Thinai Idli, Foxtail Millet Idli

          Millets is finding back its place in South Indian cooking, we can find them in many stores, and they are available whole, as flours or even coarsely broken like semolina/rava. In my house, I use them mostly in the place of rice in tiffin varieties like idlis, dosas, pongal and adais. I have already posted idlis using kambu/ pearl millet, varagu/ kodo millet, today's post is once again idlis, this time I have made it using thinai/ foxtail millet. I have also used some rice and rice flakes along with the millets and the idlis came out really soft and fluffy..

Need To Have

• Thinai/ Foxtail Millet - 2 cups
• Idli Rice - 2 cups
• Red Rice Flakes - 1/2 cup
• Urad Dal/ Husked Whole Black Gram - 1 cup
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1 teaspoon

Method

          Wash and soak the foxtail millet, rice and rice flakes and the urad dal and fenugreek seeds together for 3 to 4 hours.

          Grind the rice, rice flakes and foxtail millet together into a slightly coarse paste ( don't make it very smooth, it should have a grainy texture ). Grind the urad dal and fenugreek seeds, add it to the rice and millet mixture, add 4 teaspoon salt, mix it well, using your hand and leave it overnight to ferment.

          Pour them in idli molds, steam them for 12 to 15 minutes, remove and serve it warm with the chutney of your choice.

Note
The idli batter should have a thick pancake consistency.
When using the idli maker, pour water in the vessel, it should start boiling, before you put the idli stand inside.
Once cooked, leave the idlis for a minute or two on the stand, or sprinkle some water around the edges, then using a wet spoon, remove the idlis.
I have used the wet grinder to make the batter, and I grind the urad dal for 25 minutes.