Moong Dal Idli. Tasty & Healthy

The South Indian dal idli has undergone many avatars, e.g oats idli, rava idli , urad dal idli and many more. Continuing the tradition, we are bringing to you moong dal idli with vegetables . Goodness of protein and fibre both. It is very moist and yummy. Paired with Coconut chutney, it completes any meal of the day. I love to have it for breakfast. You can prepare coconut chutney in advance and in 10 min you can prepare batter and cook it in a steamer or microwave while getting ready for your day. I found it Convenient dish for my breakfast in terms of cooking. Moreover it is healthy and nutritious too. It has protein, carbs and fibre and healthy fats.. If you skip curd and add lemon juice instead for the fermentation, it is Vegan too. As we all know coconut oil is heart healthy. The tempering of chutney as well as batter is done with coconut oil. And that makes it a perfect breakfast to start a perfect day. So what are we waiting for? Let us start with this nutritious dish. 

We need:

For Idli: 

• 1 (100 gm) cup Moong dal( yellow lentil) 

• ½ cup thick curd 

• 1 cup chopped vegetables of your choice. 

• 1 tsp Mustard seeds ( Rai) 

• 2 Tbsp chopped Curry Leaves

• ½ Tsp Baking Soda

• 1" Ginger piece

• ¼  tsp Black peppepepper

• 1 tsp Turmeric Powder

• Salt to taste

For Tempering Idli

• 2 Tsp Coconut oil

• 1 Tsp Mustard seeds

• A pinch of Asafoetida. (Hing) 

For Coconut Chutney

• 1 cup Fresh grated coconut

• 5 pieces Cashew nuts

• ½ " Ginger piece

• 2 pieces Tamarind

• 7 to 8 curry leaves

• Salt to taste. 

For tempering Chutney

• 2 Tsp Coconut Oil ( or any) 

• 1 Tsp Mustard seeds ( Rai) 

• 2 to 3 Red chillies Whole

• 3 to 4 Curry Leaves. 

Method for preparing Coconut Chutney;

1. To a grinder add coconut, cashew nut, ginger, tamarind, curry leaves and salt to taste. Also add ¼ cup water. Grind to a fine paste. Add more water if required to adjust the consistency. Take out in a serving bowl. 

   

2. Heat a small pan. Add coconut oil to it. When oil is warm add mustard seeds( rai). When it starts spluttering, add whole red chillies . When the chillies are roasted add curry patta to the pan. When curry patta starts wilting, switch off the flame. Pour this tempering over the coconut chutney. It is ready to serve with steaming idlis. 

   

Method for preparing  Idli:

1. Wash moong dal( yellow lentil) till the water runs clear. Soak it overnight or at least for two hours. 

   

2. Chop finely all the vegetables of your choice. Here I have taken carrot, capsicum and beans. To this add chopped curry leaves. 

3. In the morning drain all the water from the lentil . Take a grinder jar. Add yellow lentil, ginger, salt and black pepper powder. Grind to a paste. Don't add water,  instead add curd if required to grind the dal. I have added green chillies. But if you don't want, you can skip. Add turmeric powder to get beautiful yellow colour of the idli. 

   
   

4. Take out this batter in a bowl and add all the chopped vegetables and curd. Add salt. Mix well. 

   
   

5. Take a small pan and heat it. Add 1 tbsp coconut oil or any oil of your choice. When heated add 1 tsp mustard seeds (rai) . When it starts spluttering add it to the dal batter. This adds taste and Softness to the idli.

   
   

6. Add Baking soda and leave for 10 minutes. 

7. Meanwhile Take a deep vessel( according to the size of the idli stand). The stand should fit in the vessel. Add water to it and put the vessel or steamer on a high flame. The level of water should be lower than the idli stand. 

8. Grease idli mould. 

9. Now fill the batter in the idli mould and keep in the vessel / steamer to steam. Keep the flame on low.

   

10. It will take 15 minutes to cook idlis. Take a toothprick and insert it in idli. If it comes out clean, it means the idli is cooked  . Switch off the flame and take the mould out of the steamer. Let it rest for 3 to 4 minutes. Take out idlis from the mould and serve hot with coconut chutney.

    

11. Take out idlis from the mould and serve hot with coconut chutney.

    
    
    

TIps: 

For soft and spongy idlis don't forget to temper it with hot oil and mustard seeds. 

The batter should be of cake batter consistency. 

If by chance you have put extra water in the batter, nothing to worry just add 2 to 3 tbsp of semolina ( sooji) to it. Let it rest for 5 minutes. The sooji will soak extra water.