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Masala Oats Idli

By Manali Singh

4.67 from 6 votes

Jan 05, 2018

Healthy Masala Oats Idli are the perfect way to start your day! They are rich in fiber and filled with veggies!

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Looking for a healthy breakfast to start your day? Try these Instant Masala Oats Idli. Savory steamed cakes filled made with oats, semolina and filled with veggies are a nutritious way to start your day!

Me and Sarvesh have decided to do a little detox in 2018. No there’s no resolution and we aren’t the greatest fitness enthusiast either but we thought let’s try not eating any refined and processed stuff in January. You know basically cutting down on the white stuff- white flour, white rice, white sugar etc. Let me tell you it’s not easy! We don’t really crave for these things but they are present in everything! It’s when you want to avoid them that you notice that you have been eating them everyday in something or the other – like in your crackers, your cereal, your mint – the list is long! And eating out is even more challenging!

We eat rice frequently, just like most Indians and Sarvesh is a huge fan. I bet he will have rice craving in a day or two! Honestly I don’t believe its bad at all, I have always believed that everything in moderation is good so more than anything else we are doing this just to see how does the body feel when you don’t eat processed and refined stuff for a month. I doubt we will last a month though, haha. I will keep you guys posted. Have you guys done something like this before? I would love to know.

Because we are trying to eat a little healthier these days, I made these Masala Oats Idli for breakfast the other day. These oats idli are instant and require no fermentation. You can make them whenever you want to eat idli. For my non-Indian readers, Idlis are steamed rice-lentil cakes made from a fermented batter traditionally. These oats idli though are made from oats and semolina and filled with veggies like carrots, green peas. I also added some spices to these idlis just for that extra kick.

Idlis are traditionally eaten with sambar (lentil stew) and some form of  chutney. The most popular accompaniment are coconut chutney, onion tomato chutney. This makes me realize that I neither have a sambar recipe on the blog nor do I have coconut chutney! I seriously need to make a list of all these common recipes and share them one by one. Anyway for now let’s talk about these oats idli.

These Masala Oats Idli

✓ are instant and you can make them whenever the idli craving strikes

✓ are ideal for breakfast, lunch or dinner or even a snack!

✓ made with rolled oats and little bit of semolina

✓ packed with fiber, nutrients and veggies!

We enjoyed these oats idli with chai, sambar and onion tomato chutney. I used rolled oats to make these idlis but instant or quick cooking oats should also work. Hope you guys enjoy this healthy recipe!

Method

Transfer 1 cup rolled oats to your blender.

Grind to a fine powder and set it aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan on medium heat. Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and hing.

Let the seeds sizzle and then add chana dal and urad dal. Saute till dals are light golden in color. Add green chili and ginger. Saute for a minute until ginger starts changing color.

Add in sooji, lower the heat to low-medium. Cook sooji for 3 minutes, stirring continuously.

Then add the oats powder and mix.

On low heat, stir constantly and cook for 5-6 minutes until mixture turns little golden brown in color and also there’s no raw smell. Transfer this mixture to a bowl and let it cool.

Once the oats-sooji mixture has cooled down, add to the bowl- grated carrot, green peas (which were soaked in warm water for 10 minutes before adding to the bowl) and chopped cilantro. Also add turmeric, smoked paprika (if using), black pepper and salt. Mix to combine.

Add yogurt. 

And then add water and mix to combine everything together.

The batter should be thick. Let it sit for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile grease your idli molds, I like to spray them with a non-stick spray. Pour 1-1.5 cups water into your steamer, I used my instant pot.

Once the batter has rested for a bit, add the fruit salt/eno and 1 tablespoon water if the batter looks too thick. I did add 1 tablespoon water at this point. You will see some bubbles on top and eno reacts.

Mix immediately and stir well so that eno is well distributed throughout the mixture.

Immediately pour the batter into prepared idli molds. You can’t wait once you have added eno, you need to steam the idlis immediately. You may put a cashew in each mold if you like before pouring the idli batter.

