Quinoa Idli

7 idlis after steaming on a white plate.

Try this soft, fluffy, delicious and high-protein quinoa idli. It is a healthy and tasty South Indian breakfast with a modern twist.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Indian

Keyword quinoa idli

recipe breakfast recipes

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Soaking and fermentation time 16

Total Time 16 20

Servings idlis

Calories 86kcal

Author Rachna Parmar

Ingredients

1.5 cup quinoa
½ cup urad dal
½ cup idli rice
1 tsp. Fenugreek seeds or methi seeds
Salt to taste
Water as needed for blending
1 tsp. Oil for greasing idli moulds

Instructions

Start by rinsing the quinoa, urad dal and idli rice really well. Soak the quinoa, urad dal and idli rice in separate containers with water. I add one teaspoon of fenugreek seeds to the rice when soaking it. Let them soak for about 4 to 5 hours.
Once soaked, drain the water. First, grind the urad dal with a little water until it is light and fluffy. Then grind the quinoa and idli rice into a light batter. Do not add too much water. Just use enough for blending.
Mix all the batters in a large bowl. Using your hands mix them well to form a uniform batter. This must be thick. Cover the bowl and leave it in a warm place to ferment overnight or for about 8 to 10 hours.
The batter should rise and look bubbly when it is ready. If you live in a colder place, you can ferment the batter in an Instant pot in yogurt setting or leave it in a slightly warm oven overnight.
When you are ready to cook, gently stir the batter. Add salt and mix gently. We don’t want the aeration to reduce. Now prepare your steaming setup. Grease your idli moulds and pour the batter in. Steam for about 10 to 12 minutes. You will know they are done when a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let them sit for a minute or two before removing them from the moulds.
Serve hot with chutney, sambar or podi (lentil chutney powder).

Notes

To aid fermentation of batter, mix the batter for a couple of minutes using clean hands. Also if you are in a cold place, you may add salt before fermentation.

Do not ferment for too long or the batter will become sour. Generally, 10-12 hours is enough.

You can use instant pot or oven with lights on for aiding fermentation of batter.

Adding methi or fenugreek seeds helps make the idli batter fluffy.

Leftover batter can go in the fridge for a couple of days. Let it come to room temperature before using again.

You can also use dosa by diluting this batter.

You can also use whole urad dal for skin for more fiber,

Nutrition