Soft fluffy wholesome rava idli made with semolina (sooji), vegetables, curd (yogurt) and vermicelli (semiya) are perfect for healthy breakfast or lunch. They turn out delicious, filling and can be enjoyed with sambar or chutney.
Unlike traditional South Indian Idli recipe, the rava idli is simpler and quicker to make as it does not require any soaking or fermentation. You can serve it with sambhar, chutneys like coconut chutney, chana dal chutney, onion tomato chutney or with generous sprinkling of ghee & idli podi.
This vermicelli vegetable idli recipe is close to my heart as this is my nani’s (maternal grandmother) recipe and and I have fond memories of enjoying it as a kid during our summer vacations’ stay at her home. I loved these idlis especially with dollops of butter melting slowly over warm idlis.
During my initial days of this cooking journey, I also submitted this recipe as ‘Navratan Rava Idli’ in one of the cooking competitions and it won the second runner up position.
The rava semiya idli recipe shared here is:
- Vegetarian
- Easy to make
- Instant recipe as no fermentation required
- Perfect as healthy breakfast, snack or for kids tiffin
Instant Rava Idli Ingredients:
Rava: It is also known as sooji, semolina or rawa and made by grinding husked wheat. Traditionally idlis are made by grinding and fermenting soaked rice & urad dal but with rava, you can make idlis quickly without these additional steps.
Semiya: Vermicelli, semiya, sevai or seviyan are thin form of short noodles made of wheat. They are roasted first before adding to the idli batter. Thee days roasted vermicelli semiya are also easily available in market.
Veggies: I like to add variety of vegetables to rava idli like carrots, capsicum, bell peppers, sweet corn, peas, onion, ginger etc to make it more fibre rich and nutritious. You can easily make it without onion or use any vegetables as per your liking.
Curd/ Yoghurt: It is used in making the idli batter with rava and helps in giving identical taste and texture like rice based idlis. You can use homemade or store bought curd (yogurt).
Along with yogurt, water is added to the batter to adjust the consistency of idli batter. The quantity of water used can vary slightly depending on the thickness of curd.
Cashews & Raisins: I love adding these in idli batter for crunchy nutty texture and subtle sweet tastes of raisins. You can add split or chopped cashews as it is or roast them in ghee before adding.
Eno: Also known as fruit salt, it helps in aerating the idli batter and makes it light & fluffy. It is actually a mixture of alkali and acidic compounds, which on coming in contact with moisture cause effervescence (bubbling).
What is the substitute of eno in idli?
If you want to make idli without eno, you can use a mixture of baking soda & lemon juice to imitate the reaction of eno fruit salt. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate (alkali) and lemon juice has citric acid. Both the ingredients when combined creates similar reaction as eno. To replace 1 tsp eno, use 1/2 tsp baking soda plus 1 tbsp lemon juice.
More Indian breakfast recipes:
Ingredients:
- Semolina / Suji / Rava – 1 cup
- Vermicelli / Semiya- 1/4 cup
- Curd / Yoghurt- 3/4 cup
- Water- 3/4 cup
- Salt- 1 tsp (to taste)
- Green chillies (chopped)- 1
- Ginger paste- 1/2 tsp
- Roasted Cashews / Peanuts (chopped)- 2 tbsp
- Raisins- 2 tbsp
- Boiled Sweet corn- 2 tbsp
- Carrots (chopped)- 2 tbsp
- Capsicum (chopped)- 2 tbsp
- Eno (Fruit salt)- 1 + 1/2 tsp
- Oil-2 tsp (for brushing)
- For tempering:
- Oil-2 tsp
- Rai / Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
- Urad Dal- 1 tsp
- Chana Dal- 1 tsp
- Hing / Asafoetida- A pinch
- Curry leaves- 5 to 6
(The above recipe yields 12-16 idli. You can also add other veggies also like boiled peas, french beans or coloured bell peppers.)
Directions:
Step 1:
Heat a pan or kadhai and add vermicelli to it. Dry roast it on medium flame till it is golden brown in colour. If you are using pre roasted vermicelli, then this step can be skipped. Transfer it in a mixing bowl and keep aside.
Step 2:
In the same pan, add semolina (rawa). Dry roast it for 3-4 minutes on medium low flame till it slightly changes colour and becomes fragrant. Transfer it in the same bowl as vermicelli.
Step 3:
To this sooji & vermicelli, add curd, cashews, raisins, ginger paste, green chillies and all the vegetables. Add water gradually to it and mix well to make thick idli batter. Here I have used slightly less than 3/4 cup water. Keep this idli batter aside.
Step 4:
Heat 2 tsp oil in a small pan or tadka pan. First add urad dal, chana dal to it and after 8-10 seconds add rai (mustard), hing and curry leaves to it. Sauté till mustard seeds begin to splutter. Switch off the flame and immediately add this tempering to idli batter. Mix once again, cover and let the batter rest for 15-20 minutes.
Step 5:
When you are ready to make idlis, add water to idli pot and bring it to boil. Check the batter, if it has become too thick add 1-2 tsp water more. While the water is boiling, add eno to the batter and mix well. The batter should become frothy, fluffy and light in texture.
Step 6:
Brush oil on the idli plates using your fingers or silicon brush. Transfer the batter in them using a spoon (Don’t rest the batter for too long once you have mixed eno in it).
Step 7:
Cover the idli pot with lid. Steam the idlis for 7-8 minutes. Check the centre with a skewer or knife. If there is no wet batter on its tip, the idlis are ready.
Step 8:
Remove the plates from pot. Let the steam escape for 2-3 minutes. Using the tip of knife, free the edges of idli and remove them from plate. You can spread some butter or ghee on them and enjoy with podi, coconut chutney or sambhar.
Tips:
- Though these idlis taste best when fresh and warm, you can store any leftovers in an airtight container in fridge for upto 2 days. Reheat them in microwave after sprinkling some water over them
- You can use this same batter or leftover batter to make uttapams (savoury pancakes).
- If you don’t have time to roast cashews or peanuts separately, add them in tempering in step 4.
- Feel free to add any vegetables of your choice. If making this recipe for kids, skip adding green chillies.
- More easy sooji recipes
Pin for later:
(Note: This post was originally published on May 12, 2016 and has been updated with fresh images with additional tips)
If you try this instant rava idli recipe & share pics on social media, then don’t forget to tag on Facebook, Instagram or use #kuchpakrahahai.
Let’s stay connected
Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest| Youtube
(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...
Leave a Reply