Millet Idli Dosa Batter

Try this healthy and nutritious millet idli dosa batter prepared with four different millet, black urad dal, and tapioca pearls. Yes, here is the idli dosa batter recipe prepared without any rice.

You all know that my weekly meal prepping is complete only after making the idli dosa batter, and also, you all know how much I like to rotate grains. This idli dosa batter recipe with millets is one such recipe where I have swapped idli rice with millets.

For this batter, I have used foxtail millet, kodo millet, barnyard millet, little millet, black urad dal, fenugreek seeds, and tapioca pearls which yields soft idlis. Like I mentioned before, It’s a no-rice idli dosa batter recipe. If you love different idli dosa batters, do check out my barley idli dosa batter and other dosa batter recipes too.

What are millets?

Millets are a variety of small grains that are quite popular in the Indian sub-continent, and in Tamil, we call this millet group “siru daniyam,” which means small grains. It has enormous nutritional benefits, and what was considered poor man’s food and animal/bird food is gaining popularity back now, and there are so many products with millets now.

Different types of millet

There are many types of millet, like foxtail millet, kodo millet, pearl millet, barnyard millet, little millet, proso millet, finger millet, and more. Each millet has a slightly different nutritional profile and here is the nutritional information of the millets that I am using to prepare this idli-dosa batter.

Nutrient Source : http://www.milletindia.org/

Ingredients required

Millets:  We need equal measures of foxtail millet, kodo millet, barnyard millet, and little millet for this recipe.

Black urad dal: To keep the batter wholesome and nutritious, I went with black urad dal/whole urad with the husk on.

Fenugreek seeds: We need a small amount of fenugreek seeds. As much as it’s a flavor enhancer, it aids fermentation for soft and fluffy idli.

Tapioca pearls: I wanted to make this recipe without any rice, so instead of flattened rice, I used tapioca pearls as it helps in getting soft idlis.

Also, we need water and salt. Please check the recipe card for exact measurements.

The ratio for millet idli dosa batter

I followed the same ratio I typically follow for my regular idli-dosa batter – 4:1. I used four parts of millet, one part of whole urad dal, and half of the tapioca pearls.

Ingredient substitutions

• If you are trying millet for the first time, you can use two parts of idli rice and two parts of millet instead of 4 parts of millet. You can swap any variety of millet with equal-measure idli rice.
• You can swap black urad with white ones. As I wanted to keep this recipe wholesome and nutritious, I used black urad. But feel free to swap it with a whole white urad, not the split ones.
• And instead of tapioca pearls, you can use poha/aval/flattened rice.

Note

Please check my other idli-dosa batter post for fermentation, batter consistency, and water-measure-related FAQs.

How to make the millet idli dosa batter

Wash & soak-

• Wash the whole urad dal atleast 4 to 5 times. Similarly, combine the millets and wash them 4 to 5 times. Soak the dal in one bowl and the millet in another with sufficient water for 8 to 10 hours. Overnight is fine as well.
• Similarly, wash the fenugreek seeds and tapioca pearls and soak them separately for 8 to 10 hours. 
• Before grinding, drain the water thoroughly. I don’t use the soaked water for grinding.

Grind the fenugreek seeds-

• Rinse the wet grinder, including the stones too. Add ¼ cup of water and the drained fenugreek seeds and turn it on. 

• Grind it for 5 to 6 minutes until it turns fluffy. Then turn off the wet grinder. 

•  This is how the fenugreek paste looks. 

Grind the urad dal-

• Add the rinsed urad dal along with the ground fenugreek seeds.

• Sprinkle some water as required and grind it until it is smooth and fluffy for about 30 to 35 minutes. For every 10 minutes, sprinkle some water as needed. Do not add all the water in one stretch. I used approximately 1.5 cups + 2 tbsps of water to grind urad dal and fenugreek seeds. 

• Transfer this batter to the inner pot of the Instant Pot or a vessel where you will ferment the batter. (No need to wash the wet grinder now)

• Urad dal consistency check – After grinding the urad dal, take a small piece of the ground dal and drop it into a glass of water. It should float, and it should not spread out or sink. That’s the right consistency. 

Grinding the millets and tapioca pearls-

• Add ¼ cup of water and add the millet and tapioca pearls. 

• After five mts, add ½ more cup of water and grind the rice until it is smooth but slightly coarse for about 25 to 30 minutes. In between, add water as required.

