Black Bean and Black Rice Idli with Cranberry chutney- vegan
This Halloween I wanted to actually step out of my comfort zone and use the ingredients that I have consciously resisted using, just because they look spooky to me, although I know they are loaded with nutrition. Black rice tops that list and with this week, I have made a relationship with it.
Black rice, also referred to as the forbidden rice, was only accessible to royals in ancient history, is a nutrition powerhouse. The color of black rice comes from anthocyanin with powerful antioxidant properties. Of all rice varieties, black rice has the most protein content of all varieties of rice at almost 9 g per 100g. In addition to having lower glycemic index, the antioxidants help reduce cholesterol, making black rice a great ingredient for people with diabetes, heart disease.
Black beans despite being easily available, are often not used as widely as they should be in my kitchen. 1 cup cooked black beans have 15 g protein and 15 g fiber, in addition to ample amounts of calcium, magnesium and other vitamins.
When I set out to use black beans, and rice in a recipe that I make more often, the top of the list was the beloved Idli. The thought of coloring Idlis black was spooky but exciting, given the amount of nutrition we are adding compared to traditional idli.
For the chutney, I decided to go with cranberries, that are also one of my less used berries, even though they are loaded with phyto nutrients with anti-oxidant and anti inflammatory properties. The bright red color complemented the black shade in the idlis and the taste was very deliciously familiar.
Black bean and Black rice Idli with cranberry chutney – vegan
Equipment
- Wet grinder or high speed blender
- Idli pan with Idli cooker
Ingredients
Idli batter
- 1 cup urad dal – split or whole
- 1 cup black beans – raw
- 1 cup black rice
- 1/2 cup poha
- salt to taste
- water to soak and grind
Cranberry chutney
- 2 cups cranberries fresh
- 3 red sweet chili peppers sliced
- 3 dry red chilies
- 1/2 Tbsp channa dal
- 1/2 Tbsp urad dal
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp tamarind paste
- 1 tsp jaggery or brown sugar
- 1 tsp oil
Instructions
Idli batter
- Soak the urad dal, black beans, black rice in a bowl for 6-8 hours. Add the poha to the soaked mixture about 30 min prior to grinding. Drain the water from the soaked dal/beans/rice/poha , add to the blender and grind into a smooth paste adding little water at a time. The batter should be thick and not runny. Leave to ferment for 6-8 hours in warm area. Add salt before making idlis.
- Add little water to the batter to bring it to a consistency slightly thicker than dosa batter. Add the batter to idli molds and let it cook in idli maker for a good 15-20 min on medium heat. These idlis take longer , so be patient. Turn off the stove and don't open the lid yet. Let them cook for 10 min with residual heat. Once idlis are done, demold and serve with tempering on the top. Tempering with oil, mustard seeds, red chilli flakes, curry leaves, and grated ginger in addition on top of the idlis will add aromatic flavor.
Cranberry chutney
- Take a skillet, add oil and once hot, add the sliced red sweet chili peppers and saute for 3-4 min. Take them in to the blender jar. Now in the same pan, add dry red chilies, channa dal, urad dal, cumin, garlic cloves and saute for 4-5 min. Once you can feel the aroma from roasting these ingredients, add them to the blender. Add the tamarind paste and coarsely blend for 30 sec. Now add the two cups of cranberries to the same pan, and let them cook until you see them soften and pop. It will take about 5-7 min. Add the cooked cranberries to the partially ground blender contents. Add jaggery powder, salt to taste and blitz it to make a nice red cranberry chutney. Add tempering if desired as mentioned above.