Idli Muffins

South Indian cuisine is almost synonymous with idli which is not only easy to make but also extremely healthy and easy to digest. In fact, when stranded on a highway with nothing to eat, we wouldn’t hesitate to walk into a roadside hotel and buy a few idlis, as it is steamed, and therefore quite safe to eat anywhere. No longer just a South Indian favorite, Idlis are loved and can be found just about anywhere in India. 

            To give the normal idli a twist I sometimes steam the idlis in muffins mould and gave it a healthy  vegetable toppings of Carrots, coriander, Cashewnuts and nigella seeds  for breakfast or as a snack. These small treats looks heavenly and loved by my son  and, as a bonus, convenient for those on the go. To make it more healthier, I have stuffed the idlis with sweet and sour coriander chutney.These Idlis contain no saturated fat and no cholesterol.

Ingredients 

• 2 cups Broken Rice
• 2 cups white urad daal
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• water for soaking
• 1 carrot peeled and cubed
• Cashewnuts, Nigella seeds and chopped coriander for garnishing
• Coriander chutney for filling
• Beetroot Chutney for serving 

Making the Batter

1.   Soak the rice and urad dal in separate bowls for minimum six to eight hours. You will need about twice as much water in the bowl as urad dal, as it expands as it soaks up water.

2.   Drain the rice and urad dal, discard water .Grind the urad dal to a fine paste with about 1 cup of water.Grind the rice to a paste with about 1 cup of water, less if you can. Grind coarsely as it will be only used for idli, Mix the rice and urad dal pastes together well, with salt and methi. Keep it on the kitchen slab overnight to ferment.

3.   Cut one carrot in cubes and chop the coriander leaves and keep aside.

4.   Prepare the Green chutney by grinding 1 cup fresh chopped Coriander leaves,  1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves, 1 tbsp jaggery, 1 tsp tamarind paste, 2 to 3 green chilies and salt.

5.   Prepare the beetroot chutney by mixing together 1 grated beetroot, 1 green chili, 1 tbsp jaggery and salt.

Making the Idli

1.   Put water in the steamer and steam over the gas till the water starts to boil.

2.   Grease the muffins moulds with oil.

3.   Put one tbsp of batter in each mould. Put 1 tsp of green chutney on the batter and cover with one more tbsp of batter over it.

4.   Put some carrots, coriander leaves, a pike of cashew nuts on top and finally sprinkle  a pinch of nigella seeds over it.

5.   Steam for 10 minutes in a steamer or till a toothpick comes out clean.

6.   Remove Idli from pans with a thin spatula and serve with Beetroot chutney.