Priya's Page: Oats and Flax Seed Idli

Oats and Flax Seed Idli

I am a South Indian, I have lost count on how many Idlis I would have had in my life. However I still crave for more and more. Guess it's now in my blood! Idlis are like staple food for us. We have it for breakfast, meals, when we sick, in weddings, when travelling long distance or just as a snack. We can have them anytime. They are mainly made of rice and dal. However over the years there have been many variations to this. We have added vegetable paste to make it colorful, tried to make it using brown rice instead of white and even used different flours to get similar results. Have you checked my Pink Idli recipe yet - Beetroot stained Idlis? However the cooking process remains the same. They are still steamed and enjoyed hot on the plate. They digest easily and they are just yum.

College dorms, hostels, street side, subways, outside colleges and offices, at railway stations, bus stands, tourist places, you will find them everywhere. It is surely hard to miss it. Most of us begin the day with an Idli. All of us would swear by the fact that our mother makes the best Idli. She makes it soft and delicious. I remember, in college, the day I used to have idlis in my tiffin, I never got to eat even one! My friends would finish it up in class itself, even before the break time. I used to be upset over this. So my mom started giving me more idlis in tiffin. However it still didn't help. I still had to settle for a thepla or a paratha while my friends enjoyed my dabba. Any outing, any overnight stay, any potluck, my menu was fixed. I had to get idlis made by my mom. She used to make around 100 of them sometimes to feed all. They still remember the taste of my mom made idlis and cherish it.
Today as I try out a new version of her idlis, I cant help but reminisce those days.

Surely my today's post is dedicated to my beautiful mother. That's her. It is an old, faded picture of hers taken before she was married. Ain't she pretty? She taught me everything..and not just about cooking but about life!

Now before my post starts to sound like an essay about idlis or my mom, let me bring you back to this particular recipe. After trying some versions of making more healthy idlis ( hah..like its possible..they are already healthy!), I decided to make them without using any rice. I substituted them for oats. I added some veggies too. You will have to trust me when I say that they turned out very good. I just loved the taste. Hubby was happy too.

Ingredients
2 cups oats flour
1 cup rawa
1 cup curd
4 tbsp flax seed powder
3 carrots, peeled and grated
1 cup boiled green peas
1/ 2 cup chopped cilantro
1 tbsp oil
4-5 minced green chillies
1 tsp baking soda/eno fruit salt
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp urad dal
2 tsp chana dal
Half inch ginger
Pinch of hing
Water for batter

Method
In a mixing bowl, add rawa, flax seed powder and oats flour.

Add salt, curd and grated carrots. Mix them all well

In a pan, heat oil, temper the mustard and cumin seeds. Then fry the urad and chana dal. Add green chillies as well.

Add this to the flour mixture.

Now add water to give it a batter consistency. Add the cilantro as well.

Mix it all well. Add more salt if needed. This batter does not need any fermentation and is ready to use.

I have this Idli cooker which is really cool as it comes with a bonus mini idli stand. You can get it here -
Butterfly Idli Cooker with 6 Plates Grease the idli mould with little oil. Add the baking soda and mix well. Now pour the batter into the mould.

Steam the idlis in the idli cooker for 10 - 12 minutes. Once done. allow it to cool. Sprinkle some water over it and using a spoon, scrape it out of the mould carefully without damaging the shape.
Serve them hot with any chutney or sauce. I served them with Carrot and Peanuts Chutney.