Are you looking for an alternative to rice or wheat, because you want to bring down your blood sugar levels or your high cholesterol or cut down the carbs? Then, positive millets are your answer. Millet is a gluten-free grain that’s rich in antioxidants, soluble fibre, and protein. In particular, it may lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Research had found that Positive Millets have healing properties. Many people with diabetes and high cholesterol have substituted rice and wheat with positive millets as it was found to lower the blood sugar level and cholesterol.
Millet Idli made using Foxtail Millet (Thina in Malayalam), Lentil, Fenugreek seed etc. is not only a great alternative to rice Idli but tastes exactly like it.
Ingredients
250 ml (Two Cups) Foxtail Millet (Thina)
3/4 of a cup lentils (Urad Dal)
1/2tsp fenugreek seed
½ cup optional rice flakes ( Aval in Malayalam or Poha in Hindi)
Salt as per taste
Preparation
Measure two 250 ml cups of Foxtail Millet in a bowl.
Refrain from lot of washing of millet. Quickly rinse the millet two or three times. Because the outer layer has lot of nutrition, we don't want to wash it too many times.
Throw the water after first and second rinse. For the third one, fill the bowl with three times water and soak it for a minimum of 6 to 8 hours (Little more soaking could be a good option for better digestion of the fibre content.)
Soak 3/4 cup lentils (Urad Dal); full lentils or split lentils could be used. You could wash the urad dal (lentils) until the water is clear. Add additional water after washing the lentils.
Add half a teaspoon Fenugreek seed to this. Soak this too for 6 to 8 hours.
An optional item that could be added to make the Idli really soft is the rice flakes (Aval in Malayalam).
Soak half a cup rice flake half an hour before grinding. Rice flakes (Aval or Poha in Hindi) is optional instead of boiled rice. Soak half a cup rice flake half a soft.
After 6 to 8 hours of soaking
Separately grind to paste, both of the soaked Lentils and Millets.
Whereas the Lentil paste along with Rice flakes paste looks really thick and soft, the Millet paste is a little thin and loose. Mix both of them together. It should be little coarse.
Stir the paste well so that they mix and blend together.
Mix them well and leave it for 8 to 10 hours to ferment.
After 8 to 10 hours of fermenting
To the fermented millet idli batter, add some salt(as per taste) now.
Now make the Idli one by one using a Idli mould.
