A Rava Idli Recipe that gives you an incredibly light, soft and tasty rava idli. Being a Idli and Dosa lover, I never say no to the different idli varieties out there. For this instant rava idli recipe, I have found the perfect combination of ingredients to make these savory cakes that are soft, moist, fluffy and delicious.
What is Rava Idli
Rava Idli is a soft, pillowy steamed savory cake made from rava or suji and is a popular variation of the traditional South Indian Idli which is made with fermented rice and lentil batter.
Rava, also known as ‘suji’ in Hindi and ‘cream of wheat’ or ‘semolina’ in English, is simply granulated wheat.
It is made with mixing ghee roasted rava (sooji or cream of wheat) with curd (yogurt), spices, herbs, cashews, water and a leavening agent like baking soda or eno (fruit salt) to make a nice batter of medium consistency.
The reaction of alkaline eno or baking soda with the acidity of the yogurt helps in leavening the batter thereby giving it a soft and fluffy texture. This flavorful batter is then steamed in an idli maker to make fluffy, pillowy cakes.
Traditionally, idli is made from rice and lentils, which involves soaking the rice and lentils for 4 to 5 hours as well as grinding the lentils and then fermenting the batter.
As this recipe uses rava (cream of wheat), yogurt and a leavening agent instead, we do not need all that soaking or grinding time, thus making this an instant recipe.
For that reason, I make rava idli when we want some quick and easy breakfast or snack. The rava idli batter gets made within minutes and then, as the idli is steaming, I prepare the coconut chutney, which is the traditional dip to serve with idli.
How to make Rava Idli
1. Heat 2 tablespoons ghee in a pan. Keep the heat to low or medium-low. Add 14 halved cashews.
2. Stirring often fry the cashews till golden. Remove with a slotted spoon draining the ghee and keep aside. Reduce the heat to low or medium-low.
3. To the same pan add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds. Let the mustard seeds begin to splutter.
4. When the mustard seeds begin to splutter add 1 teaspoon chana dal (husked and split bengal gram).
5. Stirring often fry chana dal till they look golden and crunchy. Then add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and fry for 4 to 5 seconds.
6. Now add 10 to 12 curry leaves (chopped), 1 pinch asafoetida (hing), 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger and 1 green chilli (finely chopped).
7. Mix well and fry for about 10 seconds. Keep the heat to a low.
8. Now add 1 cup rava (finer variety of cream of wheat, suji, semolina).
9. Mix the rava very well with the ghee and other ingredients.
10. Roast rava till it become aromatic, changes color a bit (but should not get browned or golden) and the grains look separate. Keep on stirring often when roasting rava.
Roasting rava will takes about 5 to 7 minutes depending on the thickness and heaviness of the pan and the flame intensity. Once the rava is well roasted, keep the pan aside. Let the rava become warm.
11. To the roasted rava, add 2 tablespoons finely grated carrots, 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves and ½ teaspoon salt or add as required.
If adding any other grated veggies or steamed peas then add them at this step.
12. Next add ½ cup curd (yogurt) and ½ to ¾ cup water. Depending on the quality of rava and the thickness of curd, you can adjust the water.
Tip 1: If the curd is liquid and has whey in it, then add ½ cup water.
Tip 2: If the curd is very thick, then add ¾ cup water. Basically you need to get a medium consistency batter.
13. Mix very well and let the batter rest covered for 20 minutes. The rava idli batter is neither thick nor thin in consistency and has a medium consistency.
14. Brush oil or ghee on the idli pan moulds. Place a fried halved cashew in the center of the moulds.
15. Before you add eno or baking soda to the batter, take 2 to 2.5 cups water in a pot. Keep a small length trivet stand or a rack in the pot. Heat the water till it comes to a boil.
16. After 20 minutes this is the consistency of the batter after resting. If in case the batter looks thick, then add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to get a medium consistency.
Rava absorbs water and so the batter might thicken after 20 minutes. If the curd is thick, then also you may need to add more water. If you have added more water in the beginning, you do not need to add any water at this step.
17. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon eno or ¼ teaspoon baking soda evenly over the batter. I have used eno.
18. Quickly mix very well.
19. Pour the batter in the idli moulds.
20. Stack the each idli plate and place them in the pot with the hot water. Cover with a lid and steam rava idli for 10 to 12 minutes.
21. I have used the Instant Pot for steaming and had set the time for 10 minutes (check notes section in recipe card on finer details for steaming in the IP as well as pressure cooker and pan).
Keep a stop-watch or timer to check the time as Instant Pot does not beep in the steaming mode after the steaming time is over. It will continue to steam further.
You can even steam rava idli in an electric cooker, pan or pressure cooker for 10 to 12 minutes.
