The Idli Project
Oats Idli
Ingredient Innovations

Oats Idli

also called Masala Oats Idli

A wholesome instant idli built on rolled oats and curd - no fermentation, vegetable-loaded, breakfast-table ready in 30 minutes.

Modern Indian - health-conscious

Image: Cook With Manali - Masala Oats Idli · Blog photo · small "Cook with Manali" logo bottom-right

A modern, no-ferment idli built on rolled oats and curd, leaning hard on a vegetable-loaded tempering for flavour. Sold heavily as a wholesome, fibre-rich breakfast option for diet-minded households - though it eats less like a traditional idli and more like a steamed savoury muffin.

The key prep step is roasting the ground oats with the rava before mixing. Untreated oat flour tastes raw and pasty; a few minutes of dry-roasting on low heat gives the finished idli a much cleaner flavour.

The Recipe

Yield · ~16 idlis

Effort profile

Soak4–5 hours
Ferment8–10 hours
Steam10–12 minutes
Steps6

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

Soak4h 30mFerment9hSteam11mSteps6

Ingredients

Main

  • 1 cup rolled or quick oats
  • ½ cup fine rava (semolina)
  • ½ cup curd
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tsp Eno (or ½ tsp baking soda)
  • ⅓–½ cup grated carrot
  • 1 tbsp coriander, chopped
  • Salt to taste

Tempering

  • ½–1 tbsp oil
  • ½ tsp mustard seeds
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chana dal
  • ½ tsp urad dal (optional)
  • Pinch asafoetida
  • ½ tsp crushed black pepper
  • 1 tsp green chillies, chopped
  • 1 tsp curry leaves, chopped
  • 1 tsp minced ginger
  • 8–10 cashews, chopped

Method

  1. 1.

    Grind oats to a fine flour. Grate carrot; chop herbs.

  2. 2.

    Heat oil, splutter mustard, cumin and chana dal; add green chillies, ginger, curry leaves, cashews, pepper and asafoetida - sauté 1 minute.

  3. 3.

    Stir in rava and roast 2 minutes; add the oat flour and roast another 4–5 minutes, stirring constantly. Cool.

  4. 4.

    Mix the cooled flour with carrot and coriander; add curd and water for a medium consistency. Rest 5–6 minutes.

  5. 5.

    Add salt and Eno; fold quickly.

  6. 6.

    Pour into greased moulds; steam 10–12 minutes until a toothpick is clean.

Serve with

coconut chutneyonion or tomato chutneyidli podisambar

Notes

Roasting the oat flour first is what kills its raw-oat taste - don't skip this step. Quick or rolled oats both work.

Adapted from vegrecipesofindia.com.