Jowar Idli Recipe | Jonna Idli without Rice

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Jowar Idli is a healthy alternative to regular rice idli. Made with jowar – it’s packed with fiber and protein. Perfect Indian breakfast.

These millet idli are for blogging marathon theme, ‘Millet recipes’. My choice of millet for today is called sorghum in English, jowar in Hindi, cholam in Telugu and jonnalu in Telugu.

Sorghum is a healthy and nutritious whole grain. It is gluten-free, rich in fiber and iron, full of protein and the list goes on. HealthifyMe has a great resource on its nutritional values.

Idli is one of the quintessential South Indian breakfast. It is a healthy and nutritious start to any day.

But many of us are trying to avoid rice in daily diet due to health reasons. So this jowar idli recipe without rice is a great alternative. Also the best thing about this recipe is it needs just 2 main ingredients.

Traditional idli is made with urad dal and rice rawa or idli rice. Flattened rice and/ or fenugreek seeds are added to achieve soft, fluffy texture.

This recipe for jowar idli is from a Telugu cooking show. I was initially skeptical and wasn’t sure how the idlis would turn out. I was half expecting them to be hard as rocks.

But they turned out soft and fluffy, I was very excited. These have become a staple in our home now.

Ingredients

As I mentioned, you need just 2 main ingredients to make these jonna (sorghum) idli.

Jowar rawa is coarsely ground whole sorghum grain. If you cannot find the rawa version, then grind the whole grains into a coarse meal to use in the recipe.

In the past few years, the Indian groceries are stocking up on not just whole millets but also the ground/ meal versions. So I always make sure to stock up on jonna rawa to make these idli or this jonna rawa upma.

Whole, skinned urad dal is the other main ingredient.

Salt adds flavor.

Instructions

This recipe needs some pre-planning. There is soaking, grinding and fermenting involved. So, plan accordingly.

Start by soaking jowar rawa and urad dal separately for 4~6 hours.

Once they are soft and tender, grind the lentils into a smooth batter. Add just enough water to get the blades moving and make a thick batter. Remove into a mixing bowl.

Drain the rawa and add to the lentil batter. I use my hands to squeeze out all of the extra water.

Mix the batter with your hands to combine the lentil and millets. Cover and set aside to ferment for about 8~12 hours.

When the batter is ready, add salt and mix well.

Pour the batter in idli molds and steam for 12~15 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside for 5 minutes before taking them off of the molds.

Serve hot with a generous drizzle of ghee along with chutney or sambar.

How do you know when the idli batter is ready?

Well fermented idli batter has the following characteristics:

• will have increased in volume
• has lots of air bubbles
• has a nice, tangy smell – almost like sourdough starter

Tips & Substitution Ideas:

• Other millets like bajra, ragi, pearl millet can be used to make this recipe. Just make sure to use coarsely ground meal.
• If the jowar meal you are using is too coarse, then grind it into a smoother texture before adding to the lentil batter.
• If you have exceptionally cold house, like I do, then preheat the oven to 200F for about 5 minutes, then turn the oven off and cool for 5 minutes. Place the covered bowl in the oven and you will have beautifully risen batter after 8~10 hours.
• Use a large enough bowl to allow for the batter to increase in volume once fermented. This will avoid spillage.

Let’s check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked up today for BM# 113.