22. To check the doneness, a toothpick or wooden skewer inserted in the rava idli should come out clean.
Remove the idli plates carefully and let them rest for 3 to 4 minutes. Then with a spoon remove the rava idli.
23. Serve the steaming hot Rava Idli with Idli Sambar and your favorite coconut chutney.
Serving Suggestions
- Coconut Chutney: Rava idli tastes amazing served with coconut chutney. I have served rava idli with cilantro coconut chutney.
- Sambar: Rava Idli also tastes good with Sambar – a vegetable stew cooked with dal, veggies and tamarind.
- Potato Sagu: Both rava idli and potato sagu is a great combination.Potato sagu is a lightly spiced potato curry from the Karnataka cuisine.
- Idli Podi: Idli podi makes for a good side with rava idli. Idli Podi is a dry powder made with lentils and red chilies and has a spicy, earthy flavor along with a somewhat crunchy texture. Sesame oil or ghee is then mixed with the idli podi to make a delicious paste to dip the idli in.
Expert tips
- Leavening Agent: 1 teaspoon of eno (fruit salt) is perfect for the amount of rava and curd used in the recipe and helps the idli to be soft, fluffy without the soapy aroma. If you use baking soda, then add ¼ teaspoon (2 to 3 pinches) of it in the batter. The spices and herbs also add a lot of flavorings of their own in the recipe.
- Veggies: I have also added some grated carrots to the batter which you can skip. You can even add steamed green peas. Just boil the peas beforehand and also grate the veggies ahead of time so they are ready to add.
- Curd (Yogurt): I have used fresh curd. You can use both fresh or sour curd to make the idli. Another variation of idli to check out is Idli made with Rice Rava where cream of rice is used instead of cream of wheat.
- Idli Pan: You will need an idli pan to make these steamed cakes. Idli pans are made to fit perfectly into a pressure cooker or steamer. If you can’t find an idli maker where you typically buy your kitchen equipment, you can always order one online at amazon.com.
FAQs
I have compiled below some frequently asked questions from readers on this rava idli recipe.
Use the finer variety of rava and not the coarser or bigger ones. You can use bombay rava or chiroti rava.
Eno or baking soda should be fresh and within their shelf period. If they are not fresh or active, they won’t leaven the batter resulting in hard rava idli. Again, as soon as you mix eno, you have to steam the batter immediately – if you keep the batter resting the rava idli will not become fluffy.
I have never made this recipe with rice rava, but you can try.
Yes absolutely. Roasting rava coats the fine rava grains with ghee and this helps in making the idli have a light texture without being sticky or gluey.
Yes. You can make the rava idli with buttermilk. But add as much of it till you get a medium consistency batter.
You can skip them, but the rava idli won’t have a fluffy texture. They will be soft though with a slight denseness in the texture.
Yes you can. But add eno or baking soda just before steaming them. The batter will also thicken, so add a few tablespoons of water and mix well before steaming.
No. Baking powder cannot be substituted with baking soda or fruit salt. You will need to add more quantity of baking powder which will give a metallic and bitter taste to the dish.
You can use a pan or bowl for the batter and steam. Once steamed well, then slice in wedges or cubes.
Adding more eno or baking soda than what is mentioned in the recipe will give a crumbly texture.
Not roasting the rava well and too much water can make them sticky.
Less water and prolonged steaming will give a dry and denser texture to the rava idli.
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Rava Idli | Suji ki Idli
By Dassana Amit
Ingredients
For frying & roasting
- 2 tablespoons Ghee (clarified butter)
- 14 halved cashews
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon chana dal (husked and split bengal gram or split & husked chickpeas)
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 10 curry leaves – chopped
- 1 pinch asafoetida – optional
- 1 teaspoon or 1 inch finely chopped ginger
- 1 green chilli – finely chopped
For batter
- 2 tablespoons finely grated carrots – optional
- 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
- ½ teaspoon salt or add as required
- 1 cup or 175 grams cup rava (sooji, semolina, cream of wheat)
- ½ cup Curd (yogurt)
- ½ to ¾ cup water or add as required
- 1 teaspoon eno (fruit salt) or ¼ teaspoon or 2 to 3 pinches of baking soda
Instructions
Frying & Roasting
- Heat 2 tablespoons ghee in a pan. Keep the heat to low or medium-low. Add the halved cashews. Stirring often fry the cashews till golden. Remove fried cashews with a slotted spoon draining the ghee and keep aside.
- To the same pan add mustard seeds and let them begin to splutter. Keep the heat to low or medium-low
- When the mustard seeds begin to splutter add the chana dal. Stirring often fry chana dal till they look golden and crunchy. Then add the cumin seeds and fry for 4 to 5 seconds.
