Oats Idli
Oats Idli, a quick and easy to prepare nutritious breakfast recipe, has similar taste and soft and spongy texture of instant rava idli. However, it is even more healthier as it also uses nutritious oats in addition to rava and plain curd (yogurt) as used in other idli recipes and takes about same time as any other instant idli recipe. In this recipe, we have used steel cut oats, however you can use any other type of oats (steel cut, rolled or instant) based on availability since the oats are grounded into coarse powder and because of that it doesn’t make any difference on texture of steamed idlis. This Oats Idli Recipe not only explains the entire process with step by step pictures but also provides valuable tips to make instant oats idli delicious, soft and spongy every single time you try. So lets make our breakfast healthy again!
| Ingredients: |
| 1 cup Oats (instant oats/steel cut oats/rolled oats) |
| 1/2 cup Rava (fine sooji/ semolina) |
| 1/2 cup Curd (plain yogurt) |
| 2 Green Chillies, finely chopped |
| 2 tablespoon finely chopped Coriander Leaves |
| 1 small Carrot, grated (approx. 1/3 cup) |
| Salt to taste |
| 1 cup Water (more or less, as needed) |
| 1½ teaspoons Eno Fruit Salt (or 3/4 teaspoon baking soda) |
| For Tempering: |
| 1 tablespoon Oil |
| 1 teaspoon Chana Dal, optional |
| 1/2 teaspoon Urad Dal, optional |
| 1/2 teaspoon Mustard Seeds |
| 7-8 Curry Leaves, chopped |
| 1/2 teaspoon Cumin Seeds |
Directions:
- Take 1 cup oats in a kadai/pan and roast them for 4-5 minutes over medium flame.
- Turn off the flame. Transfer roasted oats to a plate and let it cool for 4-5 minutes. Transfer them to the small jar of a mixer grinder.
- Grind them into slightly coarse powder.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the same kadai/pan over medium flame. Add 1 teaspoon chana dal, 1/2 teaspoon urad dal, 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds, 7-8 chopped curry leaves and 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds.
- Saute until chana dal turns light brown.
- Add 1/2 cup rava (sooji).
- Mix well and roast it until it turns light brown. It will take around 4-5 minutes.
- Add coarsely ground oats (prepared in step-3).
- Stir continuously and cook for a minute.
- Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Let it cool for a few minutes. Add 1/2 cup curd, 2 finely chopped green chillies, 2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander leaves, 1 small grated carrot (approx. 1/3 cup) and salt to taste.
- Mix well.
- Add water (approx. 1 cup) as needed to make a medium thick batter (like plain idli batter). Let it rest for 15-20 minutes. Pour 1-2 glass of water in a steamer/idli maker or in a broad and deep pot/vessel and place it over medium flame. Grease the idli plates/moulds with oil. After 15-20 minutes, check the consistency of batter. If required, add 2-3 tablespoons more water. Batter should not be very thick or very thin. Divide the batter into two individual bowls as we are going to steam the idlis in 2 batches. (approx. 9 idlis will be prepared from a single batch – total 18 idlis.) Add 3/4 teaspoon Eno fruit salt in one bowl. (If you are using baking soda instead of Eno fruit salt, add 1/3 teaspoon soda and 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice in one bowl.)
- Stir continuously in one direction for a minute. Tiny bubbles will appear on the surface and the batter will increase in volume. (Batter volume will increase only if you are using the eno fruit salt.)
- Pour prepared idli batter in each mould. Place the moulds in steamer and cover it with a lid. Steam it for 15 minutes over medium flame.
- After about 15 minutes remove the lid and check whether the idli is cooked or not by inserting a knife or a toothpick in the center. If it comes out clean, oats idli is ready. If it doesn’t, then steam it for few more minutes and check again.
- Carefully remove idli moulds from the steamer and let them cool down for 3-4 minutes. Remove the idlis from it using a spoon.
- Oats Idlis are now ready for serving. Serve it with coconut chutney and tomato chutney. Repeat step-12 to step-17 for remaining batter.
Tips and Variations:
- You can use any of the following type of oats; instant oats, rolled oats,= or steel cut oats to prepare oats idli.
- Add vegetables like cabbage and green peas along with carrot in the idli batter to make it even more healthier.
- Add 1 cup plain curd and 1/2 cup water instead of 1/2 cup plain curd and 1 cup water to make idlis softer and spongier.
- Always steam cook idlis on medium flame to make idlis softer and spongier. Never cook them on low or high flame.
- Don’t keep the batter idle more than 30 seconds after adding eno fruit salt. If you are cooking all idlis in a single batch then add 1½ teaspoons eno in batter, mix well and then steam the idlis.
- If you are cooking oats idlis in two batches divide the batter into two different bowls. Add 3/4 teaspoon eno in one batch, mix well, steam it first and then add remaining 3/4 teaspoon eno in another batch just before the time of steaming and steam another batch.
- You can prepare dry idli mixture (prepared in step-9) in advance and then store it in a container for up to a week. Just add curd, vegetables, water and other ingredients at the time of steaming the idlis for quick and nutritious breakfast.
Taste: Savory with Soft texture.
Serving Ideas: Serve warm oats idlis with green coriander chutney or with fresh coconut chutney and sambar in the breakfast or as a light evening dinner. Pack it with any non-spicy chutney in your kid’s lunchbox.