healthy eats

Kollu Idli

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kollu idliToday’s recipe is a new entrant to my healthy eats collections. One of the most popular breakfast dishes in south India is Idli. I would say there is no restaurant back home that does not have Idli in the menu. Normally, Idli is made from rice batter. The same batter can be used to make another popular breakfast item called the Dosa. The recipe that I have posted here is a type of Idli made from a batter prepared from Kollu (or horse gram in english) hence the recipe is called Kollu Idli. It is a healthy breakfast dish that is rich in essential nutrients.

kollu idlikollu idliKollu Idli recipe was suggested to me by my cousin. Thank you, Chitthi! I have been looking for varieties from the usual breakfast dishes that we make and it’s good that this recipe came across. It served two purposes, one is that I finally found a way to make use of one of the least used pulses in my kitchen and the second was that I had found yet another healthy dish 🙂

031Kollu Idli is very easy to make and it does not take much time to prepare the batter. You can have this idli with the chutneys that you normally have with regular idli. I would say Kollu Idli is tastier than regular idli and is very much filling too (because of the horse gram/Kollu). Try the Kollu Idli in your home and let me know your comments.

PS:- Check out my other dish made from Kollu here.

 

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Kollu Idli
Recipe type: Breakfast
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 20 to 25 idlis
 
Ingredients
  • Idli rice – 3 cups
  • Kollu or horse gram dal – 1 cup
  • Salt as required
Instructions
  1. Thoroughly wash the rice and dal together in running water (At least thrice).
  2. Soak them with enough water overnight or for 8 to 10 hrs.
  3. Grind them together in a grinder or blender for 20 to 25 minutes or until smooth and thick, sprinkling water in between if needed. If you are grinding for idli do not add too much water. Batter has to be thick.
  4. Add enough salt and mix well. Ferment the batter like how you ferment normal idli/dosa batter.
  5. Pour the batter on idli plates using ladle and pressure cook for 10 to 15 minutes.
  6. Enjoy healthy and tasty kollu idli with milagai chutney or any other hot and spicy chutney of your choice. 

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Beetroot Quinoa

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Beetroot QuinoaToday’s recipe is a continuation of my resolution to post healthy recipes as much as I can, going forward. Beetroot Quinoa is a dish made from a well known legume, beetroot and a not so common grain variety called the Quinoa. Like I had described in one of my earlier posts, Quinoa is a South American grain crop well known for its edible seeds. Quinoa is a super food that is rich in calories and easily digestible. Beetroot, as you may all know, is a very good source of iron and vitamins.

beetroot quinoaBeetroot Quinoa is a very easy dish to make. It literally takes 15 minutes to prepare. Also, with the way it’s made, you can either have Beetroot Quinoa as is or have the cooked beetroot only with rice. Beetroot Quinoa is a cold food and can be retained by refrigeration, making it the go-to food for bachelors and single ladies that is if you want to have healthy food, if not there is always pasta and noodles :). Also, it is a very good menu for lunch box, especially for kids 🙂

Beetroot quinoaFor those who worry about getting Quinoa back home, no worries, Quinoa is quite popular there and is called as (Seemai Thinai, literally known as foreign grain 🙂 ). Don’t miss out trying this truly healthy food which I believe will be a good alternative to have once in a while amongst the mundane dishes that we have often.

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Beetroot Quinoa
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Ingredients
  • Olive oil or cooking oil – 1 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
  • Urad dal – ¼ tsp
  • Curry leaves – half sprig
  • Onion, finely chopped – 1 no
  • Green chilli, finely chopped – 2 nos
  • Beetroot, medium, grated – 1 cup
  • Quinoa – 1 cup
  • Salt as required
Instructions
  1. Wash and drain quinoa using strainer. Pressure cook for 3 whistles adding 1 ½ cups water and enough salt.
  3. Heat a pan and add oil. Season with mustard seeds and urad dal.
  5. Add finely chopped onions and sauté until they turn translucent.
  7. Add chopped green chilli, and curry leaves. Give a quick stir.
  9. Now add in finely grated beetroot. Add enough salt and sauté well. Drizzle few drops of water (2 tbsp) on top, cover and cook for 5 to 8 minutes.
  11. Open the lid and sauté until all the water is absorbed. you can have this as a side or poriyal.
  13. Finally add cooked quinoa and mix well. Enjoy the yummy beetroot quinoa with papad! 
Notes
you can substitute quinoa and add rice instead.i.e beetroot rice.

Beetroot Quinoa