Recipes by Rupa Sethu

Moong Dal Idlis

Idlis are the most common and healthy breakfast food eaten all over South India. They are traditionally made with rice and black gram dal, ground and fermented into a thick batter which is then steamed into spongy white disks of yummy goodness! This unfortunately requires planning ahead since the fermentation takes a day for the batter to rise properly (and is also at the mercy of the weather!). So here’s a nice alternative to the traditional idlis. Moong dal idlis are made with just moong dal (split mung beans or green gram lentils) and no rice, it is protein rich and super flavorful with all the aromatics. Best of all, no fermenting needed! The batter can be made and steamed immediately.

The original recipe is from Hebbar’s Kitchen. I pretty much followed the recipe as written. The only variation was that instead of 1 tsp of salt, I used 1/4 tsp of Celtic sea salt. Also, instead of ENO fruit salt, I used a pinch of baking soda. The only footnote I would add is that perhaps I will try it with the ENO fruit salt next time or maybe add a bit more baking soda to improve the fluffiness.

Ingredients

Method

I followed the original recipe as written. Ground the soaked moong dal, added the 1/4 cup of yogurt and then mixed in all the tempering. Added the cilantro, salt and a pinch of baking soda. The idlis are steamed in a traditional idli plate – this one is a vintage gem from my mom-in-law! I got 10 decent sized idlis from this recipe.

Coconut Chutney

A super quick and absolutely flavorful coconut chutney to accompany the idlis. This one is from A Brown Table (Nik Sharma). I omitted the salt, electing to salt the plate instead.

  • Grind together 2 cups of fresh grated coconut or thawed (if frozen) along with an inch of ginger, 1 green chili and 1 tablespoon of dry roasted chana dal.
  • Temper with mustard seeds, udad dal, curry leaves and red chillies.

Serve It Up

The moong dal idlis must be eaten as soon as they are steamed. While they are tasty enough to eat as is, they go exceptionally well with the coconut chutney! Happy World Idli Day!