kottai muthu idli | castor seeds idli

castor seeds / aamanakku / kottai muthu idli is very common in Kongunadu region of Tamilnadu(south India). In my MIL’s place, idlis are not supposed to be made without grinding these castor seeds.

But, wiki says, this is the world’s most poisonous common plant as per Guinness World Records !! Raw castor bean is more toxic , it adds !! Also, castor seeds and/or oil can be allergic to some people..

But, this kottai muthu idli / castor seeds idli is very common in our family and neighborhoods. They have been using this for ages without any issues. When I just reason out how they were not affected by this poisoning, some points of justification flashed my mind.. These are not proven, but just my thoughts..

• Ricin is a water-soluble toxin and so it might have washed away when we wash the peeled seeds.
• Raw castor bean is said to be toxic. As we steam idlis, toxicity might have vanished while cooking.
• I read somewhere that the outer skin of the castor bean is actually toxic and not the inner seed.
• Wiki says, the poison can be extracted from castor by concentrating it with a fairly complicated process similar to that used for extracting cyanide from almonds. Hope we won’t stop taking almonds after reading this !!

Above points are just assumptions and not proven facts. The only proof is the life of people who lived and are now living healthily in spite of having this idli daily in their diet. Addition of castor seeds to idli not only makes soft idlis with good texture, but also adds to the daily laxative component to relieve you from constipation.

Caution: Below people are advised to avoid castor seeds and oil:

• Dads-to-be and moms-to-be as this might act as birth control
• Pregnant women as it might induce premature labor
• If you have any stomach or intestinal problems

In my MIL’s family we are taking this kottai muthu idli regularly. I have fed this to my kid Nilaa after her first birthday for 2 and a half years when we were in India. I am not insisting you to take this.. Just wanted to jot down our traditional food here.

kottai muthu idli recipe – Stepwise pics follow the below printable description:

castor seeds idli | kottai muthu idli

 

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Prep time

45 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

Serves: 3 days tiffin for 4-members family

Ingredients

• Castor seeds - 6
• Idli Rice - 4 cups to 6 cups (See notes at the end for details)
• Urad dal - 1 cup
• Fenugreek/Methi seeds/Vendhayam - 1 tsp
• Rock salt - 1 tbsp or as required

Instructions

1. Wash and soak idli rice and methi seeds(vendhayam) overnight(or 4 to 8 hrs). Wash and soak Urad dal with skin for 3 to 4 hours (if it's without skin, then just 1 hour should suffice).
2. Once soaked well, wash rice and urad dal.
3. For urad dal with skin, press between fingers to remove the skin. Wash 5 to 6 times until 75% of the skin are removed. Skin is actually healthy and we can sustain 50% of the skin, but idli will become too fragile and dull-colored. The choice is yours !!
4. First grind methi seeds with soaked water for 5+ mins until it becomes fluffy.
5. Then, to the ground methi batter, add urad dal with lil water. Add lil water whenever required(the batter shouldn't be thin or tight). Grind till it is nicely fluffy. It took 15 mins for me.
6. Transfer ground methi seeds+urad dal batter to a container. Take 1 castor seed for each cup of idli rice. I added 6 cups rice and so taken 6 seeds. Slightly hit with a pestle.
7. Peel out the skin and wash the seeds. Grind the seeds for 1 min in grinder and then add soaked rice with a cup of water.
8. Add water whenever required(the batter shouldn't be too tight). Clean the sides once or twice using fingers or spatula.
9. Do not grind it too smooth. Stop once it is nicely ground, but still you could feel slightly grainy when pressed between fingers. It took 20+ mins for me. Transfer ground rice batter to the container containing methi seeds+urad dal batter. Wash the grinder with lil water and add to the batter.
10. Add 1 tbsp salt or as required. Mix well with hand. Do not use spatula or ladle. Good bacteria in our hand is said to kick start the fermentation process. Keep it closed overnight in a warm place or inside oven with light on, if the temperature is cold.
11. Once it is fermented and raised up, mix it with a ladle. In a idli maker, add 3 cups of water.
12. Take a cotton cloth , wet it in water and squeeze out the excess water. Put the damp cloth over idli plate and press slightly on the holes. Take a ladle full of batter and wipe out the excess batter at the bottom of the ladle against the container mouth.
13. Pour a ladle of batter into each hole and steam in idli maker for 10 to 15 mins.
14. Open and make a hole in idli with wet finger. If the finger is clean without any stickiness, then idli is cooked well. Take out the cloth with idli.
15. Put the cloth with idli facing down in a plate. Drizzle some water over the cloth and gently take out the cloth. The idlis will come out easily.

