Grinding for idli and dosa over the weekend has been a practice since I was a kid😁 ages, isn’t it? Yes… Those were the days of the traditional grinding stone which my mother would carefully pack with a gunny cloth and lots of padding to ensure that it does not get damaged during my father’s frequent transfers as an Air force officer. Sundays would be idli /dosa grinding day. My mother would get black gram dal ground soft and fluffy and then mix in the right proportion of rice rava to make idlies. Dosa batter was a different method. Fluffy black gram batter would be mixed in with smooth rice batter and left for fermentation…..weeks breakfast done. Care used to go into the selection of dal and the rice variety. There would be no compromise on the grinding too despite it being an arduous task. In every posting, our house help would be trained in the art of this grinding.
I continue with this grinding ritual literally even today but use an electric grinder. . Yesterday was my trial on making quinoa idli/dosa. I replaced 1 cup of rice with quinoa. A small substitution with the pseudo cereal indeed but enriches the dosa /idli batter a great deal with protein and fiber. Soaked in plenty of water overnight and followed the same age-old method of grinding. The batter fermented in about 4 hours in the hot Bangalore weather.
Super soft idlies, slightly creamy in colour was a delight to eat with spicy “mulagapodi” from Foodialogues kitchen. An enriching treat for all ages and diabetics too.
By the way, my mother still has the stone grinder intact…. Not in the kitchen anymore but sits haughty in the corner of her drawing-room as a showpiece.
Ingredients for Quinoa Idli
- Quinoa 1 cup
- Idli rice 3 cups
- Black gram dal whole skinned 1 cup
- Fenugreek seeds 1 tbsp
- Rice flakes /beaten rice a handful
- Salt as required.
Preparation Method:
- Wash and soak the dal and rice-quinoa mixture separately. Add fenugreek seeds along with the rice.
- Leave it overnight for soaking.
- The next day morning, grind the dal for 40 minutes till it’s light and fluffy.
- Add in the rice mixture and continue grinding till the batter is smooth. Add the salt and remove it into a container.
- Ensure that the container is only half full so that there is enough space for rising on fermentation.
- Once the batter is fermented store it in the refrigerator till use.
- Take small quantities of the batter from the fridge and use it to make idlies or dosas.
