Ravva idli using Cream of wheat

Idli is an age old breakfast dish in South India. Now, it gained popularity, not only all over india, but in many other countries also. Idlis are steam cooked, fat free and make a delicious breakfast dish or snack!

Main ingredients for regular idli are urad dal and rice. But the preparation takes a long time as the dal has to be soaked, ground and fermented. During winter season, it is difficult to ferment the batter.
There are variations of regular idli where the fermentation is not needed and you can have instant idlis! One of such variations is ravva/ semolina/cream of wheat idlis.

Idlis are steam cooked in a special container available in many Indian stores in USA.  Even if you do not have the container, you can use the "idli stand", a set of plates you can place in a pressure cooker or instant pot.

Ravva idli mix is commercially available and is available in many Indian stores in USA. But, it is easy to make your own batter and not too time consuming. So, even if you do not have an Indian store in your vicinity, ravva idlis can be made at home!

                                                            

Ingredients:

•      1 cup sooji/ Bombay ravva or Cream of wheat
•      1/2 to 3/4 cup curd (yogurt)
•      2 Tbsp. oil
•      1 Tsp. chana dal
•      1 Tsp. urad dal
•      1/2 Tsp. mustard seeds
•      Pinch of hing (asafetida)
•      1 green chile chopped
•      1/2 inch ginger chopped
•      1 medium size carrot grated
•      2 or 3 beans chopped fine
•      2 Tbsp. red bell pepper or red sweet chile chopped
•      A few curry leaves
•      1/2 Tsp. baking soda
•      Salt to taste

Directions:

1.      Heat oil in a thick wide pan.
2.      Add chana dal, urad dal and mustard seeds.
3.      Keep stirring.
4.      Add asafetida.
5.      When the dal is getting brown in color, add chile and ginger pieces.
6.       Saute for a minute and add carrot, beans and red pepper pieces.
7.      Keep stirring.
8.      When the vegetables are getting soft, add the ravva (cream of wheat).
9.      Add salt.
10.      Mix well and let it roast for about 5 minutes.
11.      When the ravva is turning brown and has a nice aroma, turn off the heat.
12.      Let it cool for some time.
13.     When the mixture is at room temperature, take curd/yogurt in a vessel and add about 1/2 cup of water.
14.      Whisk it well so that thick buttermilk is formed.
15.      Add the roasted ravva mixture and mix well.
16.      Let it stay for ten minutes.
17.      If the mixture is too thick, add some more water so that the batter has idli batter consistency.
18.     The batter should fall down easily from the spoon as you mix it,
19.     Add the baking soda and mix well till the batter turns frothy. 
20.     Grease the idli plates and pour 2 or 3 table spoons of batter in each mold.
21.     Steam the idlis for about 10 minutes and turn the heat off.
22.     Let the idlis cool for a few minutes and remove from the plates.
23.     Serve with sambar and chutney.

Undrallu using daliya (Wheat ravva cooked with coconut etc., special for Ganesh puja)

Ganesh Puja is just a few days away! It is time to be prepared to make the special prasadams (offerings) for Ganesha.

In my earlier post, I mentioned about kudumulu using rice ravva. In some places, rice ravva may not be available. You may not have the time to prepare the rice ravva at home. More important than all the above reasons, I wanted to try wheat ravva/daliya as an alternative. Diabetics prefer daliya as an alternative to rice. In many Indian stores, daliya is available. Also, I tried dry grated coconut instead of fresh one!

I tried steaming the kudumulu in steamer basket which is locally available in USA, instead of idli maker. Of course, you can steam them in either of them!

Daliya and chana dal:                                                                    Prepared balls ready for steaming:













Steamer basket cooker:                                                                                     Steamed undrallu:















Ingredients:

•      1 cup daliya
•      1/3 cup fresh or dry grated coconut
•      3 Tbsp. chana dal
•      1/2 tsp. jeera seeds
•      2 Tsp. ghee

Directions:

1.      Soak chanadal in water for 3 to 4 hours.  
2.      Drain the water and leave it in a colander.
3.      Heat ghee in a deep pan, add jeera seeds.
4.      When jeera seeds start spluttering, add chana dal.
5.      Sauté for about 4 minutes.
6.      Add 2 cups of boiling water.
7.      Add daliya, keep stirring for a few minutes.
8.      Reduce heat, partially cover the pan and let it cook.
9.      After a few minutes, all the fluid will be evaporated.
10.      Turn off the heat, keep the pan covered and let it settle.
11.      Transfer the cooked daliya mixture to a plate.
12.      Add salt and grated coconut.
13.      Mix it well and make small balls.
14.      Place the balls in an idli maker or a steamer or pasta cooker.
15.      Steam cook the undrallu for about 6 to 7 minutes.
16.      Serve after 10 minutes.
17.      Can be served with chutney or raita.

