Karuppu Kavuni/Black Rice Idli 2/5 (6)

For a while, in Sinfully-desilicious, we are going to celebrate and honour the indigenous/traditional rice varieties of Tamilnadu. Why has this theme become a need of an hour? I came across a lot of friends and relatives with their ailments and deficiencies at an early stage of their life. In addition to this pandemic rattled our lifestyle tremendously. I’m a person, who strongly believes in the ideology- “FOOD AS MEDICINE”, which, in my mother tongue, Tamil we quote as “UNAVE MARUNDHU”. So, I earnestly started my food research, to find a solution for all their health conditions in one go. Surprisingly, I landed on my own land, Tamilnadu, which has a hidden treasure of indigenous grains of almost 20000 varieties. But only, around 150 varieties have been revived in this span of 20 years. This was only possible by the combined efforts of our agricultural scientist, environmental activist G. Nammalvar, and seed saver, Nel Jayaraman. Nammalvar initiated organic farming and a crusade to revive heritage rice varieties. Later, Nel Jayaraman contributed with his seed festival across the state. With their commendable efforts, Tamilnadu farmers managed to rejuvenate our lands with natural farming. This, eventually helped our soil to replenish its fertility back. Due to their struggle, farmers managed to rescue these indigenous varieties which were on the verge of extinction. These varieties are a powerhouse of energy and innumerable nutrients. Many are still left undiscovered which may be a hidden treasure for the future. 

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First on my list comes, Karuppu Kavuni or Black/Purple Rice, Forbidden Rice, or Emperor’s Rice. It has an Asian origin, and it derived its name Forbidden Rice from China. The reason was this rice was cultivated only for the Royal family and was forbidden for commoners and the public. It has innumerable health benefits and the royal families solely consumed it to obtain all the beneficiaries. It’s also native to Indian soil for centuries. It’s cultivated in the North-eastern region as Chak Hao and Kavuni or Karupparisi in Tamilnadu. 

Among these revived 150 indigenous rice varieties, this deep purple-black coloured rice stole the show as a showstopper for its umpteen health benefits. It’s a triad combo of tasty, healthy, and robust flavours. Enumerating its health perks, the most prominent one is the anthocyanin pigments which acts as strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. It also contributes to the sweet and nutty flavours of the rice. Other attributes are -naturally gluten-free, rich in protein, natural fiber, vitamins, and nutrients, also a good source of iron for vegetarians, less in glycaemic index, reduces diabetes and promotes weight loss, good for heart patients, and helps brain activity. Mentioning about its vitamins and nutrients list, it comprises of-

Vitamin E, Riboflavin (B2), Niacin(B3), Beta-carotene, Lutein, Zeaxanthin, Calcium, Chromium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Manganese, Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, and Copper.

Since, this is my first post on Karuppu Kavuni/Black rice (I’ll abbreviate it as KKR, Karuppu Kavuni Rice), I would like to enlighten my viewers elaborately about the abundant benefits you attain on its consumption.

1. Anticarcinogenic– due to the high content of anthocyanin pigment in and around the bran and hull of KKR, it acts as a powerful antioxidant. Many studies have found that these help in lowering the risk of cancer (especially breast and colorectal) and suppresses the spread of cancer cells. Anthocyanin level in this rice claimed to be higher than any other coloured grain varieties like brown rice, red rice, red quinoa and berries.
2. Helps in weight reduction– In today’s lifestyle, what would be more amusing than this statement…😉😍. Obesity is a challenge among youngsters and adults due to their unhealthy, junky lifestyle, this rice comes as a boon to them. It has fewer carbs, fewer calories, more protein and fiber, which gives a filling feel with less intake and indirectly helps in weight reduction. Also, its high anthocyanin content aids in promoting healthy weight management.
3. Controls Diabetes-its a gift for diabetic patients who have less choice of healthy foods. Mostly, Asians consume Rice (white) as their staple food, which spikes the blood sugar level as these white rice on digestion, breakdown the carbs, and shoots up the glucose level in the blood abruptly. Whereas, in KKR, due to its high fiber content, it digests slowly and releases sugar steadily for a longer duration, preventing any abrupt spike in sugar level. Thus, making it a great choice for the rice craving of Diabetic patients and curbing their sugar level. It also prevents early Type 2 Diabetes for persons with the pre-diabetic condition.
4. Regulates BP lowers LDL cholesterol, Improves Heart health– dietary fiber content of KKR reduces lipid levels and maintains normal blood pressure. The phytochemical, Anthocyanin in Black rice reduces LDL (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides in the blood. As it lowers bad cholesterol, which is the main culprit in causing cardiovascular diseases, it, in turn, aids in improving heart health.
5. Anti-aging– as mentioned early, it’s a rich source of antioxidants that helps to protect our tissues and cells from wear and tear, thus slowing down the aging process.
6. Helps to develop Brain Function– due to its high content of Anthocyanin, improves learning and memory functioning. Research is going on trying to prove that KKR can help in preventing Alzheimer’s disease.
7. Anti-inflammatory– studies have proved that black rice is effective in reducing edema, skin allergies, chronic inflammations. As it suppresses airway inflammation, it can lower asthmatic attacks and associated respiratory diseases.
8. Improves Digestion– the high fiber content of this indigenous rice promotes digestion and our gut’s health.
9. Eye, Hair, and Skincare– the plant compound anthocyanin aids to curb and lower retinal damage. It’s a rich source of Vitamin E, which enhances Hair growth and Skincare.
10. Gluten-free, protein-rich diet– as this rice is gluten-free, it prevents gluten allergies and side effects like sensitive stomach, bloating, and abdominal pain to gluten-sensitive people.

