Idli using Idli rava recipe – A huge pack of Idli rava was sleeping in my pantry.., guess it might be the same with many of you too. I couldn’t think of anything productive other than turning them to Hotel Idlis. Well, home made idlis with regular idli rice are whiter, spongy and soft. Whereas these Rava idlis…when steamed turn out to be pale white, bulgy and spongy. They turn out to be like the ones which we get in restaurants. Mostly these are kind of staple in many telugu households but to us or atleast me they remind me of hotel idlis.
Some recipes to try..
You don’t even need a grinder, a good heavy duty mixer should do the work for you. Exact measures will help u yield the best results, just blindly follow the steps and then reward yourself with a plate full of idlis with piping hot sambar over it.
| Ingredients | |
|---|---|
| 2 cups | Idli rava |
| 1/2 cup | Urad dal (whole) |
| 2 teaspoon | Salt (preferably kosher) |
| ½ teaspoon | Fenugreek seeds |
| 2 cups | Water (for soaking rava) |
| 1½ cup | Water (for grinding urad dal) |
Lets see how to make this idli using idli rava…
You must plan ahead if you want to make these idlis. So, say if you want to have idlis for Saturday breakfast, then start on a thursday night. Soak 1/2 cup of urad dal with fenugreek seeds in enough water. Let it soak overnight.
The next day wash the urad dal and grind it in a grinder or mixie to a silky smooth consistency. When grinding urad dal, drain all water and let it run for 5 minutes then start adding water slowly inorder to make it run. On the whole you need about 1 to 1 1/2 cup water, do not add more. Let the grinder run for 15 minutes, it should reach the right conisitency by then. The batter should be fluffy 😆 and when you drop a sample over water… it should float!
Meanwhile lets work on the rava. Most Indian stores have these starting from 2 pounds. Take exactly two cups of idli rava in deep bowl.
Now warm up 2 cups of water in microwave or over the stove. Do not boil.. just warm it and mix 2 tsp of kosher salt.
Why Kosher salt ? This is pure iodine free salt and works well with fermentation. Not a must but recommended. Ok ok, I can see you scratching your head, never mind.. plain salt will also work.
Now add this salt water to the 2 cups of rava. Let it soak for 1/2 hour. The thirsty rava will drink up all the water and it will look like this.
Just a closer look.
Now mix the urad dal paste with this soaked rava and mix well. Fermentation takes about 8 to 9 hours. I usually keep the batter covered over the counter top until that evening.
Just before your dinner time, pre heat the oven, usually its a pre-set of 350F. Turn off your oven and place the batter covered in the oven. Use a oven safe bowl to be on the safer side. Close the oven door and go enjoy your favorite TV show. Let it ferment over night.
Saturday morning, you will end up having fermented batter which will look like this.
Slightly mix, you can add little water if its too thick. Pour them in idli plates about a ladleful in each cup. Let it steam for about 10 minutes in a idli cooker or regular steamer.
Once done, don’t rush and dig in to scoop the idlis. Allow the steam settle, otherwise the idlis will stick to the plates. After a while, just stick a spoon underneath and they will slide smoothly.
Enjoy them while hot with sambar and chutney. Try one from our 45+ chutney recipes
This is how we had it for breakfast!!
Notes
27 Comments
Hi Mullai,
In the ingredient list it says to add 1/2 cup urad dal but In the method it says to add 1 cup. Which should I follow? Thanks!
Hi Prarthana, thank you for bringing up to me, its a type and its 1/2 cup as per the table, I did correct it! Thanks dear.
HI ,AS I LIVE IN LONDON (ESSEX COUNTY) CAN ANY ONE TELL ME WHERE I CAN BUY IDLI RAVA
IT LOOKS GOOD REALLY WANT TO TRY THIS
Vani, all Indian grocery stores should have these, check when visit the store next time. Thanks.
your camera is gud — nice pics of idli
not only the camera pictures are good, but also the taste of the idli also very good….
Wow… Amazing receipe and neat & clear step by step explanation. Thanks.
Hi Mullai, I just had a doubt if the same rice rava can be used for arisi upma?may be not because for arisi upma they use raw rice rava and this one is not. Please clarify. By the way can you post recipe for arisi upma please.many thanks,Lakshmi
Lakshmi, like you mentioned arisi upma is made from noyi arisi(broken raw rice/ pachai arisi), you can still use this but tastewise I prefer pachai arisi. Thanks.
