Brown rice idli is a healthier version of the ever nutritious idli! The only difference is, we substitute the normal rice with brown rice to prepare the idli batter.
Moreover, the colour too slightly inclines towards milky caramel than being white. But these factors do not compromise on the soft, fluffy texture of the idli and its deliciousness!
These healthy rice cakes still hold the place of being the best breakfast recipe in the world. These are very easy and simple to prepare!
Now let us have a look at preparing the brown rice idli batter and steam cooking the staple breakfast of South India.
Quick bites on the recipe
Firstly, let us prepare the brown rice idli batter. For this, take that chaawal 2 cups and rinse and soak it in water. Similarly, take a cup of urad dal with a tsp of methi seeds and rinse and soak them too in the water. Now, grind dal and methi seeds into a fine paste or in batter-like consistency. Transfer them to a bowl. Similarly, grind the soaked rice with a cup of brown poha into a fine paste and add that to the dal batter bowl. Mix both of them well.
Leave the mix overnight. The batter ferments in the meantime. Take that out in the morning and add a tsp of salt and mix it well. Officially your brown rice idli batter is ready! Now it is time to make the delicious breakfast. Take idli steaming pan and grease the plates with a little amount of ghee or oil. Add the batter into the plates and steam cook them. Your idlis become fluffy and soft. Finally, scoop them out with a spoon or knife and serve them hot with a classic bowl of sambar and chutney.
Nutritious value of brown rice
You may wonder, what makes the huge difference in changing the type of rice from the conventional one? And here is the reason! The brown rice we use in making the idli is a highly recommended staple bowl for diabetic patients.
This type of rice is fibre-rich and keeps your cardiac system healthy. Also, this is abundant in magnesium and thus, makes you less vulnerable to heart disease and stroke.
Also, brown rice helps with preventing gallstones and eases digestion. Thus, do not skip trying to make idli with this rice as the main ingredient!
List of other healthy breakfast recipes from our cookbook!
A plate of hot brown rice idlis makes the best pair with hot and crispy vadas. You can also make crispy dosas with the brown rice idli batter.
Now, here are some hot, delicious and healthy breakfast recipes to relish upon!
Instant bread idli– A tasty and fluffy version of idli having bread in the batter.
Plain dosa– Classic, crispy and delicious dosas that are simple to make from rice and urad dal.
Moong dal cheela– Another version of a crepe made from moong dal and rice batter.
Oats uthappam– Batter with rice and oats gives us fluffy thick and round pancake-like crepes- uthappam
Rava dosa– A crispy and tasty dosa variety made from sooji and spices like pepper with crispy vegetables.
Additional tips for making the brown rice idlis
Firstly, make sure that the proportion of brown rice and urad dal is accurate. The proportion of rice: dal is the same, irrespective of the main ingredient substitution.
Secondly, do not prepare the batter too thick or too thin. Even while blending the rice and dal, make sure they are ground into a fine paste.
Adding methi seeds enhances the fluffiness of the idlis. You can also add baking soda or eno, and this is not a mandated option.
Finally, chutneys made from coconut, tomato-onion-garlic, and mint; with a bowl of sambar makes an amazing combination with the hot plate of idlis!