 

Undrallu/Kudumulu/Modakalu (rice ravva cooked with coconut etc, special for Ganesh puja)

Ganesh Puja is just a few days away! It is time to be prepared to make the special prasadams (offerings) for Ganesha. I feel Ganesha is a very health conscious God!! The prasadams made for this puja are all steam cooked, no deep frying at all!!

Every family has a way of making these undallu/kudumulu/modakalu etc. I am giving the way, my  mother used to make them. Most of the people use chana dal and in our family, we use red chana which after it is sautéed in ghee, gives a nice color and flavor to the final product.

In Telugu "ravva" means cracked, like Bombay ravva for sooji and godhuma ravva for daliya (cracked wheat). Main ingredient for this recipe is rice ravva. It is different from idli ravva. In Andhra, it is available in stores, sold as rice ravva. It can be made at home in the grinder. Wash rice in water and dry it for a few hours. Then coarse grind the rice. Sieve it so that fine powder is removed.

Cooking the ravva is more like cooking cous cous in USA.  More than enough water is boiled in a large container, a few minutes after adding ravva, most of the water is drained off. Then the container is covered and heated on low heat for 4 to 5 minutes. The resulting mixture is like small grains of sand. It should not be sticky.

 

 

Ingredients:

•      1 cup rice ravva
•      1/3 cup fresh grated coconut
•      3 Tbsp. sanagalu (red whole chana)
•      1/2 tsp. jeera seeds
•      Salt to taste
•      2 Tsp. ghee
•      Pinch of turmeric

Directions:

1.      Soak chana overnight in enough water, after adding a pinch of turmeric.
2.      Drain water and leave in a colander.
3.      Heat ghee in a pan and add jeera.
4.      After a minute, when jeera seeds start spluttering, add chana.
5.      Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, till chana is cooked.
6.      Boil about 3 cups of water in a thick bottom vessel.
7.      Add rice ravva to the boiling water.
8.      After the mixture starts boiling (first bubbles that come up), drain the water as much as you can.
9.      Keep the covered container back and cook on low heat for 4 to 5 minutes.
10.      Let it cool and fluff the mixture.
11.      Transfer to a plate, add grated coconut, sautéed chana and salt.
12.      Mix thoroughly and make small balls.
13.      Place the balls in an idli maker or a steamer.
14.      Steam cook the undrallu for about 6 to 7 minutes.
15.      Serve after 10 minutes.
16.      Can be served with chutney or raita.  

  

Panasa aaku buttalu (Idlis in jackfruit leaf baskets)

Idli made in jackfruit leaf basket is a specialty dish in parts of Andhra Pradesh. These idlis are offered in pujas like Ganesh festival etc, which are celebrated in Aug/Sep. In coastal regions of Karnataka and particularly Mangalore area,  Khotto ,as they are known as, are a very popular breakfast. Idlis, when they are steamed in the leaf baskets have a very special flavor.
Art of making the baskets with jackfruit leaves is slightly difficult, but can be mastered with practice.
I am trying to insert photographs at different stages of making the basket. Do give it a try, if you can get the leaves. As an alternative, banana leaves are rolled into cylindrical containers and filled with idli batter. Then you will get cylindrical idlis.
You may try to use either romaine lettuce or any other edible leaf to make the containers, so that idli along with the container can be eaten. Time to experiment!!

Two leaves attached together

Four leaves attached and finished basket

First corner formed

Idli container using an idli plate

Idli container using a steamer plate

Banana leaf rolls for cylindrical idlis

Ingredients:

•      Jackfruit leaves (neither too tender nor too brittle)
•      Broomstick pieces or Tooth picks or Needle and thread
•      Idli batter 

Directions:

Wash and on cloth pat dry the jackfruit leaves.

Try to put together same size leaves.

Take 2 leaves and join them together using the stick/tooth pick. (follow the photos inserted).

Attach the 3rd leaf and finally the 4th leaf.

Following the pictures, fold the leaves and attach them to make the container look like a basket.

