Sama ke chawal ki idli or sama ki idli is one of the most loved meals at my place, fasting or no fasting. Navratri makes it easier as this grain (actually pseudo grain) starts appearing in the stores around this time, more than ever.
Navaratri is a nine day (actually nine nights) period when Devi Durga is worshiped with utmost devotion. I am not sure if I have that devotion towards any God but I have been fasting all nine days of navaratri for 12 years barring the last three years when I could not manage doing the stuff. On the 8th day of navaratri we invite young girls and considering them the embodiment of devi (Goddess), we wash their feet, offer them prasad of halwa puri and kala chana which is a symbolic worship of devi, the female God (woman power to me).
This particular ritual has been my favorite thing to do during Navaratris as Mithi used to be very happy to see all the kids around, it used to be a picnic time at my place and many kids would refuse to go home after that. How I miss that time....
Another highlight of Navaratri is the food. The fasting food. It is more of feasting than fasting for the people who observe this fast as fried pakoras and pooris made with kootu ka atta (buckwheat flour) and singhare ka atta (water chestnut flour) and lots of potatoes fried in different ways becomes a staple for most of the people. Some people eat nothing during the day and eat these fried savories and ghee laden halwa of nuts for dinner. That is very unhealthy and one should try to consume some fruits, smoothies, lassi and juices during the day and some steamed or shallow fried preparation for dinner. Fasting is meant to detoxify, not to overburden the system..
I had some requests for healthy fasting recipes and I bought the sama ka chawal and some kuttu ka atta. Even though we are not fasting it was not a bad idea to have some sama ke chawal ki idli.
Sama ka chawal is a wild grain and it has a mention in the history too (if the life and times of Krishna is history and not folklore). Sudama the childhood friend of Krishna was carrying this grain Sama in his potli (cloth pouch) when he arrived at the kingdom of Krishna, not sure in his heart if Krishna would recognize him. And when Krishna hugged him he snatched his potli of sama and enjoyed eating this humble grain as Sudama was treated with the finest delicacies of the palace.
As I talked to my elders about this story of Sudama and Krishna, I am told it could have been Kodo (another millet, Paspalum scrobicilatum) or Sama (Barnyard millet or Echinochloa).
The procedure of making a steamed idli is very simple as many of us make rawa idi by soaking the rawa in curds for a while and steaming in the idli steamer.
Just soak a cup of sama grains in 1.5 cup of diluted curds or buttermilk with salt to taste for at least 3-4 hrs. The longer it is soaked the better is the taste and texture of the idli. After the soaking time you'll see the grains do not absorb all the liquid, unlike rawa which absorbs the buttermilk and a smooth batter is formed, that is all right for this grain as it is a tougher grain and the liquid will be absorbed during steaming...
the ingredients all in one place...
(for 5 medium sized idlis )
sama ke chawal 1 cup
diluted curds or whey (the remaining liquid after making paneer at home) 1.5 cup
salt to taste (rock salt or sendha namak is used during fasting )
ghee to grease the molds
procedure...
Soak the sama ke chawal in whey or buttermilk. Since I make this idly frequently, I took pictures with both.
Here is how it looks with whey...
And this is how it looks with buttermilk or diluted curds...
I steamed it in microwave using greased ceramic soup bowls. It works out neat for me as I need just two large idlis to be steamed for the both of us. One 100 ml sized idli needed 1.30 minutes to be cooked. It should be cooked covered.
You need to run a spoon or a knife around the steamed idli to ease it out of the bowl. Check out how I steam rawa idli in glass or ceramic bowls..here..
You have to try it to believe it...
