Little Millet also called Samai in Tamil is one of the minor millets which is very nutritious. There are myriad health benefits for all the millets. They are very good alternative to rice for people with diabetes. They are rich in fiber and low in carbohydrates. They have a low glycemic index when you compare them with other cereals (Glycemic index is a scale that ranks carbs by the how much amount they raise the blood glucose level and is based on the quality of the carbohydrate). Little millet is also rich in micronutrients and Vitamin B.
That's why I chose to make something out of little millet and here is what I made - soft, fluffy, healthy and delicious IDLI. I used it as a substitute to rice in my usual measurements and always I use Udhayam brand urad dhal here in India (The best brand to use in US India's best).
Ingredients:
Little millet - 3 cups
Urad dhal - 1 cup
salt - 2 tsp
Method:
Soak them for 5 hours and grind to smooth batter (this time I soaked the together but you cannot do it separately too, then grind and mix together). Add salt and ferment overnight. This is how it looks after fermentation:
Mix the batter thoroughly. Ladle it into idli plates and steam them for 4 min. and yummy idlies are ready to go into your tummy. I made usual big ones as well as mini ones which is my kids favorite. We had it with sambhar. What a hearty breakfast!
They were delicious and no one was able to make out that it was not made with rice. My family members insisted me to make samai idlies regularly! When you get comments like this, you can feel as if you are flying very high (may be similar to Harry Potter in his new Firebolt......just joking) and such feelings give you the many different ideas to try out new recipes from varied sources. I am going to make many other dishes with all the millets. I encourage all of you to try this one and enjoy with your family, but don't forget to leave a comment here. Thanks!
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