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Rava Idli
Breakfast

Rava Idli

Rava idli is Karnataka's great breakfast shortcut — the overnight fermentation of the traditional rice-and-lentil version replaced by semolina and a teaspoon of Eno fruit salt. The result is just as light and spongy, ready in under half an hour, and still the ideal vehicle for coconut chutney and a cup of filter coffee.

25 minServes 4 mild

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and when they pop, add the chana dal, urad dal and curry leaves. Fry until the dals turn golden.
  2. Add the rava and peas (if using). Stir, add salt and mix well. Turn off the flame.
  3. Add the yogurt and water. Mix into a thick, smooth batter with no lumps. Leave to rest for 5 minutes .
  4. Prepare your steamer — it must already be producing steam before the batter goes in. Lightly oil the idli mould cavities. Place a cashew nut in each mould if using.
  5. Working in batches, add 1 tsp Eno per batch of batter just before you steam it. The batter will bubble and expand. Stir gently and immediately spoon into the moulds.
  6. Steam for about 10 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
  7. Leave to cool for 2 minutes before unmoulding. Serve with coconut chutney and sambar.

Cook's note. Add Eno only to the batter you are about to steam — it loses its aeration quickly. If you are doing multiple batches, divide the batter and add Eno to each portion separately just before steaming.

The story

Rava idli was invented at the Mavalli Tiffin Rooms (MTR) in Bangalore during World War II when rice rationing made traditional idli impractical. The restaurant's cooks experimented with semolina as a substitute and the result was so good it became a permanent menu item — one of the rare wartime improvisations that outlasted the emergency that created it.