Preparation

Cup of Yum
1. Take rolled oats or quick cooking oats in a grinder or blender jar. Blend to a fine flour.
2. Peel and grate 1 small to medium carrot.
3. Finely chop the ginger, curry leaves, coriander leaves and green chilies.

Making tempering

1. Heat oil in a pan. On a low heat, add the mustard seeds, chana dal and urad dal. 
2. Stir and fry till the mustard seeds crackle and both the urad dal and chana dal become golden.
3. Now add the green chilies, ginger, curry leaves, cashews and a pinch of asafoetida. Saute for a minute.

Making batter

1. Add sooji (rava or cream of wheat). Stirring often roast for 2 minutes on a low heat.
2. Then add the oats flour. Stir very well and keep on stirring often while roasting the flour.
3. Roast for a total time of about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer this mixture in a bowl and let it cool completely.
4. Then add grated carrots and chopped coriander leaves. You can also add steamed green peas or blanched/steamed french beans or skip the veggies altogether.
5. Add curd. You can add either fresh or sour curd.
6. Add water. Combine and mix very well. The batter should have a medium consistency. Cover and allow the batter to rest for 5 to 6 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, grease the idli moulds with some oil or ghee.
8. Place a small trivet/perforated plate in a 5 to 6 litre pressure cooker, large pot, Instant Pot or electric rice cooker. Add 1.5 to 2 cups water in the pressure cooker, pan, electric rice cooker or Instant pot and heat until the water comes to a boil.
9. You can also use the traditional idli steamer to steam oats idli.
10. Now add salt as per taste to the batter and mix very well.
11. Next add 1 teaspoon fruit salt (eno) or ½ teaspoon baking soda. For a less soapy alkaline aroma you can add ½ teaspoon fruit salt or ¼ teaspoon baking soda. The texture in this case is less fluffy and soft.
12. As soon as you add the fruit salt, quickly begin to mix it with the batter.
13. Be quick and mix very well so that the fruit salt is mixed evenly in the batter.

Steaming

1. Pour the batter in a the greased idli moulds. Try to use all the batter in one steaming batch.
2. Gently place the moulds on the trivet/perforated plate inside the pot, electric rice cooker, Instant Pot or pressure cooker.
3. Cover and steam for about 10 to 12 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the oat idli should come out clean.
4. If using a pressure cooker, remove the vent weight (whistle) from the lid before sealing the cooker tightly with the lid prior to steaming.
5. For Instant pot, keep the valve at the “venting position”. Press the steam button and steam on high pressure for 10 to 12 minutes. Keep a track of the time with a timer.
6. Allow the steamed oatmeal idli to stand for some minutes. Then remove them with a spoon dipped in hot water.
7. Serve these light, healthy and instant oats idli hot or warm with coconut chutney or sambar.

Serving suggestions

1. Serve oats idli hot or warm with Coconut Chutney, Tomato Chutney, Idli Podi or Sambar. These oatmeal idli also make for a good tiffin box or lunchtime snack.

Storage and leftovers

1. Keep leftover oats idli in a covered container in the refrigerator. Reheat in a microwave sprinkling a few drops of water on the idli or you can steam them for 1 to 2 minutes in a pan or pot.
2. You can even pan fry or shallow fry them until crispy and golden. Serve the fried oats idli with any dip like a tomato ketchup or schezwan sauce or coriander chutney.