Dalia Idli Infused with Carrot & Sprouts

Dalia or the usual godhuma rava as we grew up with is a favorite from my childhood. Atleast once a week, Amma used to make upma. Sometimes it was the white upma – the one made with Bombay Rava or Sooji which was my sister’s favorite and then some days, Amma used to make the brown upma – the one using godhuma ravva. The sister and I are poles apart in our taste preferences and I am sure we gave a tough time to Amma growing up. Whenever it was sister’s favorite I made a face while eating and she would do the same when it was my favorite. Over the years, amma started preparing two versions of everything just to satisfy us both. Now both of us yearn for anything amma makes and relish it wholeheartedly. Part of growing up I guess.

So as I was saying, I am a fan of godhuma rava and have tried using it in different forms, to incorporate it into something other than normal upma. Idli seemed to be an easy option and much healthier than upma as this further limits the use of oil. I can easily sneak in different vegetables – this time I used carrots and sprouts. This idli can be prepared instantly and can be made using any variety of dalia (bansi, samba or java) - I happened to have fine javva godhuma rava and one cannot even guess its made from wheat.

Recipe

What I used –

• Fine Dalia, 1 cup
• Grated Carrot, 1 cup
• Sprouts, ½ cup (optional)
• Curd, 1 cup (preferably sour)
• Oil, 1 tsp
• Mustard Seeds, 1 tsp
• Urad Dal, 1 tsp
• Chana Dal, 1 tsp
• Asafoetida, ½ tsp
• Cooking Soda/Plain Eno, ½ tsp
• Curry Leaves, a few sprigs
• Salt, as required
• Water, as required

How I made –

1. In a pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal and fry until golden. Once the mustard splutters, add asafetida and curry leaves.
2. Add dalia to the pan and fry on a low heat for atleast 7mins or until sweet aroma fills the kitchen.
3. Transfer the mixture to a pot and let it cool. Mix in the salt and grated carrot along with curd and add water if required. Leave it rested for atleast 20mins. The mixture may completely absorb all the water content during the wait time. Add more water if required. Add cooking soda/ eno and stir well.
4. Pour half a ladle of batter onto the idli mould and add a tbsp. of sprouts on top. Fill the mould with the batter again. Steam cook the idlis for about 10mins on medium flame. After removing from heat, wait for atleast 5-7mins, before removing the idlis from the mould. The idlis can be quite soft when hot and can break. Use a spoon dipped in cold water to remove the idlis from the mould.
5. Serve hot with coconut chutney or any spicy chutney.