The Idli Project
Quinoa Idli
Ingredient Innovations

Quinoa Idli

A modern Western-influenced idli that swaps most of the rice for quinoa - keeps the urad fermentation, gains a protein bump.

Modern - Western-influenced adaptation

Image: Cook With Manali - Quinoa Idli · Blog photo · small "Cook with Manali" logo

A modern Western-influenced adaptation that swaps most of the rice for quinoa, keeping the urad dal so the batter still ferments properly. The result is a softer, slightly nuttier idli with more protein and fibre than the standard build - a popular choice in fitness-minded households and as a daily-driver for those cutting back on white rice.

The same recipe scales to an all-quinoa version (no rice) using a 4:1 quinoa-to-urad ratio - closer in spirit to the millet idlis than to a standard rice idli.

The Recipe

Yield · ~10 idlis

Effort profile

Soak3–4 hours (rice + quinoa) and 2 hours (urad)
Ferment8 hours
Steam10–12 minutes
Steps6

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

Soak3h 30mFerment8hSteam11mSteps6

Ingredients

Batter

  • 1½ cups quinoa
  • ½ cup idli rice
  • ½ cup whole urad dal
  • 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. 1.

    Soak quinoa and idli rice together for 3–4 hours.

  2. 2.

    Soak urad dal with fenugreek for 2 hours.

  3. 3.

    Grind urad-fenugreek to a smooth fluffy batter with minimal water.

  4. 4.

    Grind the quinoa-rice to a slightly coarse batter.

  5. 5.

    Combine, add salt, mix well. Ferment 8 hours in a warm spot (or use the "yogurt-low" setting on an Instant Pot).

  6. 6.

    Pour into greased moulds; steam 10–12 minutes.

Serve with

coconut chutneysambaridli podi

Notes

Higher protein and fibre than a standard idli. The same method works with all-quinoa (no rice) using a 4:1 quinoa-to-urad ratio.

Adapted from sharmispassions.com.