Having talked about its advantages, let me get into the recipe. Before introducing you to cook indigenous rice varieties as a substitute for your regular white rice, I thought of starting with simple, steamed food. Getting used to this taste and texture of traditional rice needs little patience and an open mind to accept the outcome for its umpteen health benefits. So, I decided to make soft and spongy idlis from this golden grain. Idlis, originated from Southern India, are soft steamed rice cakes prepared from fermented batter made with rice and urad dal. Microorganisms in the soaked grains and legumes activate fermentation by producing lactic acid and Carbon-dioxide that leavens the batter. It’s celebrated and considered to be one of the safest and healthiest food for breakfast. Well, the reason is quite obvious, one, being steamed food, second, an abundance of healthy carbohydrates as it’s the apt food to start your day with. Idli when served with its accompaniments like chutney, sambar becomes a balanced diet fulfilled with carbs, protein, and fat required on your plate.

These soft and spongy rice cakes are obtained only if the following 4 ‘S‘ falls in place,

1. Selection of proper ingredients
2. Soaking and grinding technique
3. Striking the process of fermentation properly
4. Steaming for the right time.

Now coming to our KKR Idli, we mix this indigenous KKR with parboiled rice along with urad dal and fenugreek seeds. Here, I used Rice flakes/Poha/Aval as an optional ingredient. You can grind the batter with the traditional wet grinder and stationary mixer grinder. Results will be more or less the same, provided the fermentation process is successful. Scroll down to check my notes, where I have explained the nuances and techniques in detail. As a bonus recipe, I have shared a hotel-style Tomato Red Chutney recipe. It’s an apt accompaniment for the subtle Karuppu Kavuni Idli. Check for the Chutney recipe here. 

Now let’s get into the recipe…😍👇

Measure 1¼ cup KKR and add it to a wide bowl.

Measure 1 cup idli rice and add it to the wide bowl.

Measure ¼ cup red rice/white rice flakes and add it to the wide bowl.

Wash it thoroughly 3 times to remove any dust or dirt. Let it soak for 8-10 hours or overnight.

Similarly, measure ½ cup urad dal.

And 1/8th cup fenugreek/methi seeds.

Wash and soak it separately urad dal for a minimum of 30 mins-1 hour. Wash urad dal for a maximum of 2 times (refer to notes).

Wash and soak it separately fenugreek seeds for a minimum of 30 mins-1 hour.

After the given soaking time, switch on the wet grinder with a few tsps of water (drained from fenugreek seeds).

Then gradually add drained fenugreek seeds to the running grinder.

Run a spatula in the grinder to scrape the sides of the drum if any seeds are sticking to the sides.

Sprinkle water, if necessary. After 10 mins or so, fenugreek seeds would have ground finely and turned fluffy.

Now, gradually add drained urad dal to the running grinder.

In intervals add tsps of water and keep running the spatula or hand carefully into the drum to aerate the dal.

Once it reached a stage, where you scoop the batter, it should form a smooth, fluffy, and foamy, ball.

And should fall as a lump.

Now switch off the grinder and scoop out the batter from the drum in a wide, deep bowl. It should take roughly 20-25 minutes, which can vary with grinder and quantity.