See that there are no holes in the corners.

Sprinkle a few drops of water in the basket and fill with idli batter halfway through.

Start heating some water in an idli container.
Place the baskets on the idli plate or a steamer plate and put it inside the idli container. Cover the container.
After the steam starts coming up, reduce the heat and cook for about 10 minutes.
Poke a tooth pick or fork to test whether idli is cooked.
Once the idli is ready, turn the heat off and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.
Open the baskets removing the sticks/tooth picks and serve with chutney and sambar.

Idli

 

 

Idli is an age old breakfast dish in South India. Now, it gained popularity, not only all over India, but in many other countries also. Idlis are steam cooked, fat free and delicious breakfast or snack. Split or whole urad dal (black gram) and rice (either broken rice, which is called ravva or whole rice) are the main ingredients for this preparation. Rice and dal are soaked in plenty of water, ground and fermented to make soft idlis. The fermented batter is then steam cooked in a special container available in many Indian stores in USA. Even if you do not have the container, you can use the "idli stand", a set of plates you can place in a pressure cooker or a deep pot large enough to put the stand and prepare idlis.

Readymade idli batter is available in many Indian stores in USA. When you do not have a store where the batter is available or you do not care for the batter, you can make your own batter following the process given in this recipe.

Everyone has a different ratio of dal and rice.  I prefer using more dal and less rice so that it is healthier. Also, I use rice ravva and not whole rice which has to be ground to make the batter.

 

Softness of idlis is dependent on the fermentation of the batter. Optimum temperature contributes to the fermentation. Generally warm temperatures in India are the best to make idlis. The ideal temperature is 30 to 32 degrees C. The consistency of the batter also decides the amount of fermentation. The consistency should be fluffy and the batter should fall down easily from your spoon as you mix it.

 

You can just cover it (not an airtight lid) and leave it undisturbed for about 8 to 9 hours.

If the outside temperature is cold, you can either leave it inside the microwave (don't turn it on), or in an oven with the light on. This is how most of the people in USA do it.

Also, half a slice of bread added to the dal when grinding helps in fermenting. Some people add a few spoons of poha (flat rice) or cooked rice while grinding.

 

Don't try to scoop out the idlis immediately after steaming. To get neat and smooth idlis you must let it cool for a few minutes. Then scoop out using a wet spoon. Otherwise, you may get idlis with rough edges.

 

 Idlis garnished with grated carrot and cut cilantro.            

                                                                                            

 

  

 

 Idlis served with ginger chutney and sambar.

 

 

 

 

Soaked, drained dal and soaked squeezed ravva.

 

 

 

 

Freshly ground batter, before fermentation. (notice the volume of the batter).

 

 

 

 

Batter after 8 to 9 hours of fermentation. (the volume has increased).





 

 

 

 

 Idli making container.

 

 

 

Batter scooped into the greased plates.



 

 

 Ingredients:

•      1 cup urad dal (split or whole urad dal without skin)
•      2 cups idli ravva
•      1 tsp methi seeds
•      salt to taste

Directions:

1.      Soak dal along with methi seeds in plenty of water overnight or 4 to 5 hours.
2.      Soak idli ravva separately in water.
3.      Grind the dal in blender with minimal water.
4.      Squeeze the water out from ravva and add the same to the ground dal.
5.      Add salt and mix thoroughly. Consistency must be thicker than dosa or pancake batter.
6.      Place the batter in a larger container as the batter gains in volume when fermented.
7.      Let it stand and ferment for 5 to 6 hours.
8.     When fermented, it rises and becomes bubbly. Fermentation depends on the outside temperature.
9.      If it is very cold outside, the better can be kept in an oven with light on. 
10.      Rinse and spray or grease oil on the idli plates.
11.      Heat water in the idli container.
12.      Scoop out spoonfuls of batter on to the plate. Do not fill it to full.
13.      Put the idli stand in the container and cover.
14.      Cook for 8 to 10 minutes after steam starts coming up.
15.      Poke a tooth pick or fork to see whether the idlis are cooked. If the fork comes out with no batter sticking to it, the idlis are ready.
16.      Turn the heat off and let it cool for five minutes.
17.      Scoop the idlis out using a wet spoon and serve hot along with chutney and sambar.

Note:

In many Indian stores in USA, idli batter is available, which can be directly used to make idlis.
Idli ravva is available in Indian stores.
Idlis are served with sambar, allam pacchadi and spice powder.