A Rava Idli, made with sooji or farina, is an easy, quick version of a classic idli, a south Indian tiffin favorite. My recipe makes soft, fluffy and spongy rava idlis, and it come together in minutes, without the day-long process of soaking and fermenting lentils and rice that goes into making a traditional idli batter. A healthy, vegan, soy-free recipe, can easily be nut-free.
An idli is rather like the Cinderella of south Indian cuisine. Compared to other stalwart favorites like crispy, flamboyant dosa that spills over the plate, and golden, melt-in-the-mouth vadas, an 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 urad dal, rice, and salt.
In our home, idli is a perennial favorite. Both Desi (my resident Tamilian) and Jay love 'em and I end up making them almost as often as I make dosas. But as with dosa, an idli batter, while not at all difficult to make, requires a day-long process of soaking lentils and rice and then blending it all up into a batter, then leaving the batter to ferment overnight.
With rava idli, like this one I'm sharing today, you can bypass all of this work and bring your batter together in all of 15 minutes of hands-on time. Another 15 minutes of steaming and you're good to eat.
The process of making a rava idli begins out very much like making upma, another popular south Indian tiffin dish, and the ingredients are also much the same.
You will need a mold to steam the idlis in that's usually sold in Indian stores or online as an "idli stand". If you're Indian, you are no doubt familiar with this, but if you aren't, it is usually 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 of moon-like idlis.
You can also buy a steamer that the stand goes in, but you really don't need it. You can simply use a large pot or, if you have one, a pressure cooker.
Recipe FAQs
You will need rava or sooji or semolina for this recipe. You can use the one sold in Indian stores or online as "sooji" or "rava" or "farina".
Toast your sooji with the spices until it becomes fragrant--your nose will tell you when it does--before adding the liquids to it.
You can vary up the spices and ingredients you add to your rava idli to your liking. For instance, you could add veggies, like grated carrots or bell peppers or onions. Or you can add in chopped nuts, like cashew. I keep mine simple, with just a few spices and cashew nuts. Keep in mind, if you add veggies, that you shouldn't go overboard if you want your idlis to form and hold after steaming. About a cupful is more than enough for this recipe.
Yogurt adds a lovely lightness and flavor to the rava idli, especially in the absence of the fermentation process an idli would usually go through. I use my own homemade cultured cashew yogurt, but you can use any storebought unsweetened yogurt. Cup for cup, you'll need as much yogurt as sooji for this rava idli.
To achieve the perfect, spongy texture in your idlis, add a dash of baking soda. Indian cooks often use a fruit salt called "Eno"--used to aid digestion--for idli-making, because it has baking soda as one of its ingredients. Unless Eno's all you have, I'd recommend just adding the baking soda.
Rava idlis can be white or yellow--the yellow tinge in mine comes from turmeric, which I add with the other spices. You can always leave it out if you want whiter ones (they won't be as white as regular idlis because of the other spices).
After you've roasted the sooji, add the yogurt and let the mixture sit for 15 minutes, so your sooji has time to absorb the yogurt, before adding the water to make a batter. The batter should be consistent and thicker than a pancake batter.
Oil the idli molds or spray on some cooking spray before you scoop the batter into them. This helps the idlis slide out when they're done. If you skip this step, your idlis will stick!
Steam the idlis in a pressure cooker with the pressure regulator (whistle) off, or in a large pot with a lid that has a vent hole, on high for four minutes and then on medium-low for 10 minutes. A steady stream of stem should emanate from the pot after the first four minutes.
Turn off the heat after the steaming's done, open the lid, and let the idli rack stand for 5-10 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edges of the idli and slide them out.
Serve hot.
I love eating rava idlis with a coconut chutney. It also goes very nicely with this roasted red pepper chutney or with an onion chutney.
Idli also pairs beautifully with a south Indian sambar.
Depends on what you're looking for. A traditional idli is gluten-free and made of rice and lentils, and it goes through a fermenting process that makes it probiotic and even healthier. A rava idli is made with wheat, but you have an opportunity to add healthy veggies and nuts to it, and it also has probiotic yogurt in it. Rava idlis also, in my experience, tend to be more kid- and crowd-friendly.
More delicious south Indian recipes
Recipe card
Rava Idli Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- A pinch asafetida or hing (hing, optional)
- ÂĽ cup raw cashews (coarsely chopped)
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 sprig curry leaves (cut into thin strips)
- 2 tablespoon cilantro (minced)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 cups sooji (also called rava or farina or semolina)
- 2 cups vegan yogurt
- 1-2 green chili peppers (like serrano or jalapeno. Deseed or use less for less heat)
- Salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup grated vegetables (like carrots or bell peppers, optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet. Add the mustard leaves and asafetida, if using. When the mustard sputters, add the cashews, ginger, curry leaves, cilantro and turmeric. Saute for a couple of minutes, then skip to next step if not using veggies. If using veggies, add them at this point. Continue to saute a few more minutes until any visible moisture has evaporated.