Steam for 12-13 minutes until idlis are done. A knife inserted in the idli should come out clean once done. Remove the idli stand carefully from the pot. They will slide off easily if you have sprayed with a oil spray. Serve masala oats idli with onion-tomato chutney and sambar.

Instant Pot Method: Place 1.5 cups water in the inner steel pot of your IP. Hit the saute button as you start filling the idli molds with the batter. Now place the idli stand inside and close the instant pot with its lid.  Press the steam button and then set the pressure valve to venting position. In the venting position, the IP doesn’t count the time so you will have to keep an eye on the watch. Pressure will build and idlis will get done in around 12-13 minutes. So from the time you close the instant pot with its lid, it should take 12-14 minutes for idlis to be done.

Traditional Pressure Cooker Method: Same method as above but in stead you use your traditional pressure cooker and remove the whistle from top.

Masala Oats Idli

4.67 from 6 votes

By Manali Singh

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 25 minutes mins

Total: 35 minutes mins

Servings: 16 idlis

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Healthy Masala Oats Idli are the perfect way to start your day! They are rich in fiber and filled with veggies!

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup rolled oats powdered
• ▢ 1 tablespoon oil use oil of choice
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon hing also known as asafetida
• ▢ 1 teaspoon chana dal
• ▢ 1 teaspoon urad dal
• ▢ 1 green chili chopped
• ▢ 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
• ▢ 1/2 cup sooji also known as semolina
• ▢ 1 large carrot grated
• ▢ 1/3 cup frozen green peas soaked in warm water for 10 minutes
• ▢ 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika optional
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
• ▢ 3/4 cup yogurt use plain yogurt
• ▢ 3/4 cup water
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon fruit salt also known as eno
• ▢ 1 tablespoon water optional

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Instructions 

• Transfer 1 cup rolled oats to your blender and grind to a fine powder.  Set it aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan on medium heat. Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and hing. Let the seeds sizzle and then add chana dal and urad dal.
• Saute till dals are light golden in color. Add green chili and ginger. Saute for a minute until ginger starts changing color.
• Add in sooji, lower the heat to low-medium. Cook sooji for 3 minutes, stirring continuously. Then add the oats powder and mix.
• On low heat, stir constantly and cook for 5-6 minutes until mixture turns little golden brown in color and also there's no raw smell. Transfer this mixture to a bowl and let it cool.
• Once the oats-sooji mixture has cooled down, add to the bowl- grated carrot, green peas (which were soaked in warm water for 10 minutes before adding to the bowl) and chopped cilantro. 
• Also add turmeric, smoked paprika (if using), black pepper and salt. Mix to combine.
• Add yogurt, water and mix to combine everything together. The batter should be thick. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile grease your idli molds, I like to spray them with a non-stick spray. Pour 1-1.5 cups water into your steamer, I used my instant pot. 
• Once the batter has rested for a bit, add the fruit salt/eno and 1 tablespoon water if the batter looks too thick. I did add 1 tablespoon water at this point. You will see some bubbles on top and eno reacts.
• Mix immediately and stir well so that eno is well distributed throughout the mixture.
• Immediately pour the batter into prepared idli molds. You can't wait once you have added eno, you need to steam the idlis immediately. You may put a cashew in each mold if you like before pouring the idli batter. 
• Steam for 12-13 minutes until idlis are done. A knife inserted in the idli should come out clean once done. 
• Remove the idli stand carefully from the pot. They will slide off easily if you have sprayed with a oil spray. Serve masala oats idli with onion-tomato chutney and sambar.

Notes

You may use baking soda in place of fruit salt/eno. Use 1/2 teaspoon baking soda in place however it might give a little soapy taste. I always prefer using eno in instant idlis.

Nutrition

Calories: 61kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 164mg, Potassium: 70mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 805IU, Vitamin C: 1.9mg, Calcium: 20mg, Iron: 0.6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Indian

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Masala Oats Idli