I confess… for time immemorial, I’ve cribbed about how I don’t like idlis. Indeed, I followed on my brother’s and his friends’ adage of expanding IDLI as I-Don’t-Like-It. And as is usual in such cases, I am a big dosai fan. Which then evokes the surprise that now I not only like idlis, but I make them regularly too. But that is in keeping with the fact that I hated brinjals back in India but now have many a mean recipe to contend them with. So.. its a pattern of having the convenience not to eat something versus wanting to. Even then, rava idlis tempted my palate more than the traditional ones. Okay.. now that that’s all cleared up, let’s take a first look at today’s goodies – the mini rava idlis.
The best part about rava idlis is their lack of need of preparation time or fermentation time and such. Overall to make a batch of these goodies, takes 45 minutes, tops. And for how delicious and refreshingly different from ordinary idlis they are, it is indeed worth investing this time and effort into it. Like ‘em? Let’s get started then!
Ingredients
| Coarse rava (semolina) | 2 cups |
| Yogurt (not too thick) | 2 cups |
| Water | 1-1.5 cups |
| Oil | 1 tbsp |
| Curry leaves | 10-15, well washed |
| Kadugu (mustard seeds) | 1 tsp |
| Channa dal (kadalai paruppu or yellow gram dal) | 1 tsp |
| Green chillies | 2, finely chopped |
| Salt | to taste |
| Additional veggies – carrot (if you want – I skipped this) | Grated |
| Coriander leaves (kothamali) or cilantro | 1 sprig, well washed |
| Kaju (cashew nuts) | about 10 halves |
| Baking soda | 1/2 tsp |
How?
It’s as simple as it gets really.
1. On a heavy-bottomed pan, dry roast your 2 cups of rava till they brown a little without burning them. Once it seems like it has browned a bit, set aside and shift to your batter container and let it sit (if you leave it on the pan, it will likely burn in some places and give an unpleasant taste in the end).
2. Meanwhile, prepare the ganishings! On a small pan/kadai, heat the 1 tbsp of oil. Add the mustard seeds, channa dal, green chillies, curry leaves, cashew nuts and let them “fry” till the mustard seeds pop, the cashews brown and the channa dal darkens. Set aside.
3. Mix in the curd and the water along with the roasted rava to form a smooth batter with no lumps. The batter consistency should be similar to regular idli batter. (Hint: Try “pouring” it from a height of about 15cm. It should pour down in a steady but thick stream. If it’s too watery, you may need to add more rava. If it clumps and doesn’t fall steadily, you’ll need to add more water.)
4. Stir in the garnishings.. the fried ingredients and the carrot and cilantro. Blend in the baking soda
There! Your batter is ready!
5. Let it sit for 30 minutes while you prepare something to go with the idlis.
After 30 minutes, load up the idli stand!
Now just steam it regularly in the pressure cooker! This typically takes 13 minutes with a closed lid (NO WEIGHT/WHISTLE please!!) on medium-high with the water inside the cooker already boiling.
And voilà
And this was off to RK’s birthday. And they were soft, supple and very tasty if I say so myself! So, bon appetit!
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