Barley Idli and Dosa

Today I am going to share barley idli and dosa with the leftover barley that I had after making the barley water. Learn how to make the barley idli and dosai batter and also how to make soft and fluffy barley idlis and crispy dosai with the same.

If you were wondering what I did with the cooked barley after making the barley lemonade, here is your answer. I took one cup of the cooked barley and used it for this idli and dosa, and with the remaining, I made a salad. If you are looking for the salad recipe, then check my Instagram feed. I will be posting a different salad recipe here soon. But now let us talk about the humble idli and dosai with barley.

Barley Idli and Dosa Batter:

When I was thinking, how to use the cooked barley, the first thing that came in my mind was idli and dosa. Hey, what can you expect from a hardcore South Indian? Idli(steamed rice cakes) and dosai(crispy, savory crepes) are our staple breakfast dishes errr we make it for dinner too. So no wonder these two recipes came into my mind first.

The batter recipe is straightforward.  I went with 1 cup of cooked barley, 1 cup of idli rice, ½ cup of urad dal and 1 tsp of fenugreek seeds for this batter. I followed the same 4:1 (rice to urad dal) ratio with the cooked barley too. Trust me; it works perfectly. But you can try it ⅓ cup of urad dal instead of ½ cup but not less than that. When I am using less quantity or rice and dal, I usually soak them together also I grind them in the mixer jar. I used my Indian blender, but you can use Vitamix or Blendtec as well.

Fermentation & Shelf-life of the batter:

Depending upon the temperature condition, fermentation usually takes about 8 to 12 hours. I typically place my batter in the convection oven and turn the lights on. It took me about 10 hours for this batter to ferment nicely.

As we are using cooked barley, after fermenting, store the batter in the refrigerator right away and also use it within a couple of days. The shelf-life is lesser for this cooked barley batter.

Now without any delay, I will share how I made the batter and the idli and dosa. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked barley, leftover barley after making the barley water
• 1 cup idli rice
• ½ cup whole urad dal
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 5 cups cold water to grind + normal temperature water as required to wash and soak
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• Oil as needed for making the dosa and idli

Preparing the batter:

• Wash the rice and lentils for at least 3 to 4 times and drain the water. Then soak them along with fenugreek seeds in sufficient water for about 6 hours. Then drain the water thoroughly.
• In a mixer jar, first, add the cooked barley and pulse it without adding any water. Then add the rice and lentils little by little and pulse them by sprinkling water. After adding the entire rice, lentils, and fenugreek add water little by little and grind into a thick, smooth batter. Slightly coarse batter works too. I used about 1.5 cups of cold water for this measure. The water depends upon the rice and dal quality.
• Transfer it to a cleaner vessel and add salt. Mix the salt and batter with clean hands and ferment it.

• Depending upon the weather, the fermentation time varies. Also, during summer, the mixture ferments fast as we are using cooked barley.

Making idli:

• Right after the batter is fermented, mix it, and refrigerate it right away and use it within two days. For making idli, the batter should be thick and it should not be runny.
• Pour about 1.5 cups of water in the idli cooker and let it simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, grease the idli plate molds with ½ tsp oil and then pour the idli batter inside the molds. Place the idli trays in the steamer and close the lid.
• Steam for about 12 minutes over medium heat and then turn it off. Wait for five and then open the lid. Using a wet spoon, carefully and gently remove the idli from the mold. Serve warm with chutney, sambar or idli podi. Look how soft the idlis are,

Making dosa:

• For the batter should be in pouring consistency so if required add ½ to ½ cup of water.
• Heat the tawa and ensure it is over medium heat.
• Take a ladle full of batter and pour it in the center of the tawa and spread it lightly and slowly. Do not spread it too thin.

• Drizzle ½ tsp of oil around the edges and let it cook until the color changes or the edges loosen up. It takes about 45 seconds to 60 seconds.

• Then carefully flip the dosa and let it cook for just 10 to 20 seconds.
• Remove it from the tawa and similarly make dosas with remaining batter.

Recipe Notes-

• I used coarse kosher salt for this you can add up to 1.5 to 2 tsps of fine salt for this measure.
• The amount of water required depends upon the quality of rice and dal, so add as needed. Also, use one or two ice cubes as it prevents the batter from getting heated. I usually use cold water.
• You can get more information about the cast iron pan dosa on my karaicha dosai post.

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5 from 2 votes

Barley Idli and Dosa

Barley idli and dosa with the leftover or cooked barley after making the barley water. Recipe for soft and fluffy barley idlis and crispy dosai.

Prep Time6 hrs

Cook Time15 hrs

Fermentation Time10 hrs

Total Time1 d 7 hrs

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 5

Calories: 286kcal

Author: Srividhya G

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup cooked barley left over barley after making the barley water
• ▢ 1 cup idli rice
• ▢ ½ cup whole urad dal
• ▢ 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
• ▢ 1.5 cups water preferably cold water to grind + normal temperature water as required to wash and soak
• ▢ 1 tsp kosher salt
• ▢ 2 tbsp Oil as needed for making the dosa and idli

Instructions

Preparing the batter:

• Wash the rice and lentils for at least 3 to 4 times and drain the water. Then soak them along with fenugreek seeds in sufficient water for about 6 hours. Then drain the water thoroughly.
• In a mixer jar, first, add the cooked barley and pulse it without adding any water. Then add the rice and lentils little by little and pulse them by sprinkling water. After adding the entire rice, lentils, and fenugreek add water little by little and grind into a thick, smooth batter. Slightly coarse batter works too. I used about 1.5 cups of cold water for this measure. The water depends upon the rice and dal quality.
• Transfer it to a cleaner vessel and add salt. Mix the salt and batter with clean hands and ferment it. Depending upon the weather, the fermentation time varies. Also, during summer, the mixture ferments fast as we are using cooked barley.

Making idli:

• Right after the batter is fermented, mix it, and refrigerate it right away and use it within two days. For making idli, the batter should be thick and it should not be runny.
• Pour about 1.5 cups of water in the idli cooker and let it simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, grease the idli plate molds with ½ tsp oil and then pour the idli batter inside the molds. Place the idli trays in the steamer and close the lid.
• Steam for about 12 minutes over medium heat and then turn it off. Wait for five and then open the lid. Using a wet spoon, carefully and gently remove the idli from the mold. Serve warm with chutney, sambar or idli podi.

Making dosa:

• For the batter should be in pouring consistency so if required add ½ to ½ cup of water.
• Heat the tawa and ensure it is over medium heat.
• Take a ladle full of batter and pour it in the center of the tawa and spread it lightly and slowly. Do not spread it too thin.
• Drizzle ½ tsp of oil around the edges and let it cook until the color changes or the edges loosen up. It takes about 45 seconds to 60 seconds.
• Then carefully flip the dosa and let it cook for just 10 to 20 seconds.
• Remove it from the tawa and similarly make dosas with remaining batter.

Notes

• I used coarse kosher salt for this you can add up to 1.5 to 2 tsps of fine salt for this measure.
• The amount of water required depends upon the quality of rice and dal, so add as needed. Also, use one or two ice cubes as it prevents the batter from getting heated. I usually use cold water.
• You can get more information about the cast iron pan dosa on my karaicha dosai post.

Nutrition

Calories: 286kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 473mg | Potassium: 72mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 0.8mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 2.5mg

I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

Tried this recipe?Mention @vidhyasvegetariankitchen or tag #vidhyasvegkitchen

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