An Idli is rather like the Cinderella of south Indian cuisine. Compare her to other stalwart favorites like crispy, flamboyant dosas that spill over your plate, and golden, melt-in-the-mouth vadas, and the Idli comes across as rather humble, even plain. Worse, try eating her by herself and she is, to boot, bland. After all, there’s nothing more to a generic Idli than udad dal, rice, and salt.
But there’s something about an Idli. Sprinkle on some fairy dust and lo and behold, she transforms into the belle of the ball. That porous and fluffy texture is the perfect vehicle to showcase the spicy-sweet-sourness of vegetable sambar and the creaminess of coconut chutney: the accompaniments an Idli is traditionally served with. What’s more, unlike those dosas and vadas, an Idli is fat-free, making her the perfect food for just about anyone.
In our home, Idli is a perennial favorite. Both Desi (my resident Tamilian) and Jay love Idlis, and so does my fluffy sweetheart Opie who waits patiently for those under-the-table handouts.
An Idli, as simple as it is, needs some special equipment for steaming. Traditionally this has been a three- or four-tier steel contraption with shallow, round, concave indentations where you pour in the batter before bunging the whole thing into a steamer. A few minutes of steaming sets the cakes and you can then slide them out with a spoon or a knife to get those little rounds many of you are no doubt already familiar with.
Rava Idlis are not fat-free, you do need some oil for sauteeing, but they are filled with veggies and very, very good for you. Making them is also a breeze– you don’t need any of the soaking, grinding, fermentation that goes into the classic Idli. All you need is some cream of wheat, or sooji, or rava, a few veggies from the refrigerator, and you’re all set.
Try ’em. I know you’ll fall in love.
Looking for more south Indian tiffin recipes?
Idli
Quick Masala Dosa
Coconut Rice
Brown Rice Uthappam
Dahi Vada
Rava Idli Recipe
Vegan | Gluten-Free | Nut-Free
Rava Idli
Ingredients
- 3 cups sooji rava or cream of wheat
- 6 ounces of silken tofu (1/2 package)
- 2 tbsp almond milk or any non-dairy milk
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tsp mustard seeds
- A pinch of hing or asafetida, optional
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 2 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 1/2 cup coriander leaves, finely chopped
- 2 green chili peppers like serrano or jalapeno (use less for less heat)
- 4-5 cups water
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp Eno fruit salt, optional, but try and use it if possible-- you can find it at any Indian grocery store or online. It gives the idlis a great fluffiness
Instructions
- Place the tofu in a blender with almond milk and lemon juice. Blend until smooth.
- Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet. Add the mustard and when it sputters, add the onions, ginger and chili peppers.
- Saute, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent. Add some salt to help them along.
- Add the carrots and coriander. Stir well, then add the sooji rava.
- Saute over medium heat, stirring frequently to keep the rava from sticking or burning. It can brown easily in hot spots, so don't leave it unattended.
- When the rava is fragrant and lightly colored, turn off the mixture and let it cool a little. Add the tofu mixture, mix well and add four to five cups of water, You want the batter to be quite thick, thicker than a pancake batter. Add salt to taste.
- Add the Eno fruit salt and immediately pour the batter into the idli molds. If you're using the Idlito, you don't need any oil, but it is a good idea to spray some oil into the steel molds which makes unmolding easier.
- Pour about an inch of water in a wide pan deep and wide enough to hold the idli mold comfortably. Bring it to a boil. Place the mold carefully into the pan. Cover, and let the idlis steam on low heat for 15 minutes.
- Remove the mold from the steamer. Let the idlis cool a bit, then unmold.
- Serve hot with sambar or coconut chutney.
Just made it for dinner. It was an instant hit with family. Since we follow Dr. Esselstyn’s diet at home which is a Whole Foods Plant based diet without oil I skipped the oil in the recipe. I dry roasted the mustard and sauted the veggies without oil. It still came out good. Thank you for sharing.
Just made it for dinner. It was an instant hit with the family. We eat plant based too. This recipe is a keeper. Thank you for sharing.
I love Indian food because it is delicous & I just love all the flavors!
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Rava Idli looks delicious. But more than that I love the shapes of your idlis. They look so cute!
Indian food is my favorite. The complex flavors are fabulous and the large presence of vegetarian cuisine makes it my #1 choice. I love that there are so many different types of food from all the different regions. I feel like I could explore and learn new dishes forever. I even had Indian food at my wedding!
Thanks, all, for participating. I really enjoyed reading through your comments, and remembering just what it is about Indian food that makes it so special.The giveaway is now closed, and the winner, generated at random via random.org, is Ambica.
Congratulations, Ambica, and please email me your address at myveganworld[at]gmail.com, so I can pass along your information to Gitadini. Your Idlito should be on its way soon.
Dear Vaishali, thank you so much for your wonderful review and all these wonderful images, your idlis look sooo tasty. And thanks for hosting a giveaway and even more thanks to all your lovely readers for stopping by and taking time to leave a comment to enter the giveaway. And of course congratulations to Ambica the lucky winner!
I love Indian food for the sheer variety it has to offer! If you choose to cook Indian, all you have to do is pick which culture/stat to decide and you will find there are SO many to choose from which would delight your palette. You can never get bored!
-MS
I love Indian food just for the sheer different flavors and cuisines it has to offer! Variety is the spice of life they say. If you choose to cook
I love the spices and flavors of Indian food. I was fortunate to be able to go to India to both Mumbai and New Delhi to experience the variances in the cuisine from both cities. The experience is unforgettable.
To me Indian cuisine is the best in the world. The flavors, the aroma, the healthful spices, herbs what is not to like! Even my little one, when given a choice, prefers Indian food. I have lived away from family for a while now and try my hands at other cuisines but after a few days of it I always crave my Indian meals. Growing up in a joint family in India my grandmas, aunts and mom were excellent cooks and I was lucky to eat mouth watering food prepared at home and we rarely ate out even when travelling. Thanks to no tv at home I spent time in the kitchen with my family – times I will never forget. So I am obviously biased to Indian food. I do miss making Idlis (love them with molaga podi) since the Idli plates have been packed away in the garage(hopefully!) since we have moved a few times. It is lunch time for us now and your mouth watering idli pictures are making me hungry for them!
I love all the flavors and spices
I am not a fan but my husband loves it