Thinai Idli Recipe | Foxtail Millet Idli Recipe | Millet Idli Recipe - Healthy Indian Breakfast Recipe!

Thinai Idli Recipe / Foxtail Millet Idli recipe with step by step pictures. Idli is one my favorite and comfort meal. I can have idlis for all 3 meals and my kids too love idlis. Most of our weekends breakfast will be Idli & Dosa. Idli is not only delicious, comfort meal it is also considered as one of the best healthy meal that is perfect for a wholesome breakfast. Idli itself a healthy treat and if it is prepared with whole grains or Millets then it is considered as the best meal and a simple way to include Millets/Whole grains in our diet. After trying idlis, with Brown Rice, Ragi Idli, Barley Idli and now comes Thinai Idli / Fox Tail Millet idli. I tried this Thinai Idlis way long back. I simply followed my regular idli Batter recipe, by replacing 1 cup of rice with 1 cup of foxtail millet. Millet idlis turned out soft and yummy with light pale color due to the millet.

Thinai Idli Recipe

Prep Time : 12 hours | Cook Time : 12-15 minutes

Recipe Category : Main Course

Ingredients

1. Thinai/Foxtail Millet   1 cup
2. Sona Masoori   1 cup(can use Idli Rice also)
3. Poha/Aval   1/4 cup*
4. Urad Dal   1/2 cup
5. Methi Seeds    1/2 tsp
6. Salt to taste

Method

• Wash Millet, rice, urad dal, poha and methi seeds and soak millet, urad dal separately and rice and poha together in a bowl and soak for 2-3 hour.
• After that In a grinder bowl or mixer jar, first grind thinai/foxtail millet then to it add rice, poha, urad dal, methi seeds and grind everything to a fine coarse batter using little water for 25-30 in grinder.

• Then transfer the ground batter to a big bowl or container add enough salt mix altogether and allow to ferment for 8-10 hours or overnight.
• After 8-10 hours of fermentation you will see the volume of the batter is little raised, stir the batter gently, if its properly fermented the batter will be so light, airy and fluffy.
• The next day, stir the fermented batter once again and that's it the batter is ready to make soft idlis and crispy dosa.

To Make Thinai Idlis:

• Add enough water(2 cups in 160 ml cups) in large sauce pan or idli vessel and turn on the stove in medium heat,
• Now grease the idli plates with oil/ghee, then pour a ladle of batter in each plate and keep it in sauce pan or idli vessel and cook for 12-15 minutes.
• Check the idlis by inserting wet knife or wet tooth pick, if doesn't have any fresh batter and comes out clean turn off the stove.
• Sprinkle cold water over the plates and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes, then using spoon remove the idlis from plate and transfer to casserole or serve hot with desired chutney & Sambar.

To Make Thinai Dosa:

• With the same idly batter you can make crispy and yummy dosa. Just add some water and dilute the batter slightly.
• Heat tawa/iron griddle, when it gets hot, smear the tawa using sliced onion and pour a ladle full of batter and spread it thin in circular motion.
• Drizzle oil on and around the dosa. Cook in medium high heat till the dosa starts browning then flip other and cook for one more minute.
• Then fold the dosa and transfer to plate and serve hot.

Notes:
*Poha - If using idli rice, then adding poha is optional but if you like you can add it for extra soft and fluffy idlis.
If using Sona Masoori then adding Poha is must.
This batter gets sour soon, so grind with 1-2 cups and not more than that.
Keep batter refrigerated.
With the same recipe, instead of Foxtail millet, you can use kodo millet, little millet, Barnyard millet also.