Rava Idli / Semolina Idli / Instant Idli

 Instant Rava Idli and
Chutney

 

Rava or Sooji or Semolina!!! called by so many names in different origin, is really a magic ingredient. 

It is the coarse, purified wheat middlings of durum wheat mainly used in making couscous, pasta, upma, and sweet puddings. 

Semolina is high in protein and fiber, hence slow in digestion and gives a feeling of fullness between meals.

It’s also high in B vitamins like thiamine and folate, which have many important roles in your body, including helping convert food into energy.

Trusted Source

Additionally, semolina is a good source of iron and magnesium. These minerals support red blood cell production, heart health, and blood sugar control.

Fine semolina or chiroti rava has recently become a boon for bakers and successfully replaced all purpose flour and step its foot very firmly in baking industry. you can find many bread recipes using semolina in place of maida(white flour). 

It is a tradition in South India to serve sweet(halva) and savory (Upma)porridge as breakfast and/or evening snack. During festivals, marriages and occasions it is the tasty porridge that impresses guests the most. 

Whatever the benefits and tradition Rava may contain, it comes very handy, whenever I am out of wheat flour to make chapatis for lunch or breakfast. I simply whip up some semolina with curd and steam it, and a filling breakfast or light lunch is sorted.

RECIPE

Serves: 5 people
Cooking time: 30-40 min for whole batch
Tools needed: Wire Whisk, Mixer grinder and Steamer

INGREDIENTS 

3 cups Fine Rava

2 cups thick curd (At room temperature)

2-3 tsp salt

2 tbsp oil

1 1/2 tsp eno fruit salt/ baking soda

2-3 medium sized onions

2 large tomatoes

4-5 garlic cloves

2-3 green chilles

2 red dry chillies

salt to taste

2 tbsp tamarind/ 1 inch piece

1/4 cup peanuts

1 tbsp oil for cooking

1 tsp mustard seeds

pinch of aesafoetida

oil for tempering 

METHOD

Prep for the Idli batter so that you can leave it for resting.

In a large mixing bowl take fine rava (Pulse it in mixer if it not fine) add thick curd and mix with a spoon or wire whisk, you may also put it in grinder if you are going to pulse rava.

In the batter add water/milk to get thick idli batter consistency. Cover and let this sit for 20 minutes minimum.

In meantime you may prepare your chutney. In a frying pan add peanuts and roast until they do not taste raw.

Add oil for cooking. Add chopped onion, garlic, green and red chilies. Fry all these until onion has cooked. Add chopped tomatoes and cooked until they are soft.

Once done add salt and tamarind and further cook for some more minutes. 

Cool the mixture and grind a smooth paste, Remove in a container. Prepare tempering by heating a small pan or tadka spoon. Add mutard seeds and let them splutter. Add asafetida. pour it over the ground chutney.  

Continue with process of making Idlis; keep you Idli pan on stove with required level of water in it. Grease the idli cavities with some oil and keep it ready.

take the bowl with batter and add oil and salt to it. Mix well

Divide the batter in 3 parts in 3 different bowls.

In one part add 1/2 tsp of Eno, fold gently so eno is well distributed. Immediately pour spoons of batter in greased cavities, only 3/4 full. Leaving enough space for idlis to rise. Place the Idli plates into the steamer, cover and cook on medium flame for 11-15 minutes.

Remove hot idli plates carefully and keep on kitchen counter for it to cool down a bit for 2 minutes.

Scoop out the Idlis using a spoon. Repeat the same with the other 2 parts of the batter. Make sure to clean the idli cavities in between.

Serve hot & delicious Idli and spicy tangy Chutney with or without sambar.

Thank you