Notes

1.Do not forget to peel off the skin of castor seeds and wash it as it is said to be toxic.
2.Rice and urad dal ratio is dependent on the quality of urad dal. Urad dal that we use in Coimbatore yields more batter and so we use 6:1 rice:urad dal ratio. But in US, I use 4:1 as urad dal doesn't yield more batter there.
3.If your idli is not fluffy, try to reduce fenugreek seeds from 1 tsp to ½ tsp.

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Preparation – How to make castor seeds idli?

1.Wash and soak idli rice and methi seeds(vendhayam) overnight(or 4 to 8 hrs). Wash and soak Urad dal with skin for 3 to 4 hours (if it’s without skin, then just 1 hour should suffice).

2.Once soaked well, wash rice and urad dal.

3.For urad dal with skin, press between fingers to remove the skin. Wash 5 to 6 times until 75% of the skin are removed. Skin is actually healthy and we can sustain 50% of the skin, but idli will become too fragile and dull-colored. The choice is yours !!

3.First grind methi seeds with soaked water for 5+ mins until it becomes fluffy.

4.Then, to the ground methi batter, add urad dal with lil water. Add lil water whenever required(the batter shouldn’t be thin or tight). Grind till it is nicely fluffy. It took 15 mins for me.

5.Transfer ground methi seeds+urad dal batter to a container. Take 1 castor seed / kottai muthu for each cup of idli rice. I added 6 cups rice and so taken 6 seeds. Slightly hit with a pestle.

6.Peel out the skin and wash the seeds. Grind the castor seeds for 1 min in grinder and then add soaked rice with a cup of water.

7.Add water whenever required(the batter shouldn’t be too tight). Clean the sides once or twice using fingers or spatula.

8.Do not grind it too smooth. Stop once it is nicely ground, but still you could feel slightly grainy when pressed between fingers. It took 20+ mins for me. Transfer ground rice batter to the container containing methi seeds+urad dal batter. Wash the grinder with lil water and add to the batter.

9.Add 1 tbsp salt or as required. Mix well with hand. Do not use spatula or ladle. Good bacteria in our hand is said to kick start the fermentation process. Keep it closed overnight in a warm place or inside oven with light on, if the temperature is cold.

10.Once it is fermented and raised up, mix it with a ladle. In a idli maker, add 3 cups of water.

11.Take a cotton cloth , wet it in water and squeeze out the excess water. Put the damp cloth over idli plate and press slightly on the holes. Take a ladle full of batter and wipe out the excess batter at the bottom of the ladle against the container mouth.

12.Pour a ladle of batter into each hole and steam in idli maker for 10 to 15 mins.

13.Open and make a hole in idli with wet finger. If the finger is clean without any stickiness, then idli is cooked well. Take out the cloth with idli.

14.Put the cloth with idli facing down in a plate. Drizzle some water over the cloth and gently take out the cloth. The idlis will come out easily.

Soft and fluffy kottai muthu idlis are ready. Serve hot with sambar and chutney.

Tips/Tricks in making kottai muthu idli:

• Do not forget to peel off the skin of castor seeds and wash it as it is said to be toxic.
• Rice and urad dal ratio is dependent on the quality of urad dal. Urad dal that we use in Coimbatore yields more batter and so we use 6:1 rice:urad dal ratio. But in US, I use 4:1 as urad dal doesn’t yield more batter there.
• If your idli is not fluffy, try to reduce fenugreek seeds from 1 tsp to 1/2 tsp.