• Again you don’t need to add all water at once. I added about 1.25 cups of water to this batch.

Mix the dal and millet batter and add salt-

• Now transfer this millet batter to the vessel in which you have the urad dal batter. I added ¼ to ⅓ more cup of water to the grinder, rinsed it, and added it to the batter mix. (You see, no wastage.) You need about 3 to 3.5 cups of water. You don’t need to add water exactly at the mentioned intervals. Understand the consistency and go with your instinct. 

• Mix the dal batter and millet batter thoroughly. Mix it from the bottom with a clean hand. We don’t want the dal batter and millet batter to be separate. Incorporate it well. Then add the salt and gently mix. You should have a thick but slow free-flowing batter.

Ferment the batter-

• Place the inner pot inside the IP. Close it with the glass lid.

• Press the yogurt button and set it to 10 to 12 hours.

• Here it is after fermentation. I usually let it ferment for 12 hours in winter and 8 to 10 hours during summer. 

Store the batter-

• After fermentation, refrigerate the batter, which stays well for up to 1 week.

Making idlis-

• Mix the fermented batter and check the consistency and if needed, add a tbsp or two of water. 
• Add about 1 cup of water to the idli cooker and let it come to a boil.
• Meanwhile, grease the idli plates with gingelly oil and pour the idli batter. 

• Steam it for 10 minutes over medium heat and turn off the heat. Let it sit for 5 minutes, and then remove the idli plates. Let it cool for a couple of minutes before spooning it out.

• Serve hot with sambar, coconut chutney, tomato chutney, or peanut chutney.

Making dosai-

• The batter should be slightly thinner than the idli batter.
• Heat a well-seasoned cast-iron pan, and reduce the heat to medium when it is hot.

• Take a spoon/ladle full of batter and pour it into the pan. Spread it evening from the center towards the edges. Spread some oil around the edges; ½ tsp should be sufficient. Allow it to cook. Usually, it takes about 45 to 50 seconds. Now using a flat spatula, loosen the edges and flip the dosa. Cook for 15 to 20 seconds and remove it from the pan.

Recipe Notes

• Since I saw Kannamma Cook’sCook’s idli dosa batter video, I started grinding fenugreek seeds separately, especially for this millet idli dosa batter, as it always aids in fermentation. For the other one, I grind it separately or with urad dal depending on the situation.
• If you use a mixer jar to prepare the batter, don’tdon’t soak the fenugreek seeds separately. You can soak it along with urad dal and grind them together.
• If using a mixer jar, make sure to use ice-cold water while grinding the batter, and don’tdon’t grind all the ingredients in one stretch as the mixer jar heats up. After grinding urad dal, wait for 10 minutes before grinding the millets. For every two batches, give a 5 to 10 minutes break. You might need an extra ½ to ¾ cup of water while grinding in a mixer jar.  

Does millet idli stay soft?

Yes, the millet idlis come out soft. Like the regular idli, I highly recommend you to enjoy the idlis hot with the side of your choice. If you are packing for lunch, make it like sambar idli or smear idli podi and pack for lunch.
With leftover idlis, you can make idli upma, biryani, or fried idli. It stays soft for 3 hrs, but after that, it hardens a bit, and reheating helps to an extent but not much.

More Millet Recipes

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5 from 5 votes

Millet Idli Dosa Batter

Try this healthy and nutritious millet idli dosa batter prepared with four different millet, black urad dal, and tapioca pearls.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Grinding + Soaking + Fermenting Time16 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time17 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Dinner

Cuisine: South Indian

Servings: 40 idlis(approx)

Calories: 98kcal

Author: Srividhya G

Equipment

• Wet Grinder

Ingredients

Measurement Details: 1 cup = 240ml; 1 tbsp = 15ml; 1 tsp = 5ml;

• ▢ 1 cup Foxtail millet Tenai
• ▢ 1 cup barnyard millet Kuthiraivali
• ▢ 1 cup kodo millet Varagu
• ▢ 1 cup little millet Samai
• ▢ 1 cup black urad dal
• ▢ ½ cup tapioca pearls
• ▢ 1 tbsp fenugreek seeds
• ▢ 3 cups water
• ▢ 2 tsp salt

