These instant rava idlis, made with minimal and easily available ingredients make for a yummy and healthy, hot breakfast. They taste amazing when paired with chutneys
Idlis make for a super healthy and at the same time, a hearty breakfast/brunch option. And both, my husband and I are huge fans of this fermented food. But, given the colder weather conditions in London, most times, I am unable to successfully get the right fermented rice and lentil batter. You need warmer temperatures get the perfectly fermented idli batter. This makes sure that the steamed rice/lentil cakes turn out fluffy and soft. Since, I haven’t found success with that, the instant rava idli is my go-to recipe when we crave idlis. In fact, even otherwise, these semolina or rava idlis are a fabulous change from the regular rice and lentil ones. You will need just few ingredients to whip these up. So, if there is one morning you wake up and crave idlis you can make them instantly!
The beauty of this instant rava idli recipe is also that you can make them with minimal ingredients. Moreover, ingredients that are most likely already in your kitchen. Also, instead of keeping the idlis as is, I love giving them a flavorful tempering too. This tempering of mustard seeds, curry leaves along with cashews and chilis enhances it’s taste even more. Additionally, if I have carrots with me, I also like adding grated carrots too, to the batter. The rava idlis that you see in the picture are made just that way, with the tempering. We love pairing these yummy, soft idlis with chutneys for our breakfast. And our favorites with these are my spicy peanut chutney and/or my green coconut chutney. What are your favorite chutneys with idlis?
You may also like,
Ragi idli (finger millet flour idli)
Moong dal idlis & tomato chutney
Things to keep in mind
While the rava idli recipe is straightforward, there are some small pointers to bear in mind when making them. First, the semolina (rava) has to be roasted before you make idlis out of them. If not, then it will emit a raw taste in the idlis, which isn’t desirable. Second, you are going to need to add some rising agent to the rava idli batter. Since the batter isn’t naturally fermented, it will not rise on it’s own when steamed. This will result in dense and not very appetizing idlis. A fruit salt (Eno is very popular in India) or even a pinch of baking soda will do the required job here.
Just these two small yet important bits to remember and you will be able to make the most delicious rava idlis for yourself. Moreover, you could make them even more wholesome and yummy. Along with carrots you could also add in finely chopped onions, bell peppers, beans to the batter. This would make it not only more filling and healthy but also more yum. In fact, this is a great way to get kids to have their veggies! So, if you are planning to give this recipe a try sometime, do let me know how you enjoyed them. You ca share your food pictures with me on Instagram and Pinterest. Alternately, you could also share your feedback in the comment section below. I’d love to hear back from you. 🙂
Eat hearty!
Instant vermicelli and semolina idlis
Equipment
- Idli steamer/idli moulds
Ingredients
For the idlis
- 1 cup rava (semolina) dry roasted until fragrant
- ¾ cup yoghurt
- ½ cup carrots grated
- 2-3 fresh chilis chopped
- 1 tbsp mustard seeds
- 1 tbsp urad dal
- 6-7 curry leaves
- 5-6 cashews broken
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp fruit salt or baking soda
- 1 tbsp salt
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, mix together the rava (semolina), salt and yoghurt. Keep this aside to rest for 30 minutes
- Heat a small frying pan and add the mustard seeds and urad dal, when the seeds crackle and dal browns, add the curry leaves and cashews. Cook for 2 minutes and add in the carrot, chilis and turmeric powder
- Stir fry for about 5-7 minutes and remove from heat and add it into the rava and yoghurt batter. Add a cup of water and mix uniformly
- Add the fruit salt (I have used Eno), mix well another time. Grease your idli moulds with ghee/oil and fill each of them with 2-3 tbsp of the batter. Steam on medium high heat for about 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a idli comes out clean
- Serve your delicious instant rava idlis hot along with a chutney of your choice. Enjoy!
Notes
- To roast the rava (semolina), dry roast it in a pan over medium low flame, until slightly brown in colour and fragrant. Keep stirring continuously to avoid it getting burnt
- tsp - teaspoon
- tsp - tablespoon
- 1 cup = 250 milliliters
instant
I have to make this now .Looks tempting mouth watering
Please do it is really easy and quick to make..thank you so so much!You are ever so encouraging x