Material:
1 cup rava (semolina)
1 cup yogurt (better sour sour)
Half a cup of water (a little more as needed)
Half a teaspoon salt
Half to one teaspoon eno (fruit salt)
1–2 tablespoon oil/ghee
For tempering (optional): rye, cumin, urad dal, gram dal, green chillies, ginger, hard leaves, cashews
Green coriander for decoration and grated carrots (optional)
1. Fry rava: First heat a little oil or ghee in a pan. If you want to add alternative tempering, add mustard seeds, cumin, urad dal, curry leaves and cashew nuts. Now add 1 cup of rava and fry it on a slow medium until it becomes light fragrant. This step helps to make the idli soft.
2. Prepare the batter: After cooling the roasted rave slightly, put it in a bowl. Add half a teaspoon of salt, 1 cup curd and about half a cup of water. Mix it well so that thick but flowable batter is ready. Now keep this batter covered for 10–15 minutes so that the rava absorbs water.
4. Add eno: If it looks very thick after the batter rest, then add 2-3 tablespoons of water. Now add half to one teaspoon of eno and mix it with light hands immediately. As soon as you put the eno, the batter will start coming.
6. Serve: After removing from the steamer, let it cool for 3–5 minutes, then take out the idli with the help of a spoon. Serve it with coconut chutney and sambar.
Pro Tips:
It is necessary to roast Rava well, this will not make idli sticky.
Do not keep the batter for a long time after adding the eno, should be steam immediately.
If the batter is very thick, add some water, but do not dilute it or else the idli may be flat.
You can also make vegetable idli by adding grated carrots, peas, or capsicum.