Instructions

• Wash the whole urad dal atleast 4 to 5 times. Similarly, combine the millets and wash them 4 to 5 times. Soak the dal in one bowl and the millet in another with sufficient water for 8 to 10 hours. Overnight is fine as well.
• Similarly, wash the fenugreek seeds and tapioca pearls and soak them separately for 8 to 10 hours.
• Before grinding, drain the water thoroughly. I don’t use the soaked water for grinding.
• Rinse the wet grinder, including the stones too. Add ¼ cup of water and the drained fenugreek seeds and turn it on.
• Grind it for 5 to 6 minutes until it turns fluffy. Then turn off the wet grinder.
• Add the rinsed urad dal along with the ground fenugreek seeds.
• Sprinkle some water as required and grind it until it is smooth and fluffy for about 30 to 35 minutes. For every 10 minutes, sprinkle some water as needed. Do not add all the water in one stretch. I used approximately 1.5 cups + 2 tbsps of water to grind urad dal and fenugreek seeds.
• Transfer this batter to the inner pot of the Instant Pot or a vessel where you will ferment the batter. (No need to wash the wet grinder now)
• Urad dal consistency check – After grinding the urad dal, take a small piece of the ground dal and drop it into a glass of water. It should float, and it should not spread out or sink. That’s the right consistency.
• Add ¼ cup of water and add the millet and tapioca pearls.
• After five mts, add ½ more cup of water and grind the rice until it is smooth but slightly coarse for about 25 to 30 minutes. In between, add water as required.
• Again you don’t need to add all water at once. I added about 1.25 cups of water to this batch.
• Now transfer this millet batter to the vessel in which you have the urad dal batter. I added ¼ to ⅓ more cup of water to the grinder, rinsed it, and added it to the batter mix. (You see, no wastage.) You need about 3 to 3.5 cups of water. You don’t need to add water exactly at the mentioned intervals. Understand the consistency and go with your instinct.
• Mix the dal batter and millet batter thoroughly. Mix it from the bottom with a clean hand. We don’t want the dal batter and millet batter to be separate. Incorporate it well. Then add the salt and gently mix. You should have a thick but slow free-flowing batter.
• Place the inner pot inside the IP. Close it with the glass lid.
• Press the yogurt button and set it to 10 to 12 hours. Here it is after fermentation. I usually let it ferment for 12 hours in winter and 8 to 10 hours during summer.
• After fermentation, refrigerate the batter, which stays well for up to 1 week.
• Making Idlis: Mix the fermented batter and check the consistency and if needed, add a tbsp or two of water.
• Add about 1 cup of water to the idli cooker and let it come to a boil.
• Meanwhile, grease the idli plates with gingelly oil and pour the idli batter.
• Steam it for 10 minutes over medium heat and turn off the heat. Let it sit for 5 minutes, and then remove the idli plates. Let it cool for a couple of minutes before spooning it out. Serve hot with sambar, coconut chutney, tomato chutney, or peanut chutney.
• Making dosai- The batter should be slightly thinner than the idli batter.
• Heat a well-seasoned cast-iron pan, and reduce the heat to medium when it is hot.
• Take a spoon/ladle full of batter and pour it into the pan. Spread it evening from the center towards the edges. Spread some oil around the edges; ½ tsp should be sufficient. Allow it to cook. Usually, it takes about 45 to 50 seconds. Now using a flat spatula, loosen the edges and flip the dosa. Cook for 15 to 20 seconds and remove it from the pan.

Notes

• Since I saw Kannamma Cook’sCook’s idli dosa batter video, I started grinding fenugreek seeds separately, especially for this millet idli dosa batter, as it always aids in fermentation. For the other one, I grind it separately or with urad dal depending on the situation.
• If you use a mixer jar to prepare the batter, don’tdon’t soak the fenugreek seeds separately. You can soak it along with urad dal and grind them together.
• If using a mixer jar, make sure to use ice-cold water while grinding the batter, and don’tdon’t grind all the ingredients in one stretch as the mixer jar heats up. After grinding urad dal, wait for 10 minutes before grinding the millets. For every two batches, give a 5 to 10 minutes break. You might need an extra ½ to ¾ cup of water while grinding in a mixer jar.  
• I have given the rough estimate of water that is required for this ratio and also what I used for this batch. Be a little cautious while adding water.

Nutrition

Calories: 98kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 119mg | Potassium: 32mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 0.4IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg

I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

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Update Notes: Earlier posted in 2016, now updated with new pictures, recipe card with nutritional information.