All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast ~ John Gunther .So true !! Especially if you are like me not a morning person (now it is much better ,there is some improvement though ..I am working on it ). However,when it is weekend ,it becomes a competition NOT who will wake up early INSTEAD who will wake up late .(You see,the luxury of having no kids yet and enjoying each others company to the utmost even sleeping ...This for me falls under "Simple pleasures of life" :)).
As if on Fridays,we (myself & hubby) are trying hard to prove .."Hey,weekdays are over INDEED! "...Weekend is gonna start and we will do anything we want - we'll go out , eat in a nice restaurant and forget about being a weight watcher ,watch movies in a theater perhaps, as if it's the first and last day of the show and then again at home watch movies after movies as if there is no tomorrow,we will not sleep as if we love to be insomniacs , we will snack again even if it's 2 am ,so what if we don't have popcorn ,next day we will sleep long because of the overnight haul and morning ,we will scan our refrigerator for any quick bites and we will not find any eggs for even omelets singing "Sunday ho ya Monday roz khao anday "(an old ad .aired in DD1 when I was little meaning whether it is Sunday or Monday,eat eggs everyday" ) and hubby will yawn "I-want-Idli" and I'll be like but honey P ,I forgot to make the idli batter ...Interval! ...after scratching my head as if I've severe dry itchy scalp ,I will say ..Alright let us make Rava idli !!
To those who are not aware of ,"Idli" is a very famous South Indian breakfast item . However,to make the regular idli batter it is time consuming - you have to soak the ingredients of the recipe for couple of hours and then grind them into a smooth batter and allow it to rest for like 7-8 hours and then steam them into regular idlis . So, this is something you have to plan in advance or have store bought ready made batter at home .As amnesia-tic as I am ,I most of the time forget and most of the weekend my hubby reminds me that he loves idli. However,if you have similar situation or if you want to have idlis that can be quickly made without any soaking or long fermentation ,then make rava idlis.
All you need are rava ,suji/sooji a.k.a semolina ,yogurt,water to make it into a batter and then something like "Eno" to activate the batter to rise , turn soft and spongy instant idlis plus very little spices and then to make little more healthier, I also add vegetable mix ..well rest is your creativity I say ! and all it takes is about 10-15 minutes of cooking time to make instant idlis.
By the way these idlis are quite healthy just like the regular idlis because of the semolina :
Did you know ?
- Semolina is a good source of protein,carbohydrates and fiber.
- Semolina is loaded with vitamins like Potassium,selenium,Iron especially .
- Semolina falls under "Low glycemic index " food item meaning it is digested and absorbed in the body slowly and so is very good for weight management and diabetic people.
- Good source of energy.
- The downside,it is not gluten free.
So,this is how I make rava idli at home
Rava Idli recipe
Ingredients
Rava/Sooji/Semolina - 1 cup
Water - 1-3 cups
Yogurt/Curd - 3/4 cup
Eno salt - 1 teaspoon
Ginger ,chopped - 1 teaspoon
Green Chilly ,large,chopped - 2 nos
Afew curry leaves ,chopped
Salt to taste
Mixed vegetable (Carrots,beans,corns,peas),frozen - 1/4 cup (optional)
To temper :
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Urad dal/Black lentil - 1 teaspoon
Chana daal/Bengal Gram lentil - 1 teaspoon
Hing/Asafoetida - A pinch
Ghee/oil - 1 tablespoon (optional)
Oil to spray
Method:
- Heat a pan with ghee or oil and add mustard seeds.
- When mustard seeds splutter,add everything under "To temper" on low flame so that the dals /lentils don't get burnt.
- To that add the chopped ginger, green chilly ,curry leaves and saute for a minute.
- Now add the rava/semolina and saute for a few minutes on medium flame until it becomes light brown.
- Switch off the flame.Allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes.
- Boil the mixed vegetables,make a paste of them in a food processor.
- Now add 1 cup water,yogurt ,salt and mixed vegetable paste to it.
- Mix well.Allow the batter to sit for 8-10 minutes.
- Now take the idli maker ,add two cups of water and allow it to boil.
- Once it reaches the boiling point,lower the flame .
- Now spray or smear some oil on each idli moulds.
- Put the eno into the batter ,a tablespoon of water on top of it and give a stir .
- Pour the batter immediately into each idli mould in the idli maker.
- Close the idli maker and allow it to steam on medium flame for 10-15 minutes.
- Switch off.Let it rest for a minute.
- Carefully,open the idli maker and remove every idli using a spoon
- Serve hot with any chutney of your choice.
- "Eno" is must to use to activate the batter to rise and become soft and spongy.Use it ONLY at last, just before you pour batter into idli moulds . Put a tablespoon of water on top of it and you'll see bubbles on the surface of the batter that's when you should mix batter well and pour it instantly .
- Make sure the batter is lump free.
- Don't use fat free yogurt if you don't want to compromise the taste.
- When you add water to the batter,add little by little till you get the right consistency.It should be neither too thick nor too thin ,should be pourable .
- People usually add cashews too but I don't prefer.You can.
Isn't that one healthy ,filling food to break the fast I mean breakfast item you can make anytime instantly ,leisurely and start the day to a happy weekend ?
For me it is :).
For me it is :).