Now add little water to the drum (rice-soaked water), run the grinder, and start adding drained rice mixture (KKR, Idli rice, and Poha) into the drum.

Intermittently, keep adding water, if the batter struggles to run. Be cautious while adding water, as too much water will turn the batter runny which is not the right consistency for fermenting Idlis. So have control while adding water, ensure you add it in portions. Also, make use of the rice-soaked water to retain the nutrients (refer to notes).

It may take roughly take 15-20 minutes depending upon the quantity of rice you take and the make of your grinder. It should attain a slightly coarse texture, and the batter will almost resemble regular idli batter, the only difference would be the colour. Anthocyanin pigments in the KKR yield a nice purplish-black colour (similar to the colour of Indian blackberry/Jamun fruit) to the batter.

Transfer the batter into a container leaving enough room for it to rise during fermentation (refer to notes and pics). Add a tbsp of rock salt to it (refer notes).

Combine the batter well with hand and make sure rice and urad are mixed thoroughly as a uniform mixture. Hand mixing helps to transfer our body temperature to the batter and hasten the fermentation.

Let it ferment for 7-8 hours, depending upon the temperature settings of your kitchen (refer to notes).

After the given fermentation time, the batter would have raised almost double the time.

Gently mix the batter twice or thrice.

And grease the idli moulds with gingelly oil (preferably).

Meanwhile, keep the pressure pan or idli cooker ready with boiling water.

Scoop the batter into the idli moulds.

Arrange the idli plates and cover the pan, steam it for 7 minutes, in medium flame.

Switch off the flame and give a standing time of 1-2 minutes before opening. Open the lid and remove the idli plates from the pan.

Smear some gingelly oil on to the idlis to avoid the surface drying.

Once cooled down for a minute, wet a spoon in a bowl of water every time you scoop the idlis, to avoid getting stuck to the plate and to scoop out neatly from the mould.

Arrange them on a serving plate.

Super healthy, nutrients packed, soft spongy Karuppu Kavuni Rice Idli (KKR Idli) is ready to serve with Hotel-style Tomato Red Chutney. This recipe will definitely fulfill your family’s nutrient requirements in all aspects. If regularly consumed, it keeps your family away from the doctor…😍😀🤝🤝. Check my other healthy tiffin recipes like Ragi/Finger millet Idli, Instant Ragi Rava Dosa, Thinai/Foxtail millet Pongal, Fingermillet Kali/Mudde, Rava Idli, Sabudhaana Kichadi.

Recipe card

Preparation time: 40 minutes

Cooking time: 7-8 minutes 

Cuisine: South Indian 

Category: Tiffin

Serves: 8 adults

Author: Manimala

Ingredients:

Karuppu Kavuni/Black Rice – 1 ¼ cup

Idli/Parboiled Rice – 1 cup

Urad dal – ½ cup

Fenugreek seeds – 1/8 cup

Red rice/white rice flakes – ¼ cup (optional)

Water – as required

Salt – as required

Instructions:

