Ingredients:
Sooji (Cream of Wheat/Semolina) – 2 cups
Oil – 2 Tbsp
Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
Asofoetida (Hing) - pinch
Channa
Urad
Dry Whole Red Chili – 1
Broken Cashew Pieces – 1 Tbsp
Yogurt – 1 cup, well beaten
Green Chili – 1 (to taste), finely chopped
Cilantro – 5 sprigs, finely chopped
Salt – 1 tsp (to taste)
Water – 1 cup
ENO Fruit Salt – 2 tsp
Thinly Sliced Tomatoes and Cilantro Leaves – for garnishing
Method:
1. Heat Oil in medium pan on medium heat.
2. Add Mustard Seeds and allow them to pop.
3. Add Asofoetida, Dry Red Chili, Channa
4. When Channa and Urad
5. Keep roasting Sooji until a nice fragrant smell comes or you see the Sooji turning light brown. Do Not Burn the Sooji.
6. Transfer Sooji to a medium bowl and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes.
7. Lightly oil Idli trays with spray cooking oil or regular oil.
8. Prepare Idli steamer by pre-heating water to a boil.
9. In another small bowl, mix Yogurt, Curry Leaves, Green Chilies, Cilantro,
10. Pour Yogurt mixture into the cooled Sooji and mix.
11. Add Water a little at a time and keep mixing until there are no lumps visible. Allow the batter to rest for at least 15-20 minutes.
12. Add ENO Fruit Salt and mix well. The mixture should foam up.
13. Immediately pour mixture into the Idli Trays and put the Idli Stand into the steamer.
14. Place a tight lid on the steamer and steam Idlis for exactly 16 minutes on medium heat.
15. Remove Idlis from the trays by scooping them out with a spoon.
16. Serve hot with chutney or sambar.
17. Makes approx. 20 idlis.
Tips:
- If you have an Idli Stand, but no steamer, you can use any tall stock pot with a tight fitting lid. Another alternative is to use a Rice Cooker (your Idli Stand Should fit into it).
- After ENO has been added, Idlis must be steamed immediately. If you are making more than one batch, be sure to divide the roasted Sooji. Add the wet ingredients only to the amount which will fit in your Idli Stand at one time.
- For a prettier presentation, drop a thin slice of tomato and a cilantro leaf at the bottom of each idli indention before pouring in the batter on top.
- To save time for the future, you can make and keep the roasted, dry Sooji mixture in bulk in the refrigerator or freezer. Whenever you want to make
Rava Idlis, you just have to add in the wet ingredients.
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September 22nd, 2007 at 2:14 am
I liked this quick idli recipe. My daughter just loves idlis and i am sick of using Gits.
I think I will try this one. Looks good.
January 9th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
Hi,
The recipe looks good and easy to make. I have a question… what is ENO fruit salt?? Where can I get it?? And… is there a substitute for ENO fruit salt??
January 10th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Hi Sandhya,
ENO Fruit Salt is actually an Ayurvedic substance for relieving acidity or an upset stomach (similar to Alka Seltzer but without aspirin). It is used in cooking for making things rise without fermentation…in recipes like rava idli or dhokla. You can find it in Indian stores. We are not aware of any substitutes but please DO NOT use Alka Seltzer.
January 10th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Thanks Hetal.
January 17th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Hi Hetal and Anuja…
good work by the deadly duo…:)
my compliments to you…
i have a question….can we use soda by carb. as a substitute of ENO fruit salt…?
January 17th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
We have been told that you can substitute soda bi carbonate for Eno but the results are not going to be as good. Also, you are probably better off leaving the batter in a warm place to ferment for a couple of hours.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:11 am
thanks anuja
June 20th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Dear Hetal / Anuja,
I tried this receipe as per your instruction and tasted really good. Thanks a lot.
July 19th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
I tried this recipe and it came out wonderful. The ENO fruit salt makes a big difference. The idlis remained soft even after 4 hours. That was amazing.
Can I try this with dili rava instead of suji. I have a lot of idli rava at home and want to use it. Any idea is it will work the same.Thanks again for the nice recipe. I like all your recipes.
Thanks,
Pavithra
July 19th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Thanks Pavithra!
Unfortunately, idli rava will not work in this recipe. Idli rava is actually parboiled rice which has been ground into a coarse powder. Sooji is cream of wheat. Idli rava has to be soaked for minimum 6-8 hours so it wouldn’t be “instant”. I do use idli rava for the traditional idlis. We will have a video for that coming soon.
August 19th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
hello ladies:
oops sorry…i did not fill in the correct boxes or the reply mail.
this is an awesome recipe. i made it exactly the same way and it turned out to be too good. my little one loved it. since i did not have the idli utensil, i used 5 small round “katoris” and steamed it the traditional way. the recipe came out perfect. thanks for the delicious recipes.
best of wishes.
rizwana
barodawalarizwana@yahoo.com
raudawala@yahoo.com
September 10th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Hi Hetal, Aanju
I want to know what is suji? It is made from wheat?
September 12th, 2008 at 7:01 am
i made this recipe today.the recipe came out perfect.it was delicious.my husband and my little daughter loved it.