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Idli with Idli Rava (Andhra Style)

Idli, a very popular breakfast in southern India, is a soft and fluffy steamed savory cake made using lentils and rice rava/idli rava. It has a subtle and mellow flavor that goes perfect with any spicy chutney, spice powder or sambhar.

5 Idli on a black plate with spice powder and ghee in spoons, peanut chutney and pumpkin seeds chutney on the side.

Idli is made with a batter of Urad dal and rice, the batter is then fermented till it doubles in volume and then steamed in molds to make this soft and pillowy cakes. What makes this Idli different from regular idli is, this idli is made with rice rava and the rava is not ground into batter. Idli rava is sometimes available in the stores as “Cream of rice”. This is an Andhra Speciality , that idli rava makes the idlis soft and fluffy and incredibly light! Idli in the above picture is served with Peanut chutney and Pumpkin seed chutney(two separate chutneys) and idli podi(recipe coming soon) and ghee.

A quick Q&A before we move on to the recipe:

What is idli rava?

Idli rava is coarsely ground idli rice or parboiled rice also called as cream of rice. In Andhra, I grew up eating idli made with idli rice only. Since idli rava is already coarsely ground, it takes very less time to soak it and the idlis have a coarse but light and fluffy texture.

What is the difference between regular rice idli and idli rava idli?

Idli is usually made by soaking urad dal and rice separately and grinding both of them separately and then mixing them together. In the Idli rava version, Urad dal and idli rava are soaked separately and only urad dal is ground into fine paste. Idli rava is just drained, squeezed and added to urad dal paste. This provides a coarse texture to the idli and lot more aeration, which makes the idli super soft.

Close up shot of 4 idlis on a plate.

Can I use a blender for Idli batter?

Yes! That’s the whole point of using idli rava. The batter turns out great even if we are using just a blender. I use my Vitamix to blend my batter.

What else can be made with the idli rava batter?

The idli batter can be used to make dosa or utappam, they are super spongy and crispy at the same time. I also make paniyaram or appe or gunta punugulu with this batter(recipe coming soon) that are my kids favorite.

What is fermentation of batter?

Fermentation of batter is simply breaking down of the carbohydrates and sugars in the batter to produce carbon dioxide. The fermented batter is more readily metabolized by the body. The lactic acid bacteria and heat produced when mixing the batter with hand aids in the process of fermentation and doubles the volume of the batter because of the incorporated air.

How to ferment Idli batter?

I live in Seattle and struggled a lot during the initial days, because of the weather, to ferment the batter, but ever since I got my Magic pot, My Instant pot , I always had the best fermented batter ever! However, keeping in the oven(oven is OFF) all night with the light on, gives good results too. If you live in a warm area, you might not need any of these methods, just placing the batter on your countertop will work.

What is Idli usually served with?

Idli is served with Peanut chutney, but I also make pumpkin seed chutney and we love it. Its super healthy and nut-free, perfect for school. Idli is also served with Coconut chutney or ginger chutney or Sambhar or Idli podi.

5 Idli on a black plate with a spice powder and ghee in spoons.

Ingredients used for idli with idli rava:

Only two main ingredients, Urad dal and Idli Rava, and salt of course. But, there is a secret ingredient, poha or flattened rice. My sister shared this trick of adding poha to my batter and I never looked back, it makes the fermentation easier and the idlis turn out super soft. But its completely optional, I made Idli without poha and they turn out soft too.

Ingredients for idli: Urad dal, idli rava and poha.

Blender or Wet grinder?

I use my Vitamix to blend my batter, but a wet grinder is even more perfect for idli. A wet grinder aerates the batter and achieves perfect fermented batter. My friends in US who have wet grinder recommend Ultra Table top Wet Grinder. But blender is all you have, that works great too. That’s the whole point of using idli rava. The batter turns out great even if we are using just a blender.

How to make the idli?

  • First, soak the Urad dal and Idli rava for 4-6 hours. Poha needs to be soaked only for an hour.
  • Wash and rinse both the urad dal and Idli rava. Squeeze the water out of Idli rava like shown in the pictures below and add it to your Instant pot insert(or a big mixing bowl if you are not using Instant pot for fermentation).
  • Add 1 tablespoon of salt to your batter. Adding salt to the batter before fermentation would be my recommendation but I was told not to do it. I think it depends on where you live. I am in Seattle and I add before fermentation but if you are in a warm place, add it after fermentation.
Squeeze water out of idli rava and add salt.
  • Add Urad dal and 3 cups water to your blender and grind into fine paste on low speed. Don’t grind the batter on high speed, we don’t want to overheat it. Grinding on low speed aerates it.
  • Grind soaked poha too with 1/2 cup of water and mix it into the squeezed idli rava. Mix it all together with clean hands for 2 minutes. Its very important to mix the batter with your hand, this process aids fermentation.
Grind the urad dal and poha into smooth paste and mix into idli rava.
How to ferment Idli batter?

I use my Instant pot to ferment the batter because its cold where I live. However, keeping in the oven all night with the light on, gives good results too.