1. Measure 1¼ cup KKR, 1 cup idli rice, ¼ cup red rice/white rice flakes, add everything to a wide bowl, wash it thoroughly 3 times to remove any dust or dirt. Let it soak for 8-10 hours or overnight.
2. Similarly, wash and soak ½ cup urad dal and 1/8th cup fenugreek/methi seeds, separately for a minimum of 30 mins-1 hour. Wash urad dal for a maximum of 2 times (refer to notes).
3. After the given soaking time, switch on the wet grinder with a few tsps of water (drained from fenugreek seeds), then gradually add drained fenugreek seeds to the running grinder.
4. Run a spatula in the grinder to scrape the sides of the drum if any seeds are sticking to the sides.
5. Sprinkle water, if necessary. After 10 mins or so, fenugreek seeds would have ground finely and turned fluffy.
6. Now, gradually add drained urad dal to the running grinder.
7. In intervals add tsps of water and keep running the spatula (or hand carefully) into the drum to aerate the dal.
8. Once it reached a stage, where you scoop the batter, it should form a smooth, fluffy, and foamy, ball and should fall as a lump. Now switch off the grinder and scoop out the batter from the drum in a wide, deep bowl. It should take roughly 20-25 minutes, which can vary with grinder and quantity.
9. Now add little water to the drum (rice-soaked water), run the grinder, and start adding drained rice mixture (KKR, Idli rice, and Poha) into the drum.
10. Intermittently, keep adding water, if the batter struggles to run. Be cautious while adding water, as too much water will turn the batter runny which is not the right consistency for fermenting Idlis. So have control while adding water, ensure you add it in portions. Also, make use of the rice-soaked water to retain the nutrients (refer to notes).
11. It may take roughly take 15-20 minutes depending upon the quantity of rice you take and the make of your grinder. It should attain a slightly coarse texture, and the batter will almost resemble regular idli batter, the only difference would be the colour. Anthocyanin pigments in the KKR yield a nice purplish-black colour (similar to the colour of Indian blackberry/Jamun fruit) to the batter.
12. Transfer the batter into a container leaving enough room for it to rise during fermentation (refer to notes and pics). Add a tbsp of rock salt to it (refer notes).
13. Combine the batter well with hand and make sure rice and urad are mixed thoroughly as a uniform mixture. Hand mixing helps to transfer our body temperature to the batter and hasten the fermentation.
14. Let it ferment for 7-8 hours, depending upon the temperature settings of your kitchen (refer to notes).
15. After the given fermentation time, the batter would have raised almost double the time.
16. Gently mix the batter twice or thrice and grease the idli moulds with gingelly oil (preferably).
17. Meanwhile, keep the pressure pan or idli cooker ready with boiling water.
18. Scoop the batter into the idli moulds. Arrange the idli plates and cover the pan, steam it for 7 minutes, in medium flame. Switch off the flame and give a standing time of 1-2 minutes before opening. Open the lid and remove the idli plates from the pan.
19. Smear some gingelly oil on to the idlis to avoid the surface drying.
20. Once cooled down for a minute, wet a spoon in a bowl of water every time you scoop the idlis, to avoid getting stuck to the plate and to scoop out neatly from the mould.
21. Super healthy, nutrients packed, soft spongy Karuppu Kavuni Rice Idli (KKR Idli) is ready to serve with Hotel-style Tomato Red Chutney. This recipe will definitely fulfill your family’s nutrient requirements in all aspects. If regularly consumed, it keeps your family away from the doctor…😍😀🤝🤝.
22. Check my other healthy tiffin recipes like Ragi/Finger millet Idli, Instant Ragi Rava Dosa, Thinai/Foxtail millet Pongal, Fingermillet Kali/Mudde, Rava Idli, Sabudhaana Kichadi.

Notes:

Do’s:

