Hot steamed rice Idlis with chutney is a great weekend breakfast and can be made easily even if you do not have fermented dough at your disposal . From the various instant mixes available, the one I have found best to work at all times is Gits Idli mix, available in most Indian Grocery Stores or even can be ordered from Amazon too! Often we have found this to be a better option than eating restaurant Idlis, where the Idli dough might be stale or over fermented and sour. This is a very easy recipe for an extremely healthy nutritious breakfast, and an ideal choice to swap donut or a muffin for a healthy Idli – per SFGate article http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/nutrition-idli-2667.html.
Recipe : 18 Idlis
Cooking time 40 min
Preparation time 7 min
Special Equipment needed- Idli cooker with idli mould plates [aio_button align=”none” animation=”bounce” color=”brown” size=”small” icon=”shopping-cart” text=”Shop” relationship=”dofollow” url=”http://www.amazon.com/Happy-Stainless-Steel-Cooker-Maker/dp/B008PY88AM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1386471001&sr=8-4&keywords=idli+maker”]
Ingredients by Volume
- 1 pack Gits Idli mix (200gms or 7 oz) [aio_button align=”none” animation=”bounce” color=”brown” size=”small” icon=”shopping-cart” text=”Shop” relationship=”dofollow” url=”http://www.amazon.com/Gits-Idli-Mix-200g/dp/B004XTCMEG”]
- 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp oil
- Oil to grease the idli mould
Method
- Grease the idli mould with a few drop of oil. You can skip this step if you would like to cut the calories. The pic here shows idli steamed without the initial grease. Greasing helps to remove the idli smoothly from the mould.
- Put to boil 1 litre of water inside the idli cooker, and cover the cooker with a lid. Put this at near high flame, on your second highest burner.
- Pour the content of the mix into a wide and deep bowl. I often use a Large Prep Bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mix water and oil.
- With one hand pour the water/oil mix, at a medium pace in to the large prep bowl, and with the other hand, circularly agitate or stir vigorously the idli mix, as the water is being poured. This step is crucial to idlis being fluffy.
- Continue doing this for about couple of minutes, and you will see the idli mix rising.
- As soon as you see white foam and the dough rising, pour this mixture into the idli moulds, almost up to the edge.
- Lower the gas flame, open the idli cooker with caution using a towel or oven glove.
- Put the idlis moulds with dough, inside the idli cooker
- Cover with the lid and raise the flame to high.
- Cook for 20 minutes and then switch off the flame.
- For further 20 minutes, keep the the cooker closed.
- Then slowly open the cooker, remove the idli moulds
- Wait for about 20 seconds, and then using a butter knife slowly release the idlis from its outer edge.
- Serve with chutney or eating it with a dash of melted butter/clarified butter(ghee) is also equally delicious.
Tips
If you have left over idlis, you can cut them into 1/3 inch wide strips, and fry them in deep oil to golden brown color at medium to high flame.. This is a crunchy idli snack bite and you can top it with chaat masala or black pepper. Idlis are great for school lunches, meals or appetizers.
If you do not have access to Idli cooker, you can try the same in Aebleskiver pan. Put water in a deep pan. lay the Absekier pan on top, and this should be wider then the water pan, so that steam does not get lost. Cover the Absekier pan with a dome kind of lid so that the steam is trapped inside.
Instinct Factor
The water hardiness determines the quantity of water you need for the mix. This recipe is based on the US density of water. If the Idlis are not soft, you can modify, to add 1/4 cup more water and hopefully this should make it more fluffier.
Feel Factor
A feel good breakfast, as besides it being healthy, easy and extremely nutritious, it has a light and fluffy look and taste and also gives you extra relaxing time on a weekend morning !
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