Layered Quinoa Brown Rice Lentil Idlas
Layered idlas made with quinoa, brown rice, white rice and lentils with spinachy peanut chutney layer.
Idlas are made out of white rice and lentils. They are very famous Gujarati snack. The process includes fermenting the rice and lentil batter overnight to at least for 8-10 hours. Then steaming thin layers of this batter to make a perfect steamed gluten-free snack. The authentic idlas only include white rice and urad dal. This recipe is a little different version of the authentic one. I used quinoa, brown rice, white rice and urad dal to make this idla flour. Then fermented the batter over night. The fermented batter is steamed in 2 layers to give it an extra set of flavoring along with fun colors!
These layered idla made with quinoa, brown rice, white rice and lentils with spinachy peanut chutney layer are so fun for kids as well. I like to make these for their lunch boxes. You can make the batter ahead of time to make the idla making process a bit faster. Layered Quinoa Brown Rice Lentil Idlas dish is one of those dishes that we as a family enjoy on weekend mornings. We eat them with some hot masala chai and side of spicy green chutney!
Happy and Healthy Eating!
Layered Quinoa Brown Rice Lentil Idlas
Equipment
- Vitamix
Ingredients
- ½ cup Quinoa
- ½ cup Brown Rice
- ½ cup White Rice
- ½ cup Urad Dal white lentils
- 1 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
- 2 tbsp Thick Poha
- ½ cup Whole Milk Yogurt
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Sugar
- 1½ cup Warm Water more or less
- ¼ tsp Asafetida
Spinachy peanut chutney ingredients
- 1 cup Baby Spinach
- ½ bunch Cilantro
- ½ cup Peanuts
- ¼ cup Mint
- 2 Serrano Peppers
- 1 tsp Salt
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 2 tbsp Lime Juice
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 3 tbsp Peanut Oil
Tempering
- ¼ cup Peanut Oil
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 Sliced Serrano Pepper
- 1 pinch Asafetida
Additional Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Eno
- ¼ cup Chopped Cilantro
Instructions
Make the batter
- Process dry quinoa, brown rice, white rice, urad dal, fenugreek seeds and thick poha in a food processor or Vitamix (preferred) to form grainy flour (not too fine not too grainy).
- If not using quinoa, use either white rice or brown rice instead. You can also use store bought idla/idli flour (DO NOT USE INSTANT IDLA MIX) and do the rest of the steps same way.
- Take the flour out in a deep wide glass bowl, add salt, sugar, asafetida and yogurt to it. Start making batter by adding warm water. Make a pan cake batter like consistency. Use your hands to mix everything as the warmth of the hands helps with fermentation!
- Cover it and put in the dark warm place for over night or cover it and put it in the sun for 8-10 hours. I like to put it in the over (turned off) with only lights on over night during winter time if I am making it for lunch. Or keep out in the sun during day time if I am making it for dinner during summer time.
Make Spinachy Peanut Chutney
- Put all ingredients listed under "Spinachy peanut chutney ingredients" in a blender and blend it until it almost forms a paste, leaving it just a little grainy. Keep it aside or in the fridge if making it beforehand.
Make Idlas
- Stir fermented batter and add more warm water if needed. The batter consistency should be thinner than pancakes. Taste for salt and add more if needed.
- Start boiling water in the idli/idla steamer. Place greased thali (steamer tray) in the steamer while the water is boiling to heat up the thali.
- Take ½ cup batter out in a small bowl. Add ½ tsp of eno and mix it very well till you see it foaming.
- Pour it into the hot thali right away. Cover it and cook it for 5 min.
- While it is cooking for 5 min, take ⅓ cup batter out in a bowl. Add 2 tbsp spinachy peanut chutney to this batter and mix it well. Add ½ tsp of eno to it and mix it well until it becomes frothy. The first layer should be done cooking for 5 min by now.
- Pour green batter on top of partially cooked white layer, into the same thali in the steamer and cover it. Steam for 15-20 minutes on medium to high heat.
- Once it is steamed, take it out and let it cool down for at-least 20 minutes. Cut it into squares and keep them aside in a bowl, cover it while other idlas cook.
- Repeat the process of making layered idlas.
- Once all idlas are cooked, prepare tempering.
Tempering
- Heat ¼ cup of peanut oil in a pan.
- Once hot, carefully add mustard seeds and sesame seeds.
- Once they pop, add sliced serrano pepper and pinch of asafetida.
- Pour on top of all idlas. Add some chopped cilantro to idlas and serve them with some masala chai and side of green chutney!