  • After mixing the batter well, place the instant pot insert in your instant pot and cover it with a lid that fits the pot tightly. One important thing to remember when fermenting in Instant pot is to not to use the instant pot lid for fermentations. You can use Instant pot lid if your batter is only half full. If not, the lid gets stuck with fermented batter and its a whole another deal to open the lid.
  • Set it on yogurt mode for 8-10 hours. If the batter is not fermented, continue the yogurt mode for 2 more hours.
Ferment the batter in Instant pot on yogurt mode for 10 hours, you can see the bubbles in batter after fermentation.
Fermenting in the oven with light on:
  • Do not fret if you don’t have an Instant pot. If you live in a warm place, you don’t need all these devices to ferment. Set it on countertop and you are done.
  • If live in a cold place like me, pour the batter in a steel or oven safe bowl and turn on the light in the oven(The oven is OFF). Keep it covered and closer to the light to keep the batter warm all night. The batter will ferment by morning. If not, Keep fermenting for couple more hours.

Steaming the idli:

I use my Instant pot to steam my Idli.

  • Apply oil to the Idli Molds and fill them with Fermented idli batter.
  • Add 1/2 cup water to the Instant pot Insert and place a trivet. Place the idli molds on the trivet.
  • Close the lid, set Steam mode for 5 minutes, Vent in venting position(Open).
Oil the idli plate and steam in Instant pot for 5 minutes, in venting position.

Steaming the idli in a pot:

  • Apply oil to the Idli Molds and fill them with Fermented idli batter.
  • Add 1 cup water to a pan/pot that will fit the idli plate. Place the idli molds in the pot.
  • Cover the pot with lid and turn on the heat on medium-low. Let the idli steam until all the water evaporates.
Yield: 40 Idlis

Idli with Idli Rava

5 Idli on a black plate with a spice powder and ghee in spoons.

A soft and spongy steamed savory cake made with fermented batter of Urad dal and Rice Rava/ Idli Rava

Soaking Time 6 hours
Cook Time 15 minutes
Fermenting Time 10 hours
Total Time 16 hours 15 minutes

Instructions

Making the batter:

  1. Soak the Urad dal and Idli rava for 4-6 hours. Poha is soaked only for an hour.
  2. Wash and rinse both the urad dal and Idli rava. Squeeze the water out of Idli rava by pressing a handful of rava between your hands.(Refer picture below)Squeeze water out of idli rava and add salt.
  3. Add squeezed rava to your Instant pot insert(or a big mixing bowl if you are not using Instant pot for fermentation).
  4. Add 1 tablespoon of salt to your batter.
  5. Add Urad dal to your blender and grind into fine paste on low speed. Dont grind the batter on high speed, grinding on low speed aerates it.
  6. Grind soaked poha too and add it to the instant pot.
  7. Mix it all together with clean hands for 2 minutes. Its very important to mix the batter with your hand, this process aids fermentation.

Fermenting the batter in Instant Pot:

  1. After mixing the batter well, place the instant pot insert in your instant pot and cover it with a lid that fits the pot tightly.
  2. Set it on yogurt mode for 8-10 hours. If your batter is not fermented, continue the yogurt mode for 2 more hours.

Steaming the idli in Instant pot:

  1. Apply oil to the Idli plate and fill them with Fermented idli batter.
  2. Add 1/2 cup water to the Instant pot Insert and place a trivet. Place the idli molds on the trivet.
  3. Close the lid, set Steam mode for 5 minutes, Vent in venting position.

Steaming the idli in a pot:

  1. Apply oil to the Idli plate and fill them with Fermented idli batter.
  2. Add 1 cup water to a pan/pot that will fit the idli plate. Place the idli molds in the pot.
  3. Cover the pot with lid and turn on the heat on medium-low. Let the idli steam until all the water evaporates.

Notes

  1. One important thing to remember when fermenting in Instant pot is to not to use the instant pot lid for fermentation. The batter sometimes overflows and the lid might get stuck. Use a regular pan lid or a plate which fits the pot.
  2. If you don't have an Instant pot, ferment the batter in the oven with the light on. Pour the batter in a steel or oven safe bowl and turn on the light(The oven is OFF).Keep it covered and closer to the light to keep the batter warm all night.
  3. Adding salt to the batter before fermentation would be my recommendation but I think it depends on where you live. If you live in a cold place, add before fermentation but if you are in a warm place, add it after fermentation.
  4. The consistency of the batter helps with the fermentation too. If the batter is too thick, fermentation wont happen.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

4

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 163Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 620mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 5g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

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5 Comments

  1. I’m excited to try this recipe – however, I wanted to let you know that I bought the idli mold you recommended and I wish I hadn’t. Shame on me for not reading the reviews first. I was happy to find a stainless steel mold, as the one I’ve been using is aluminum. However, it is a LIE – NOT stainless steel. A magnet does not stick to it. Complete waste of money. Also, how do you put the four racks together after filling the wells?? Balance all the layers on those little spacers and then thread the post down through them?? Please show a photo of how to do this.

    1. Stainless steel is different from pure steel, the cookware we generally use is an alloy of steel and the magnetic properties depend on the amount of iron in that. I am sorry that the product isn’t good, I will try to find a good one with good reviews.

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