RAVA IDLI

INGREDIENTS:

Rava(Sooji) - 4 cups
Curd(little sour) - 3 cups
Edible soda - optional
Coriander leaves ( finely chopped) - 3 tablespoons
Grated ginger - 1/2 tsp.
Green chillies finely chopped - 1/2 tsp.

Finely chopped carrots - a fistful
Salt - as per taste
Cashews - 10 (broken to small pieces)

For tempering:

Ghee - 3 tablespoons
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Urad dhal - 2 tsp.
Chenna dhal - 2 tsp.
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Hing - a pinch

METHOD:

Fry broken cashews in ghee. Keep aside.

Heat a tablespoon of ghee in a pan and roast  rawa till a nice aroma comes.  DO NOT ROAST IT TO GOLDEN BROWN. Transfer it to a vessel. When slightly cool, add beaten curds and salt. Adjust curds to get a thick batter (slightly thicker than the idli batter). For softer idlies, the batter should be thick. Add all other ingredients.

Heat oil and ghee and temper it with mustard seeds, urad dhal, chenna dhal, curry leaves and hing. Pour it over the batter. Mix well and allow it to ferment for an hour.

Grease the idli mould with ghee, place some chopped carrots and fried cashews and then pour the batter. Steam for 10 minutes and serve hot with idli molaga podi OR coconut chutney OR tomato onion chutney.

NOTE: You can also add grated carrots or shredded vegetables and peas to the batter. As we are allowing to ferment for an hour  the idlies will be soft even if we doesn't add soda.