- Saute for a couple of minutes, then add in the sooji. Roast the sooji, stirring it frequently, for about 5-10 minutes over medium-low heat or until the sooji smells fragrant. Don't leave the sooji unattended on the stove because it will brown fast in hot spots.
- Turn off the heat and stir the yogurt and salt to taste into the sooji. The mixture will be quite thick, but that's okay. Let it stand for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, add water to the batter, until it's slightly fluid but thicker than a pancake batter. Add the baking soda and stir it in.
- Oil the idli molds or spray them with cooking spray. Fill the molds with the idli batter, but don't let the batter brim over. Stop just short of the mold being completely full.
- Pour about an inch of water in a wide pot deep and wide enough to hold the idli rack comfortably, or in a pressure cooker. Place the mold inside and cover the pot with a lid that has a vent hole. If using pressure cooker, leave the pressure regulator off so the steam vents. You don't want pressure to build up inside the cooker, you just want the idlis to steam.
- Let the idlis cook on high 4-5 minutes. By that time you should see some steam venting from the lid. At this point turn down the heat and cook another 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Carefully, because there's steam inside the pot, open the lid and let the idli rack stand on the countertop for about five minutes. Use a sharp knife to loosen the idlis from the molds and slide them out.
Notes
Nutrition Information
To print recipe card without images, uncheck "instruction images" after clicking the "print recipe" button.
Ambica says
Vaihali,
Could I give you a hug? You veganized Rava idlies- these are my favorite and you are my hero. Can't wait to try it.
Thanks
Ambica
PS - Love Indian food because it is yummy and quick and can satisfy all dietary restrictions - vegan, no soy, no gluten.
Christina says
I love Indian food and Dosa is one of my favorites. I have never had idli and would love to make them. It could be a new favorite.
Karen Lyles says
I love Indian food and you have so many good looking recipes! I'd love to win and try these...otherwise, I'm going to try using silicone muffin cups.
Niki says
I love Indian food because it's delicious, health, fun and creative! It can easily be vegan and gf and love the heat:))
Kitty says
I love all the spices in Indian food! All the dishes smell and taste so wonderful and delicious, and they're easy to make for a vegan diet too.
Amy says
I love Indian food because it is ever fascinating. From the Himalayas to Kochin, from Bombay to Calcuttta, and points inbetween, India's many regions feature cuisines with flavors, spicings, and cooking techniques that make for extraordinary deliciousness. I could cook and eat Indian food every day and never tire of it. It makes me a fusspot when I go to Indian restaurants - most in the Midwestern city where I live are substandard. A good restaurant, however, especially ones specializing in vegetarian food, are worth their weight in gold, and recipes that let me duplicate those wonderful flavors are diamonds! Thank you for all you do.
Melinda says
I have to come clean - I'm that subscriber that has followed you for years, loved the way you transform and adapt flavors as I transitioned from carnivore to vegetarian to (finally!) vegan, and never commented. So first, a very, very belated thank you for sharing your love for food with another food lover! Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I have another confession to make - Indian food helps me pretend, for a moment, that I'm not a medical student spending my days in lecture halls and the hospital, behind books and computers. Indian food takes me back to my childhood - which, granted, was full of Caribbean food, but that had the same loving care for bold and exciting and unashamedly keep-you-coming-back flavors and ingredients that Indian food has. That, and one of my best friends growing up was (and is) half Indian and half Pakistani. So whether it's stuffed dosa in my kitchen, simmering dal in my best friend's family's kitchen, or nearly anything at the Indian restaurant down the road (whose menu I know embarrassingly well), Indian flavors have been my go-to, my mainstay, and a food palette that has kept me sane after more than one sleepless night.
suba says
Hi Vaishali, I love Indian food as it is close to my heart and believe that it provides well-rounded options for healthy eating. I am confident that my loved ones get a healthy and tasty meal when I cook Indian dishes. Every dish I cook from my mom's kitchen or website like Holy Cow! I get the sense of connecting with my family. That said, Idlis, sambar, chutney drooooll 🙂 Just soaked fenugreek and idli rice to grind later for fluffy idlis!! Take care...
Gita Jaishankar says
Lovely idlis Vaishali...I love the shape of these idli molds, like your family, I too make idlis everyday. It is my hubby's and kids' favorite food. Your rava idli version is too good, great idea to school lunch box packing with a small container of sambar or any other sides. I usually make mini idlis for the kiddos, I am sure my daughter would love the heart-shaped idlis 🙂
Barb says
I stumbled across your site and newsletter... and it, daily, reminds me that I've loved any Indian food I ever tried (which is quite a bit). Whenever I check recipes, I can't believe how many healthy ingredients are in Indian food. You want me to tell you WHY I like Indian food? Um... because I can't think of a single reason why I wouldn't. Mmmmmm.
Laura says
I went on a VegVoyages trip last year to Rajastan and the food was always totally, incredibly delicious. Wow. I gained 4 pounds in 18 days, we ate so much good food. And to find these wonderful recipes here on HolyCow is such a gift! I love the flavors and subtle (and not so subtle) mixing of spices and herbs in (vegan) Indian food! Such a fantastic site. Thank you!
