Soft & Spongy loaded with spices is a healthy breakfast. This recipe of millets idli is a mix of kanchipuram idli and Kotte Kadbu, the spices come from Kanchipuram idli and the shape comes from Kotte Kadbu from Karnataka region. It makes for a great anytime meal.
Driving through Bangalore highways, passing through mountains that are brown and rocky is an experience in itself. While traffic inside the city can go at snail speed, the drivers take every opportunity to speed through the impressive four lane highway. The highway that connects Bangalore to Mysore is called Nice Road, and was made only a few years ago. It’s a boon.
After a couple of hours of drive, we stop by this popular highway restaurant.
We enter the crowded restaurant. The air is filled with the smell of spicy sambhar and ghee. Some are dressed in elegant sarees ready to go to a wedding, some are casual like us, like how we feel. Everyone seems to be excited for their destination.
We are asked to sit in an outdoor area on those large plastic red chairs. We do. Immediately a guy comes to us and repeats an order in fast forward speech, “bisi bele baath, kotte kadbu, chitrana, kesara baath, poori saagu and masala dosa”. We ask him to repeat, he slows down and we get it now. We order two plates of kotte kadbu and wait eagerly.
I see this chair, the owner is sitting. He sits there comfortably with the lingering scent of breakfast. An iron rimmed wicker chair stands witness to many people come and go. Some discuss life’s problems, while some discuss weddings, some talk of their business. He’s seen it all. Those long drawn out breakfast and lunches, other sedentary practices. The middle of the wicker seat has sagged and gagged as it held increasing poundage that despite years of usage has held up.
The food comes to the table and we are greeted by this large single kotte kadbu/idli with a bowl of steaming hot sambhar and chutney. We both(the teen and I) are stunned by the mere size of it and carefully take a small bite. It is soft, fresh and the spice from the sambhar is just perfect with a hint of jaggery. We literally ate in silence, every few seconds nodding our head in approval and we might have moaned a little. The owner looks at us happily and our neighbors looked at us amusingly, which didn’t bother us one bit. We were here to enjoy the food, and we did. It was my teen’s first time having a meal on a highway and first time with kotte kadbu and first time with filter coffee. His smile said it all.
Would he remember faces, like we would this experience…. the guy who sits in the wicker chair….?
Millets Idli/Kotte Kadbu
These millets idli are a blend of two different types of idli. The addition of spice comes from Kanchipuram Temple idli and the shape comes from a region in Karnataka, Mangalore. One of this idli is filling and makes for a solid breakfast.
Idli is generally made out of rice and split urad daal. I’ve tried to incorporate whole grains here in this millets idli, and I’ve got to say, we like this a tad more since it’s heartier and has a complex flavor that the green whole mung beans add and the millets. Healthy for sure, but extremely tasty too.
Make sure to soak it for long and ferment it well. That’s the only way you will get soft, spongy idlis with air pockets. Serve this millets idli with sambhar, so SO GOOD.
- 1 cup cooked rice (sona masoori)
- 1 cup millets (kodo) or brown or white quinoa
- ¼ cup green gram/mung beans/green gram whole
- 1 tbsp meethi seeds
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil or gingely oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tbsp cumin seeds
- 2 inches ginger, thinly sliced
- 10 curry leaves
- 1- 2 tablespoon crushed black pepper
- cilantro
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch baking soda
- Wash the rice, kodo millets or quinoa and green gram, meethi very well until water runs clear. Then add water and soak overnight.
- After 8-10 hours of soaking, drain the water(save it) grind it in blender until smooth with 1 cup of water. If the batter is too thick, add another cup of water. The consistency should be of a thick waffle batter or idli batter. Add salt and mix with your hands really well and cover. Let it ferment for another 8-10 hours in a warm place.
- After it ferments, refrigerate it.
- In a pan, add oil and let it get hot. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, ginger, curry leaves and let it pop. Add black pepper and let it pop. Add baking powder and soda with ⅓ cup of water and mix the batter. Add the tempering to the idli batter mix and mix well.
- Use a idli mold or steel tumblers/glasses to steam the idlis. Oil the mold first, pour the batter ¾ full and steam in a watered pan.
- Steam for 15 minutes if you use a steel glass and 10 minutes in a idli pan.
If you make this Millets Idli, please tag me on social media, #foodfashionparty. I’d love to see it.
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New to me…wish I could try one 🙂
How do you make your coconut chutney? Looks yummy!!