instant idli recipe with poha – as the name suggests this is quick method of preparing idlis. no fermentation is required. poha makes these idlis light and fluffy. in the recipe i have ground urad dal, but you can also use readymade urad dal flour.
for busy mornings, just grind the urad dal+poha overnight and keep the flour in a covered bowl or jar. next day just add the remaining ingredients and prepare quick idlis. three main ingredients in this recipe are rice flour, poha and urad dal.
apart from preparing regular idlis, you can also make mini idlis with this instant poha idli batter. this comes quite handy when you want to make quick idli snacks like idli upma, masala idli, chilli idli, idli manchurian and idli fry. i have also shared few more quick variations of idli and dosa like:
- instant idli recipe
- instant idli mix recipe
- instant dosa recipe
- instant rava idli recipe
- instant rava dosa recipe
serve instant poha idlis with coconut chutney or sambar.
if you are looking for more idli varieties then do check:
instant idli recipe with poha
ingredients (1 cup = 250 ml)
- ½ cup poha OR 40 grams poha
- 2 tablespoons urad dal (husked black gram)
- ½ cup rice flour OR 100 grams rice flour
- ¼ cup sour curd (khatta dahi)
- 1 to 1.25 cups water or add as required
- ¼ to ⅓ teaspoon salt or add as required
- ½ teaspoon fruit salt or eno
how to make instant idli recipe with poha
preparing instant poha idli batter
heat a pan on a low to medium flame. then lower the flame, add the urad dal and just stir.
then add poha.
roast both urad dal and poha on a low flame for about 2 minutes, stirring often. urad dal is roasted just to get rid of some moisture from them.
remove the pan from the stove top and let this mixture cool down.
then add everything in a grinder jar and grind to a fine flour.
sieve this flour in a bowl or pan.
add rice flour and salt. mix very well.
next add ¼ cup sour curd and 1 to 1.25 cups water.
mix very well to get a smooth batter without lumps. you can briskly whisk this mixture for a minute too aerate it a bit. the consistency of batter will be thick yet flowing. if required you can add more water.
steaming instant poha idli
grease idli pans with oil and also keep water for steaming in the idli steamer or electric rice cooker.
before steaming idlis, take ½ teaspoon fruit salt (eno) and sprinkle it all over the idli batter.
as soon as you add eno, mix very well and be quick. do mix the eno very well with the batter. otherwise you will have a faint green color on the idlis as well as uneven texture in them. so mix very well.
pour the idli batter in the greased idli moulds.
place the idli stand in the steamer pan. cover with a lid and steam idlis for 10 to 12 minutes. check with a toothpick and the toothpick should come out clean. these instant idlis cook faster. so do keep a check. do not overcook as then they will become hard.
once done, remove the idlis and allow to sit for a few minutes.
then with a butter knife gently remove the idlis from the mould. place them in a casserole.
serve instant poha idlis hot or warm with your favorite coconut chutney and sambar.
recipe notes
- can use 3 tablespoons readymade urad dal flour instead of urad dal.Â
- for a more sour taste, you can also add ½ cup of curd and reduce the water accordingly.Â
- avoid adding baking soda as it may give a soapy aroma in the batter.Â
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 how to make instant idli recipe with poha
1. heat a pan on a low to medium flame. then lower the flame, add 2 tablespoons urad dal and just stir.
2. then add ½ cup thick poha.
3. roast both urad dal and poha on a low flame for about 2 minutes, stirring often. urad dal is roasted just to get rid of some moisture from them.
4. remove the pan from the stove top and let this mixture cool down.
5. then add everything in a grinder jar.
6. grind to a fine flour.
7. keep a mixing bowl or pan and place a sieve on it. take the ground flour in the seive (channi) and sift it. some urad dal grits will be there after sifting. you can add them to your dals or discard.
8. below pic of the sifted poha+urad dal flour.
9. now add ½ cup rice flour (100 grams) and ¼ to ⅓ teaspoon salt. mix very well.
10. next add ¼ cup sour curd.
11. then add 1 to 1.25 cups water or add as required.
12. mix very well to get a smooth batter without lumps.
13. you can briskly whisk this mixture for a minute too aerate it a bit. the consistency of batter will be thick yet flowing.
steaming idli
14. grease idli pans with oil and also keep water for steaming in the idli steamer or electric rice cooker.
15. before steaming idlis, take ½ teaspoon fruit salt (eno).
16. sprinkle fruit salt (eno) all over the idli batter.
17. as soon as you add eno, mix very well and be quick. do mix the eno very well with the batter. otherwise you will have a faint green color on the idlis as well as uneven texture in them. so mix very well.
18. pour the idli batter in the greased idli moulds.
19. place the idli stand in the steamer pan.
20. cover with a lid and steam idlis for 10 to 12 minutes. check with a toothpick and the toothpick should come out clean. these instant idlis cook faster. so do keep a check. do not overcook as then they will become hard.
21. once done, remove them and allow to sit for a few minutes.
22. then with a butter knife gently remove the idlis from the mould. place them in a casserole.
23. serve instant poha idlis hot or warm with your favorite chutney or red coconut chutney and sambar.
Hi, wanted to ask that when making instant idli with poha and husked Bengal gram can i use the husked spilt Bengal gram also, if so then how much for 2 people that is 8 idlis. Also I have been following ur receipes for a long time now. They are easy since they are given with pictures. Thanks a lot. I owe u since I have managed to cook my way only through your help. Plz answer my querry.
thanks garima. nice to know. you can use chana dal, but use the ones without the skin/husk. for 8 idlis, you can add half tablespoon of chana dal.
frost free refrigerator walls in India (I am sure of elsewhere) get fairly warm as part of defrosting cycle.I have a shelf kept close to the refrigerator wall where I keep batter for fermenting, lentils for sprouts, curd for setting and other frozen items for thawing .this way I use the otherwise wasted energy
thanks sushama for this suggestion. its a good way to use the warmth and heat from the refrigerator wall.
HEllo, This looks to be an excellent recipe, as my kitchen is really cold and fermentation just doesn’t happen, but I cannot get ENO in this country – have tried before. what can I use instead? I don’t know what it’s function in the recipe is, to make a guess at it. Thank you for your help.
jane, eno or fruit salt is to leaven the batter, since here there is no fermentation done. you can use 1/4th to 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. but with baking soda, there will be a soapy aroma in the idlis. if you are fine with it, then you can add baking soda.
Can we he yeast instead of eno?
you can use yeast, but add very less. about 1/8th to 1/4th teaspoon. just mix the yeast with a bit of water (about 2 to 3 teaspoons) and then add to the batter. mix very well. allow to ferment for about 30 minutes to 40 minutes. you will see small tiny bubbles and leavening happening in the batter. with yeast, you have to use the batter at once. otherwise the batter becomes too yeasty with a strong yeast aroma.