Red Rice Idli are steamed idlis made with unpolished red rice, whole black gram and salt. Low in GI and high in , these are perfect for diabetics and weight watchers
A journey into whole grains and vegan food
Red rice idly was my first initiation into a whole lot of delicious vegan dishes at Sharan in 2015/2016 - an organisation into wholegrain and Vegan dishes along with cruelty free living .As a conscious vegeterian, and part of my journey into vegan(ised) dishes, this and many other dishes called for no dairy or processed / refined products yet served wholesome filling and tasting food.
Red Rice Idli - a nutty taste that takes a little getting used to
Honestly I was skeptical when I heard of this, but if anyone did a blind tasting of this dish (literally speaking), they couldn't tell the difference. Diabetics benefit greatly from this Idli as its wholesome and filling. Folks at home (husband and mom) loved it a lot, and gave a thumbs up ! The elder one ate the idli reluctantly but both kids loved the dosa made from this batter. We had these Idlis with Spicy and tangy Kothamalli Chutney.
Made with Whole black Urad dal (that's the protein source for the meal) and whole red rice (unpolished), this is yummy with tiffin sambhar and / or any chutney. It's so filling that with just 2 idlis, your fibre and wholegrain quotient for the day is taken care of. If you are Idli fans like we are, take a look and do make this. I can assure you would be floored.
I made slight changes to the original recipe. But do ferment it a bit more as it's wholegrain and unpolished, it takes a little more time to ferment and also steam (Approx. 12-13 mins per batch)
Tips to make soft and fluffy Red Rice Idli
- Choose good quality Red Rice (unpolished, not boiled rice)
- If you don't have access to Black Urad dal, use Gota (whole) skinless Urad dal - unpolished variety.
- STeam for 12-13 mins max (depending on quantity), not more. Else it will turn rubbery
- Serve these idlis as soon as you un mould. They are best eaten fresh.
- Don't skip the Idli Rava in this recipe, you can use homemade / store bought Idli Rava. Check here for the recipe to make homemade Idli Rava
Red Rice + Whole Black Urad Dal Idli - GF and Vegan Dish
Cuisine : Indian | Course : Breakfast ; Served with Tiffin Sambhar or Chutney
Protein Source : Whole Black Urad Dal (unpolished)
Prep time (including soaking) : 6 hours, grind : 20/30 mins ; Fermentation : 8-10 hours (or overnight till mildly sour)
What you need to make Red Rice Idli
- 2 cups unpolished red rice
- 1 cup Boiled rice (also called Idli Rice)
- 1 cup Idli Rava (homemade or Store bought)
- 1 cup whole (black) urad dal
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 1.5 teaspoon salt
How to make Red Rice Idli:
- Wash and Soak the dal and rice separately for 6 hours. Soak the fenugreek (methi dana) along with the Urad.
- Grind the dal till fluffy adding the soaked water a bit at a time. Remove to a bowl.
- The red rice is extremely hard to grind despite the soaking, so grind to a slightly coarse batter adding 1-2 handfuls at a time. This takes 20- 25 mins minimum.
- Add the ground Urad dal and grind for 4-5 mins more.
- While the red rice is grinding, soak the Idli Rava for 10-15 mins
- Transfer the ground batter to a large bowl (with adequate space for rise)
- To the ground rice + dal + methi seeds batter, squeeze our the idli rava of any additional water and mix in the ground batter. Mix well with clean hands for 2-3 mins
- Add salt and ferment overnight.
- Next day, beat the batter well and spoon into greased idli moulds.
- Steam for 10-12 mins.
