How to Make Instant Poha Idli (Flattened Rice Idli)
I like to cook and eat natural, healthy, and tasty foods, and I enjoy sharing recipes from my native Indian cuisine.
Poha idli, or flattened rice idli.
An Instant Breakfast for All
Idli is a very popular breakfast dish in India. Preparing the regular version of this dish typically requires prior planning; the batter must be made a few hours ahead of time to allow time for fermentation. However, the recipe I'm going to share with you here can be made instantly.
Flattened rice idlis are very soft, porous, spongy, and tasty. It took me about 35 minutes to make this dish for four people. The main ingredients are flattened rice, rice rava (idli semolina), curds, and baking soda.
I serve hot idlis with a spicy red onion-coconut chutney. You can also serve them with any other spicy sauce, sambar, or chutney. These idlis remain soft and spongy even when they are cold, which makes them perfect for packing in lunchboxes.
Now, let's take a look at the recipe.
Cook Time
| Prep time | Cook time | Ready in | Yields |
|---|---|---|---|
25 min | 10 min | 35 min | 16 idlis |
Ingredients
- 1 cup flattened rice, extra thin variety
- 1 1/2 cups rice rava (idli rava/rice semolina)
- 2 cups curds or yogurt, moderately sour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (or fruit salt)
- Oil to grease idli moulds
Instructions
- Soak flattened rice in 1 cup curds. Set aside for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Wash rice rava (semolina). Soak it in remaining curds. Set aside for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Mash the flattened rice. It will look like a thick batter.
- Whisk soaked rava rice-curd mix. Add mashed flattened rice and salt. Mix. If the batter is thick, add some water to bring it to idli batter consistency.
- Grease idli moulds with some oil. Arrange the steamer for making the idlis.
- Add baking soda or fruit salt to the batter. Gently mix. Quickly pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of the batter into each greased mould.
- Heat the steamer. Arrange the stand inside and close the lid. If you are using a pressure cooker to make this, there's no need to place the weight.
- Steam-cook on medium-high heat for 10 to 11 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Open the lid after 2 to 3 minutes. Take out the moulds. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool.
- Separate the idlis with the help of a spoon handle. Arrange them on a plate.
- These hot and spongy flattened rice idlis are ready to serve! Serve them with a spicy onion-coconut chutney or any other hot sauce, sambar, or chutney. Enjoy!
Photo Tutorial
Step one: Gather all the ingredients.
Step two: Soak flattened rice (poha) and rice rava separately in one cup each of curds. Set aside for 15 to 20 minutes.
Step three: Mash soaked flattened rice.
Step four: Add it to the soaked rice rava mix. Add salt and mix well. This is the batter for making the idlis.
Step five: Add water if you need to adjust the batter's consistency.
Step six: Grease the idli moulds. Heat the steamer.
Step seven: Add baking soda to the batter and gently stir. Quickly pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter into each mould.
Step eight: Place the idli stand inside the steamer. Close the lid. If you are using a pressure cooker, don't place the weight.
The cooker with the idli stand inside. Set the heat on medium-high. Steam-cook up to 10 or 11 minutes. Next, turn off the heat. Open the lid after 2 to 3 minutes.
Take the idli stand out. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool.
Separate the idlis from the moulds with the help of a spoon handle.
Serve 3 to 4 hot idlis with a spicy onion-coconut chutney or any other hot chutney, sauce, or sambar.
Enjoy eating these soft, spongy, and tasty idlis!
Comments
ShailaSheshadri (author) from Bengaluru on March 08, 2018:
Thanks. It is onion-coconut chutney. To make it, you have to grind grated coconut, dry red chillies, very little coriander seeds, onions, tamarind, some fried gram, and salt together, adding some water. Collect the paste in a bowl. Next, make a tempering and mix it with the chutney.
mannu2403 on March 08, 2018:
how did you make the chatney?
