Yes!!! All these crazy ideas occur to me every now and then. Rajma Idli somehow got into my head and I was working out the possibilities of creating proper idli using rajma.
And the result is there for you to see. The idlis turned out very soft and spongy and tasted good too. I have completely replaced the urad dal which we use for making our regular idlis.
Rajma or kidney beans are loaded with nutrients and are considered very good for health. There are 3 varieties of rajma that are available in India. The red kidney beans, the white speckled ones also called rajma Chitra, and the small red ones.
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For this recipe, I have used the Rajma Chitra variety which is also called pinto beans. In India, these are grown on the foothills of the Himalayas. It’s called Chitra coz of the Chitra or picture on it which makes it seem speckled.
These rajma/ pinto beans are nutrient-dense and contain a whole lot of minerals, vitamins, and fiber.
I chose this variety as it does not need a very long soaking time compared to the other red rajma. This has been adapted from my mixer idli recipe making a few changes as it occurred to me 🙂 .
This is followed by the usual grinding and fermenting. I have used my wet grinder to grind. You can use your blender if you do not have a grinder.
Also if you do not have an idli steamer you can steam it in greased cups or plates too.
If you don’t like idlis then you can use the same batter to make dosas which also came out very well. Do look up my rajma dosa post if you are looking specifically for dosa.
Now no worries if you run out of urad dal 😀 . This one is a very delicious change to our regular idlis. Do try them and I bet they will become a regular in your house.
This is my own recipe and you will not find it anywhere online. Hence I request fellow bloggers who may want to post this to please link back to my site 🙂 .
Over to the recipe…
Rajma Idli
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups Idli rice
- ⅓ cup chitra rajma/pinto beans
- ⅛ cup beaten rice/aval/poha
- a pinch of fenugreek/methi seeds
- water as needed for grinding
- salt as needed
Instructions
- Take the measured quantities of rice, rajma, the beaten rice, and the fenugreek seeds in a vessel.
- Wash and soak it all together with a sufficient quantity of water for at least 4 hours.
- Grind it to a smooth paste to a yogurt consistency using your grinder or blender. Add the required quantity of salt and leave it to ferment in a warm place for 6 hours or overnight.
- Once it gets fermented, mix well and check for salt. Pour the batter into idli molds and steam in the idli steamer for 15 minutes.
- Let it cool down slightly before removing the idlis from the mold. Serve with your favorite chutney or sambar.
Hema’s P.S
- The fermentation time will depend on the climatic conditions prevalent in your place.
- I am yet to try this with the red kidney beans. If you happen to try do soak it long enough for it to grind.
- This quantity will make around 24 idlis, enough for a family of 4. If you are planning to store it, transfer it to the refrigerator as soon as you finish, as keeping out for a long time will make the batter sour.
Do look up my other breakfast recipes