Dont u think 350F is far too high a temp?cos I used to earlier try it at that temp and found out that my idli batter dint ferment.thus I had tried it at jus 200F preheated for jus 15 minutes
OMG….I cannot beleive what bulunder i did with Idli Rava today,
I thought Idli rava is the shortcut to making idlis…and I took IR , added some salt , Added Yogurt and beat it …Kept it for 20 mins and made Idlis…Worst ever idlis in history…
Cursed myself whole day but confused what went wrong…I thought just like we make Idli using Suji, we can use IR
But you made my day… BIg Thank You and Biggg Hug…Am gonne try this morning first thing
Thanx mullai. Np, Planning to make Rava Pongal using rest of the idli rava. Thanx for your immediate reply dear.
mullai, i tried idly using idly rava..the outcome was as same as yours. But the problem is idly sapdum pothu uthirinthu varuthu!! can’t able to dip in sambar its like rava upma…I followed exactly what you had mentioned in the recipe. Don’t know where i went wrong. Pls help me to fix the issue. FYI – idli batter fermented well and water quantity is also same as u mentioned.
Can we make dosa using this batter ? pls let me know.
Cap, usually thats how they are… just like rava idlis but they will be intact. May be the water content must have been little too much. The batter should be thick, I understand that you used the right quantity but still things like this happens. Try with less water next time. Urad dal could be one culprit, as with whole urad the quantity usually turns more and broken urad yield less. So i have no clue as to which one, better luck next time. BTW, this batter is only for idlis, if attempted- get ready for a shabby one.
I know you have been asking for Singapore recipes, i will try to update some… I got to do some serious shopping for that!!!
Thanks,
Mullai.
Hi Ladies, I am not Indian but my husband is Indian, I am trying to learn Iindian cooking. I am confused on idly rava and idly podi. Idli Podi is sold here in Dubai in south indian shops, it is already contains urad dal inside. I am just wondering is idly rava and idly podi same thing? Thank you for help!
Samira, they are two different things. I hope you know what idlis are !! do you??
Idli – Soft steamed rice cakes made with ground rice and urad lentil.
Idli rava – Ground rice used to make idlis. This is also called Cream of rice.
Idli podi – Its a spice mix made with red chili+ combination of lentils which includes urad too. This is usually served as a side for idlis or dosas. We mix this powder with sesame oil and eat along with idlis.
Hope your doubt is cleared. Thanks.
Mullai mam,
i request you to post the recipe for upma using this idli rava.i tried out but result did not turn up well..
pls help i think the upma will also taste good..(different from normal upma)
hi mullai,
thanks for this recipe..
I have a doubt that y we need to preheat in oven, is it that the batter needs warmth..
the climatic condition at my place is warm only..can i allow the batter to ferment normally without pre-heating
Hi Mullai,
I made Idlis today using this recipe. It was excellent!
I was never able to make Idlis like this before; soft and yummy. I made
the Kothamalli thokku to go with this and it was just an amazing
combination!
It’s really great that you share so many recipes! They are always
a great success 🙂
May god bless you and your family!
Sowmya
Hi Mullai
Can I try this with regular sooji?
Shiyam, these idlis are from cream of rice and what you have asked is sooji which is cream of wheat. This recipe will not work with sooji.. try this one instead
http://www.spiceindiaonline.com/rava_idli_2
thanks mullai for this spongy recipe. i too have idli rava without knowing wat to do with it. will try this idli.
Hi mullai,
very nice idlis, i will try this recipe and thanks a lot mullai
Hi mullai,
Very nice ……..What you have mentioned in the first line is very true ………
Keep up ur good work …..Will utilize the idly rava
Thanks .
Mullai, nice to see your post. Asusual superb and mouthwatering ! Will try soon once i get idly rava
Have a great day
Vow!! My all time favorite is this.used to have such idlies in SUKH SAGAR chennai.. Taste heavenly when these idlies takes bath in sambar which has a sweet tint on it..
Thanks Mullai..
looks gr8…of all its extremly good and exciting to see that you have started to post your interesting reciepes again…keep it coming 🙂