- Un mould after 2 mins, and serve hot with chutney or sambhar (Doesn’t taste good while eaten cold)
For Dosa batter:
You can also make amazing crispy dosas the next day with the same batter (just add a few teaspoon of water to get a more flowing batter for dosas). And then proceed to make Dosas as usual
Red Rice Idli | GF and Vegan | Diabetic friendly recipes
Equipment
- Steamer
- Wet Grinder
Ingredients
- 2 cups red rice unpolished
- 1 cup Boiled rice also called Idli Rice
- 1 cup Idli Rava homemade or Store bought
- 1 cup whole black urad dal
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 1.5 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Wash and Soak the dal and rice separately for 6 hours. Soak the fenugreek (methi dana) along with the Urad.
- Grind the dal till fluffy adding the soaked water a bit at a time. Remove to a bowl.
- The red rice is extremely hard to grind despite the soaking, so grind to a slightly coarse batter adding 1-2 handfuls at a time. This takes 20- 25 mins minimum.
- Add the ground Urad dal and grind for 4-5 mins more.
- While the red rice is grinding, soak the Idli Rava for 10-15 mins
- Transfer the ground batter to a large bowl (with adequate space for rise)
- To the ground rice + dal + methi seeds batter, squeeze our the idli rava of any additional water and mix in the ground batter..
- Mix well with clean hands for 2-3 mins
- Add salt and ferment overnight.
- Next day, beat the batter well and spoon into greased idli moulds.
- Steam for 10-12 mins.
- Un mould after 2 mins, and serve hot with chutney or sambhar (Doesn’t taste good while eaten cold)
Notes
Tips to make soft and fluffy Red Rice Idli
- Choose good quality Red Rice (unpolished, not boiled rice)
- If you don't have access to Black Urad dal, use Gota (whole) skinless Urad dal - unpolished variety.
- STeam for 12-13 mins max (depending on quantity), not more. Else it will turn rubbery
- Serve these idlis as soon as you un mould. They are best eaten fresh.
- Don't skip the Idli Rava in this recipe, you can use homemade / store bought Idli Rava. Check here for the recipe to make homemade Idli Rava
Sowmya :) says
That is a such a soft and spongy looking idli. I loved the black gram dosa and this one with red rice seems just the thing. Bookmarking!
Srivalli says
The idlis are surely so healthy!..I remember my mom using unpolished urad dal during our childhood and using the stone grinder to grind the batter...such wonderful years!
Gayathri Kumar says
I have used red rice for puttu, but have never tried idlis with it. I am doing a change over for my daughter and have been using lots of millets in the diet. Next time I will try dosas with red rice. The idlis look so soft and fluffy and the turmeric and ginger chutney looks like a perfect side for these nutritious idlis.
vaishali sabnani says
The idli looks fantastic, beautiful color and texture , for all healthy stuff I know where to land, great choice.
rajani says
With our palates tuned to refined versions, it's a task to reeducate it to go back to the unrefined original ones. Glad you and your family are taking that journey Kalyani!
cookingwithsapana says
Red rice hasn't entered in my kitchen yet but knowing the fibre content I should introduce them soon. Idli looks soft and yummy.
Sharmila kingsly says
Healthy and spongy idli. Looks absolutely yummy!!
Srividhya says
That's a whole sum and healthy idli. Love that color.
Hema Mohan says
Which Red rice you use ? Raw or parboiled? which brand ? pls clarify.
Kalyani says
Raw red rice (unpolished)
Archana says
Wow love the idli. If I can get my folks at hove to ignore the colour they will love it. Soft n spongy.
Unknown says
idlis look perfect and spongy and a beautiful color variation. - Anlet Prince ( http://www.Annslittlecorner.com )
Mayuri Patel says
We don't get red rice here but I'm surely going to cook with it when I'm next in India. Idlis look so soft and tempting. Red rice too has protein.
Priya Suresh says
I love dosas prepared with red rice, i do add red rice often in my cooking, those fluffy idlies looks fabulous and excellent to kick start a day.
Unknown says
I have been using red rice for my meals. But somehow havent thought of making idlis with it. Very interesting..
Padmajha says
Love the color and texture of the idli. I remember mom using the black urad dal to make idli and the texture was definitely better than ones that are made of white urad.