- Now add the chopped curry leaves, asafoetida, finely chopped ginger and green chillies. Mix well and fry for 10 seconds. Keep the heat to a low.
- Next add rava (cream of wheat, suji, semolina).
- Mix well and stirring often roast the rava till they become aromatic, change color a bit (but should not get browned or golden) and the grains look separate. Roasting rava will takes about 5 to 7 minutes depending on the thickness and heaviness of the pan, and the flame intensity. Once the rava is well roasted, keep the pan aside. Let the rava become warm.
Making Batter
- To the roasted rava, add 2 tablespoons finely grated carrots, 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves and ½ teaspoon salt or add as required.
- Next add curd (yogurt) and water as required. Depending on the quality of rava and the thickness of curd, you can adjust the water from ½ to ¾ cup. If the curd is liquid and has whey in it, then add ½ cup water. If the curd is very thick, then add ¾ cup water. Basically you need to get a medium consistency batter.
- Mix very well and let the batter rest covered for 20 minutes. The rava idli batter is neither thick nor thin in consistency and has a medium consistency.
- Brush oil or ghee on the idli pan moulds. Place a fried halved cashew in the center of the moulds. Also heat 2 to 2.5 cups water in a pot. Keep a small length trivet stand or a rack in the pot. Heat the water till it comes to a boil.
- After 20 minutes this is the consistency of the batter after resting. If in case the batter looks thick, rava idli batter looks thick, then add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to get a medium consistency. Rava absorbs water and so the batter might thicken after 20 minutes. If the curd is thick, then also you may need to add more water. If you have added more water in the beginning, then you may not need to any water at this step.
- Sprinkle 1 teaspoon eno or ¼ teaspoon baking soda evenly over the batter. Quickly mix very well.
Steaming
- Pour the batter in the idli moulds. Place them in the pot with the hot water. Cover with a lid and steam rava idli for 10 to 12 minutes.
- To check the doneness, a toothpick or wooden skewer inserted in the rava idli should come out clean. Remove the idli plates carefully and let them rest for 3 to 4 minutes. Then with a spoon remove the rava idli.
- Serve the steaming hot rava idli with sambar and your favorite coconut chutney.
Video
Notes
- Type of rava: Kindly use the finer variety of rava and not the coarser or bigger ones. You can use bombay rava or chiroti rava.
- Roasting rava: The rava has to be roasted well in ghee so that they do not become sticky after steaming.
- Leaving agents: Eno (fruit acid) and baking soda are the leaveing agents used in the recipe. You can add either of them. Do make sure they are fresh and within their shelf period. If they are not fresh or active, they won’t leaven the batter resulting in hard rava idli.
- Skipping the leavening agents: You can skip them, but the rava idli won’t have a fluffy texture. They will be soft though with a slight denseness in the texture.
- No idli pan, no problem: Use a cake pan or bowl for the batter and steam. Once steamed well, then slice in wedges or cubes.
- Steaming: Do not steam for a prolonged time as this will result in dense rava idli. You can easily steam in a pan, instant pot or a pressure cooker.
- Steaming in a pan: Heat 2.5 cups water in a large pot or pan. Place a small trivet stand. Then place the idli pan on the trivet. Cover with a lid loose enough to let the steam pass or with a vent. Steam for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Steaming in a pressure cooker: Heat 2.5 cups water in a 5 or 6 litre pressure cooker. Place the pressure cooker grid plate inside the water before heating it or a small trivet. Keep the idli pan. Remove the vent weight (whistle) from the lid. Seal the pressure cooker with its lid. Steam for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Steaming in Instant Pot: Add 2 to 2.5 cups water in the steel insert of a 6 quart IP. Place a small trivet in the water. Using the sauté option bring the water to a boil. Press cancel. Place the idli plates. Cover with the IP lid and keep the sealing position to vent (so that the steam is released from the vent during the entire process of steaming). Press the steam button on high and set the time to 10 minutes. Use a stop watch to check the time.
- Note that the approximate nutrition info is for 1 rava idli.
Nutrition Info Approximate values
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This recipe post from the archives (November 2013) has been republished and updated on 9 June 2020.
Delicious, soft fluffy rava idlis. Must try recipe.
Dassana Mam Can I steam the idli by making simple batter of rava and yoghurt(curd)?It means that can I skip mustard,cumin and all veggies?It means that can I skip this frying method?
Yes, you can do that. Generally the mustard, cumin and veggies etc add a lot of flavor, but you can make a simple version with just rava, curd and eno or baking soda. So you can skip the frying part.
Totally loved the idlis made by following your recipe. It was a great breakfast for us. Thank you!
Thanks for the lovely feedback and the rating as well. Glad to know. Welcome.
Thank u for the superb recipe mam
welcome shalini and thanks for this super feedback on rava idli.