Dana says
I love Indian food for its sophisticated simplicity. Each dish is a bloom of flavors...I love the basic palate of spices that can be combined to form so many distinct flavors and dishes. I have been vegetarian for over 20 years but am relatively new to home Indian cuisine--and your blog has been such a terrific inspiration and teacher!
Lisa says
I love to prepare and eat Indian food because it is not only nutritious but also healing. For thousands of years, Ayurvedic practitioners have studied the healing properties of spices and vegetables...we are what we eat... Indian food helps to balance body, mind and spirit!
Mandy Wolovich says
I am in love with these idli molds! I love Indian food because Indians know how to eat their vegetables! I learned how to be vegetarian in India and it changed my way of thinking about food and animals and eventually led to a vegan lifestyle. Thank you so much for your recipes and inspiration, you are a gem!
Anne says
I love Indian food because there is such a huge variety of flavours and there are so many layers to the flavours. I also love that so much of the food centers around vegetables. One of my favourite local restuarants is Indian - Ashirwad The Blessing - and it's been fun to try new and different things there. The owner is always eager to tell us about the foods and make any accommodations I request for vegan, although many menu items are already vegan.
I enjoy your blog and the insights it gives me into new foods!
Marie says
I have a love affair with Indian food because I love spices! Cumin, turmeric, coriander, cilantro , cinnamon and spicy peppers are some of my favorite spices.
Julie says
Most of my closest friends and coworkers during graduate school were from India, and I learned to love and cook Indian food from them. Now that we've moved on to new jobs and don't see each other often, eating Indian food is one of my favorite ways to remember them and our time together!
Diane says
I have been vegan for 16 years and vegetarian since birth. Indian food shares my passion for the reverence of all living creatures. Nothing feels more like home than a comforting curry meal! Thank you for the recipe.
Barbara Becker says
I was born in South Africa and grew up eating a lot of Indian food. Two years ago I travelled in Northern India for three weeks. What an amazing experience! The sights, the sounds, the tastes, the noise - it was all wonderful. My next trip will be Southern India, where I am told the food is so different. I can't wait. I have been vegan for almost two years, trying to live a healthier and compassionate to animals lifestyle. I find myself cooking more and more Indian recipes. Thank you for Holy Cow.
DebV says
I love Indian food because it is flavorful, healthy, uses so many amazing healthy spices and can something different every day. Love idles and can't wait to try your rava idles!
Catherine Hess says
I love Indian food for its abundant spices and generous use of vegetables and legumes. It is never boring, even if it is an idli!
How do you suppose this recipe would work if I tried to make it gluten free, perhaps by using millet or another small grain? I'd throw in egg replacer, too, to try to get them to hold together. If I win the Idlito I will certainly give it a try.
Laura says
I love Indian food because it reminds me if sharing meals with my childhood best friend and her family. She was the first vegetarian I ever met and would always share her meals at school with me. As we became better friends and we grew up, I would share meals with her family in their home. In many ways, those mealtimes influenced me to make the choice as an adult to become vegetarian and then ultimately vegan. I guess you could say Indian food = comfort food to me, in so many ways. 🙂
Kim says
I love Indian food because it's just healthy eating. You get plenty of nutritious, whole food in EVERY dish. Each dish is completely delicious and I always feel like I'm indulging, but I'm just eating healthy...nourishing my body the right way.
Thank you for your blog! Really love everything you share.
ka
Chhaya says
I grew up eating Indian food, cooked by mom and maybe I am biased, but I love the way Indian food incorporates various spices, the sheer variety of food available to suit any palette! Also, generally food pairings have a nutritional / Ayurvedic basis which is always a joy to discover and follow!
Saranya says
Rava idly is a regular on the weeknight dinner rotation list at my place 🙂 I season a spoon of urad dal and channa dal for that added crunchiness! 🙂 I love Indian food because I think its ideal for weeknight dinners - doesn't take more than 30-45 mins to put together a healthy meal with enough for lunch the next day! Loaded with flavor and very easy to convert even the calorie-rich meals into something simpler for everyday.
Andrew Romanelli says
I love Indian food because there are so many vegan recipes, or easily adaptable vegetarian ones. The flavors from the spices are wonderful. Indian restaurants are also places I can usually get a great vegan meal.
Paula says
that looks delicious!
I love Indian food because it makes eating veggies fun!
Baru says
I love to make idli for my daughters, I fact today our breakfast is idli. I would love to try different shapes and looks beautiful.
Thank you
NancyK says
Oooh, another to add to my to-make list! These look amazing.
I love Indian food because it's healthy, flavorful, intriguing, and a delight to make. The aromas in my kitchen when I start cooking an Indian feast are heavenly. What's not to love?
Thank you for another recipe to try!
Ian says
Indian food is one of the world's best ways to serve vegetables. It's healthy, fun to learn to cook, and always tastes amazing. I have not heard of rava idli before, but I will be sure to try a bit with some homemade apple pear chutney that I recently set my sights on making.
Your instructions are clear and your photos are perfect. Thanks, Vaishali!
Natalie says
I haven't tried Indian food,but I'm always eager to try anything new,especially from another culture.