the difference!
I love that this version is high in protein. It is also highly customizable. While delicious plain, you can also add grated vegetables or green chillies to the batter to sneak in some veggies and extra flavor. It is a fermented food, which provides excellent for gut health as it is rich in probiotics.
Preparing the Batter
Soak 1 cup of urad lentils and 1 cup of yellow moong lentils for 4-8 hours. When you are ready to grind, discard the water, add 2 tsp of salt and water as necessary trying to keep the batter as thick as possible, but still allowing it to grind smoothly.
Fermenting the batter
Cover and keep this in a warm place overnight to ferment. Once the batter is fermented, it will rise about an inch or so. Mix it well with a ladle and add water if the batter is too thick. It should not be runny like pancake batter or it will not steam well.
Steaming the Idlis
You will need a steamer or large pot and idli trays. You and add can purchase them on amazon here, or if you do not have them, just fill small bowls with the batter and place them in a steamer. Remember to grease the idli pans lightly before filling. Steam the idlis for 5 minutes on medium heat. Turn off the flame and allow it to sit covered for an additional 5 minutes. After this, the idlis should smoothly slide off the pan.
Serve the idlis with molagai podi, sambar, coconut or tomato chutney. Recipe for tomato peanut chutney to follow!
Lentil Idlis
Ingredients
- 1 cup Urad dal white lentils
- 1 cup yellow moong dal Split moong lentils
- 2 tsp salt
Optional add ins
- 3 Indian green chilies
- 1/2 cup grated carrots
- 1/2 cup grated beet root
Instructions
- Soak the lentils for 4-8 hours
- Discard the water, add 2 tsp of salt and fresh water, enough to grind smoothly, trying to keep the batter as thick as possible.
- Cover the batter and keep in a warm place overnight to ferment.
- Once the batter is fermented, it will rise about an inch or so. Mix it well with a ladle and add water if the batter is too thick. It should not be runny like pancake batter or it will not steam well.
- Lightly grease idli trays.
- Scoop batter into idli trays and steam for 5 minutes.
- Turn off the flame and keep covered on the flame for an additional 5 minutes. At this point, the idlis should slide off the trays.
- Serve with tomato or coconut chutney or sambar.
IF YOU LIKED THIS RECIPE, PLEASE BE SURE TO TAKE A PICTURE OF YOUR CREATIONS AND TAG @IAMSTUFFT ON INSTAGRAM!
