Millets are getting enough popularity these days.. though it used to be a staple in India many many years ago, it was forgotten quite sometime and now all of a sudden its gaining track again because of its immense health benefits. Millets / Siru Dhanyam(in tamil) are a group of cereals which are tiny grains, usually cultivated in dry climate areas or in between crop seasons..is an excellent alternative for rice. There are few types to name.. Samai, Varagu, Thinai & Kuthiraivali and they all have their own taste, texture & health benefits. They can suit to any type of preparations… sweet or savory but just the taste & texture varies. Any millet for that matter has a nutty taste something similar to corn. It is really hard to get millets here in USA, happen to see show up this month in my local Indian grocery store and immediately grabbed a few packs. There are few online stores which do sell but way too expensive, my mom use send a parcel once in while from India which always includes a few of these gems!
Millets can be used to make upma, dosa, idli, vada, bajjis/pakoras, murrukus/chakkli, nipatlu, pongal, mudda (dumpling), khichdi, pulav/biryani, kheer/payasam, baked products such as bread and biscuits, or just boiled as rice. It can be easily substituted for rice and wheat. Amma makes idli, dosa, pongal, payasam and what not… with these millets as its easily available in India. Of all the millets.. Kodo/ Varagu is my favorite as it taste similar to rice and you can never see any difference. I’ve already posted pongal recipe with varagu and here is how i made idli/ dosa with it. Today, I will be sharing a recipe of Idli dosa using Samai millet also called as Little millet. This recipe includes rice and a regular mixer jar is used to make the batter. You may use the stone grinder for large quantities though..
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Where to buy Little Millet / Samai Arisi?
You can find this millet in most of the grocery stores in India, Nilgiris Supermarket / Waitrose Supermarket / Any Departmental Store / Organic Stores -Dhanyam Supermarket / even ordinary maligai stores carry these millets. I was really happy to see millets showing up recently here in USA. I got mine from Namaste grocers, farmington, MI, guess even patel Bros carry these.
| Ingredients | |
| Idli rice / par boiled rice / Puzhungal arisi | 1 cup |
| Samai millet / saamai arisi | 1 cup |
| Whole Urad dal / Ulutham paruppu | 1/2 cup |
| Fenugreek seeds | 3/4 teaspoon |
| Salt (kallu uppu preferred) | 1 & 1/2 teaspoon |
| Water | as needed |
Rinse the millet, rice and dal, soak them separately in enough water along with fenugreek seeds for at least 5 to 6 hours. Grind the urad dal with fenugreek first adding some water to a fluffy consistency. Your mixer jar may be throwing some tantrums… add extra water to make them run. (Using cold water while grinding can help to reduce the heat from the mixer jar) Now once this is done, remove and then grind the millets adding very less water… they are really very tender compared to rice so may need less water while grinding.
Grind rice to a rava like consistency and mix em up.
The batter consistency should be like thin dosa batter. Now combine both dal and millet batter, add salt and mix.
Cover and place in a warm place to ferment. Give it atleast 10 hours to ferment.
Usually overnight works but may take longer if the temperature is low in your home or cold climate zones.
It may double in quantity once it ferments and may look pale white and frothy.
To make idlis– don’t mix the batter, straight way scoop the fermented batter into the idli molds and steam for 10 minutes over medium high flame.
Switch off and let the steam settle and then scoop out the idlis.
To make dosa– slightly mix the batter and and scoop some and spread on your dosa tawa, drizzle oil and let it cook on one side until browned a bit.
Flip to cook the other side and flip once more time and fold.
Serve this Idli dosa with side of your choice, it goes well with spicy chutney or gravy. We enjoyed with simple veggie.
Try it with Spicy Garlic Chuntey Peanut chutney
Notes
- The above batter suits for both Idli & dosa.
- Makes 1 dozen idlis.
- I’ve added rice & millets in 1:1 ratio, as its hard to find millets and way too expensive too. You can replace the rice with millet if you like.
- This batter will yield pale white idlis with slight nutty taste. Too much water while grinding will yield sticky dough and chewy idlis.
- Adding little poha while grinding can yield soft idlis but not necessary. I use the same batter for both idli as well as dosai and hence avoided poha.
- Dosa will be crispy and light golden brown.
- Stone grinder yields better results than mixer but its hard to grind small quantities.
- Allow at least 10 to 12 hours to ferment in a warm place and few extra hours for cold countries.
- Here is 45 + Chutney varieties to try with this Idli dosai.
Your comments and feedback makes me happy and would be much appreciated 🙂
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