Black Rice Idli

also called Kavuni Arisi Idli

A purple-tinged idli built on antioxidant-rich black rice - same technique as Matta, dramatically different colour.

Tamil Nadu - heritage Kavuni rice

Image: Cooking From Heart - Kavuni Arisi Idli · Blog photo · small "Cooking from Heart" logo

Black rice - known as kavuni arisi in Tamil - is a heritage whole-grain variety prized for its deep colour, nutty flavour and high antioxidant content. When ground into idli batter and steamed, it produces an idli with a muted purple-grey hue that surprises everyone at the breakfast table.

The recipe is identical to Matta rice idli - substitute black rice for the red - and the same trick of sprouting the urad dal applies, to keep the batter light despite the heavier grain.

The Recipe

Yield · ~40 idlis

Effort profile

Soak~24 hours total (with sprouting step)

Ferment6–8 hours

Steam6–7 minutes

Steps6

Each axis is scaled against the longest example in the archive.

Ingredients

Batter

2 cups unpolished black rice (kavuni arisi)
2 cups regular white idli rice
1 cup whole black urad dal
2 tsp fenugreek seeds
3 tbsp sabudana, powdered
2 tbsp salt

Method

1.
Soak the urad dal 10–12 hours.
2.
Drain the urad and cover loosely to sprout overnight; soak both rices together with the fenugreek seeds.
3.
Grind the fenugreek with ½ cup water for 5 minutes; add the sprouted urad dal and grind ~30 minutes with minimal water; transfer.
4.
Grind the rice with 1 cup water for ~30 minutes, adding the powdered sabudana midway.
5.
Combine batters, add salt, mix thoroughly. Ferment 6–8 hours until bubbly.
6.
Pour into greased moulds; steam 6–7 minutes until a knife comes out clean.

Serve with

sambarcoconut chutneyidli podi

Notes

The technique is identical to Matta rice idli - substitute black rice 1:1. Sprouting the urad dal compensates for the heavier whole-grain rice and keeps the batter aerated.

Adapted from cookingfromheart.com.