• Always use whole urad dal. Split urad dal will not give the desired texture and result. You can try a healthier version by choosing whole urad dal with skin. This may require extra efforts to clean and use it.
• Choose the best variety of whole urid dal, keep experimenting with all brands, and one fine day you’ll find the apt dal for your soft idlis.
• Good quality of urad dal, following the right grinding techniques, giving the perfect fermentation time yields best results for the idli.
• Rice flakes/aval/Poha can be kept as an optional ingredient, but adding it helps to improve fermentation and results in soft, fluffy idlis. You can use white rice flakes or red rice flakes or Karuppu Kavuni rice flakes, whichever is available.
• Wet grinders result has an extra edge over mixer grinder results. If you don’t have one, no worries, try the same recipe with a mixer grinder as well. For method and techniques check my Ragi Idli, where I prepared the batter both in wet grinder and mixer grinder.
• For soft idlis, the consistency of the batter is vital. Check the video, for the right consistency, it should be pouring, neither too thick nor too thin, adjust the consistency before fermenting.
• Soaking plays a crucial role in fermenting especially when you live in cold regions. The longer you soak the rice and dal, the quicker the fermentation. For hotter regions, reduce the soaking time. Say, it is summer, let the rice soak for a maximum of 3-4 hours while urad dal and fenugreek seeds soak for 30 minutes. During winter, let the rice, dal, and fenugreek seeds soak overnight. Thus you have to maneuver with the soaking time depending upon the temperature settings of your place.
• Natural yeast present in the floating air is easily absorbed by urad dal and fenugreek seeds which helps to ferment the idli batter efficiently. During winter, it’s advisable to soak urad dal and fenugreek seeds for a longer duration enabling them to absorb more natural yeast to expedite the fermentation.
• Grinding the fenugreek seeds separately will enhance the fermentation as they are ground well to fluffy. Here, the quantity of fenugreek seeds is slightly more than normal, feel free to reduce the seeds, but honestly, there was no bitterness in idli with this quantity. This measurement helped in my fermentation also resulting in extremely soft and fluffy idlis. Another health benefit of adding fenugreek seeds is to balance the carbs of the rice and dal and regulate the blood sugar level. Also, it aids in digestion.
• While grinding rice and urad dal, always sprinkle water and do not pour as it’ll thin the batter consistency which in turn hinders fermentation resulting in flat idlis. Scrape the sides of the drum with a spatula while grinding to make sure no grains go ungrounded.
• Sprinkling water gradually in portions (in tsps) and beating with a hand or spatula to aerate the batter are crucial steps to get smooth and fluffy urad dal batter.
• For tropical regions, ferment the batter at the proper room temperature, whereas in cold regions, keep the batter in the microwave oven (switched off) or in a preheated oven.
• Fermenting timing varies from place to place depending upon the seasonal and weather conditions of that particular place. It ranges from 8-12 hours duration. Give another couple of hrs, if you live in colder regions, but don’t keep it anymore outside as the batter would have turned sour without rising. If so, try a plate of idli, if it doesn’t work, dilute a bit and make dosas.
• It purely depends on one’s own family practice, to add salt before or after fermenting. But, if you are adding table salt to the batter before fermentation, there are chances that the anticaking agents present in table salt, may slower your fermentation process. On the other hand, if you are adding rock salt or pink/indhuppu which are free of additives like anticaking agents favours fermentation. So, be mindful that the nature of the salt also determines the rate of fermentation.
• Before fermenting make sure the batter is at the right consistency, it should be neither thick nor thin. Do not add water after fermentation, to adjust the consistency as it may disturb the fermented batter. After fermentation, just stir the batter gently a few times (as shown in the video) with a ladle and do not mix vigorously as it may release the air bubbles formed during fermentation leaving your idlis flattened.
• Steaming can be done on idli mould/plates directly or placing a muslin or cotton cloth onto the mould.
• Grease the idli plates with gingelly/sesame oil to ensure smooth scooping off the idlis.
• Also, smear some gingelly/sesame oil onto the idlis, once you remove it out of the pan to avoid idlis getting dried up.
• Steam the idlis from 7-8 minutes, overcooking also leads to harder texture. Also, preheat the pressure/idli pan with boiling water, and then place the idli plates, it’ll fasten the cooking time and yield good results.
• You can use the batter, for a maximum of 2-3 days for preparing idlis. After that period, the batter will turn sour even if it is stored in the refrigerator. You can convert the same batter for dosa by diluting with the required quantity of water depending upon the leftover batter.
• You can store the batter in the refrigerator for a week, take only the required portions out of the refrigerator to avoid the rest of the batter getting sour.

DON’Ts

• Don’t soak rice for a shorter duration as traditional rice needs longer soaking time to give the best results.
• Don’t discard the soaked water in the rice and dal, use it while grinding. As rice soaked water has all nutrients dissolved in it from rice, hope you do not want it to be discarded. Always wash and then soak rice, so you can utilize the water for cooking or grinding.
• Don’t add all the soaked water in one go, while grinding rice and dal. It’ll turn the batter too runny. Add it in rations and intervals to get the desired consistency (refer to video).
• Do not use chlorinated water to soak or grind, as it’ll inhibit the fermentation process by killing the yeast.
• Don’t maintain the same fermentation and soaking time for the summer and winter seasons. You’ll require less fermentation and soaking time for summer and more time for winter. It also depends on the weather of the place where you reside. During summer, soak in the afternoon, grind it at night and ferment it overnight (fermenting time sums up roughly 8-12 hrs) whereas in winter soak overnight, grind it in the morning and leave for fermentation for the whole day to midnight (fermenting time sums up roughly 12-15 hrs), it needs such a long duration during winter.
• Airtight containers are not recommended during the fermentation phase, as the batter needs some air to grow. Preferably use a steel container or bowl and close with a plate to enable some air to flow around. After fermentation, storage can be done in airtight containers if you have space restraints in the refrigerator.
• Do not fill the full volume of the container as the batter needs some space to rise. Choose the container size according to the quantity of batter, it should have half-space left free for rising during fermentation.
• Don’t mix the batter vigorously after fermentation, give a gentle stir from down to up twice or thrice, to give the best results.
• Don’t add too less or too much water in the pressure pan while steaming. Because it may burn the pan if it is less or idlis in the bottom plate get wet and soggy if water is too much. Make sure the water level should be so, that the pan plate (which is placed beneath the idli plates) gets immersed and water doesn’t touch the base of the bottom idli plate. The flame should be medium-high. If you keep the flame high, water may enter the idli plates while steaming.