MASALA RAVA IDLY
Ingredients
G Semolina / Rava – 1½ cups G Yogurt – ¾ cup G Water - 70-80 ml G Eno Fruit Salt - ¼ tsp G Ginger (finely crushed) - ½ inch
For preparing tempering:
G Ghee – 2 tbsp G Oil – 1 tsp G Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp G Curry Leaves – 15 nos. G Chana Dal (chopped) – 2 tsp G Asafoetida – 1/8 tsp G Cashew Nuts – 15 nos. G Almonds – 10 nos. G Raisins – 30-35 grains G Chironji (washed and dried) - 1 tbsp
Method
Heat the ghee and oil together in a skillet. Toss in the broken bits of cashews and almonds and chironji. Fry them till golden and aromatic, taking care not to burn them. Remove them onto a plate and set them aside.
Similarly, fry the raisins till they are golden and puffed up. Make sure you have dried the washed raisins well on a kitchen towel, else the oil will splutter around. Take the raisins out on a plate and set them aside too. Now, in the remaining ghee, add the mustard seeds and allow them to splutter. Add the chana dal and fry on medium heat till it loses its raw smell and turns golden brown and aromatic. Toss in the chopped curry leaves and fry them till they turn crunchy and aromatic. Finally add asafoetida and sauté for three to four seconds. Add rava / semolina; make sure you use the thinner variety of rava. Mix everything around well. Now keep on roasting the rava on low flame, stirring it often. The rava will change colour from white to golden and smell heavenly. Check out the difference in colour of the semolina. Now remove the roasted semolina in a bowl and allow it to cool. When the semolina has cooled down, add the whisked yogurt and mix everything vigorously so that there are no lumps. When you mix the batter well, air gets incorporated into it and it will become fluffy. Add the finely crushed fresh ginger, salt and mix again and then add water. Allow the batter to rest for an hour. Cover the bowl to keep it warm for about an hour. After the batter has rested, prepare the idli moulds. Heat the water in the idli steamer and grease the idli moulds lightly with some oil. Toss in the fried cashews, almonds, chironji and raisins and give the batter a mix. Add the Eno Fruit Salt and mix it well and immediately add the batter into the moulds. The moulds should be 4/5th filled. These idlis are soft but they don’t really fluff up like the rice idlis. Carefully place the idli moulds inside the steamer containing boiling water. Cover the steamer and steam the idlis for about 10 to 12 minutes. Try inserting a toothpick to check if the idli is well done; if it comes out clean, the idlis are ready. Scoop the idlis out from the moulds with the help of a spoon. Serve hot with sambar and chutney.
