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Rava idli recipe | How to make rava idli (Karnataka style soft rava idli)

By swasthi , on June 17, 2020, 137 Comments, Jump to Recipe

Rava idli is a popular Breakfast food that originated in the Tiffin centers of Karnataka. It is a variation of the traditional Idli recipe but made with semolina, curd and some spices. Rava means semolina and idli are steamed cakes. Making rava idli is quick and easy since it is an instant recipe which needs no grinding and fermentation.

rava idli recipe

If you are new to South Indian foods, then read on to know more.

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What is rava idli?

Rava idli are steamed cakes made with semolina, yogurt, spices, veggies & a leavening agent. These are eaten for breakfast with coconut chutney & potato sagu (recipe at the end of the post).

Traditionally idlis are made with soaked ground lentils & rice. The batter is then fermented and steamed in the shape of cakes. These rava idli are quick to make as it bypasses the entire task of soaking, grinding and then fermenting.

The batter is made by just tempering the ingredients & then mixing them up with yogurt. The leavener in the batter reacts with the yogurt or curd & cooks up to fluffy & airy steamed cakes.

The recipe shared here will give you delicious, soft & light rava idlis all without the flavor of curd or soapy taste of soda in it. If you have ever wondered how the rava idli from MTR tastes so delicious & good with a light texture then this recipe is a must try.

In this post I have also shared the recipe to make potato sagu that is usually served with the rava idli in hotels. You can find it after step-by-step photos.

Preparation

1. Heat 2 tbsps ghee in a kadai. Fry 8 split cashews until golden. Remove to a plate and set aside.

2. To the same pan, add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds, ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds, ½ tablespoon chana dal and 1 tablespoon chopped cashews. Saute until the dal turns golden.

3. Lower the heat. Then add 1 sprig chopped curry leaves, 2 chopped green chilies and ¾ teaspoon grated ginger. Saute for 30 seconds until the ginger smells good.

frying herbs & ginger for rava idli

4. Immediately add 1 cup rava/ semolina and begin to mix well. On a low flame fry the rava until crunchy and lightly aromatic. Do not brown the rava.

5. Rava should be coated well with ghee. Cool this completely. You can also store the cooled rava idli mix in a jar for further use.

roasted semolina for idli rava

Preparing rava idli batter

6. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves and 1/3 teaspoon salt. Then pour ¾ cup fresh curd/ yogurt. I used homemade curd. Please make sure the curd doesn’t smell or taste sour. Otherwise the rava idli will have a smell of sour curd. Mix well.

adding curd to semolina

7. Pour half cup water and mix.

pour water for rava idli batter

8. Cover this and rest for 30 mins.

rest rava idli batter for 30 mins
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Preparing steamer & idli plates for rava idli

9. After 25 minutes, add few drops of ghee or oil to each idli plate/ mould. Grease the plates lightly and arrange a cashew on each mould. Sprinkle some grated carrots. Keep these aside.

greased idli plates with cashews

10. Pour water to a cooker or steamer or pot or instant pot as you would do for regular idli.

To steam in Pot or cooker or steamer: I use 2.5 cups water in my pot. After 25 to 30 mins of soaking the rava, bring the water to a boil.

To steam in Instant pot: I pour 1.5 cups water and bring to a rolling boil on a saute mode. I also cover with a external lid to quicken the process.

11. After 30 mins of soaking, semolina absorbs some moisture and turns almost dry. The pour 1 to 3 tablespoons water as needed to bring the batter to a consistency. I used about 3 tablespoons but every time it varies by 1 to 2 tablespoons depending on the thickness of yogurt and the kind of rava.

bring rava idli batter to consistency

12. Rava idli batter consistency should be thick and smooth as you see in the picture. When you drop the batter with the spoon it must be smooth on top and not lumpy. It should not be of pouring consistency either. It must be like idli batter. Check video to know the right consistency.

rava idli batter consistency
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Steaming rava idli

13. Skip this step if using eno. Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice to the batter and give a good mix. This will not make the rava idli sour. But is used to activate the soda.

Adding lemon juice to batter

14. When the water in the steamer is turning hot then add 1 teaspoon eno or ¼ teaspoon soda-bi-carbonate to the batter. Mix gently a few times to incorporate the soda into the batter.

sprinkle soda in rava idli batter

15. Quickly pour this to the moulds. Do not let the batter rest after mixing eno/ soda. This recipe will give you 8 rava idli.

pour batter in greased plates

16. Place the idli stand in the steamer and steam for 10 minutes on a high flame. The water must be boiling and steaming well at all times. When done, a skewer inserted comes out clean or with little crumbs.

To steam in Instant pot: Once the water comes to a rolling boil, Place the idli stand in the instant pot. Press cancel. Secure the lid and position the steam release handle to venting. Steam for 11 to 12 mins.

skewer comes out clean if done

17. Allow to cool down for about 3 to 4 mins. With the help of a moist spoon demould the rava idli.

Serve rava idli with coconut chutney or potato sagu. I have shared the recipe to make potato sagu below the recipe card.

rava idli
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Sagu for Rava idli

Ingredients for 3 servings
2 medium potatoes
1 medium onion sliced
2 green chilies
1 tsp besan
¼ cup water to mix besan
1 tbsp oil
¼ tsp mustard seeds
¼ to ½ tsp cumin
½ tsp split urad dal
1 pinch hing/ asafoetida
1/8 to ¼ tsp turmeric
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tbsp coriander leaves chopped finely

Preparation

Boil potatoes in a pressure cooker. If cooking in a pressure cooker, dice them to 1 ½ cubes and cook them with ¾ cup water for 1 whistle. If cooking in an Instant pot, then place them in a bowl and pressure cook for 5 mins.
When the pressure releases naturally, open the lid. Potatoes must be fully cooked. Set aside.

How to make sagu for rava idli

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard and cumin.
When they splutter, add hing, curry leaves and green chilies.
Add onions and fry until transparent. Do not brown them.
Add turmeric and salt. Pour water just to bring it to a consistency. I use the ¾ cup water in which I boiled the potatoes.
Bring it to a boil.
Meanwhile stir in besan with ¼ cup water. Break the lumps and make it a smooth mixture.

When the water begins to boil, pour this gently and give a good stir. You can add more water as needed to cook this.
Let the mixture cook and thicken.
Meanwhile mash the boiled potatoes keeping small chunks here and there.
Add it to the sagu and mix well. Add more water if needed. When it comes to a boil, turn off.
The consistency should be slightly runny as it will thicken when it cools down.
Rava idli sagu is not very thick. It should also have some water in it so it is suitable to serve with rava idli.
Add coriander leaves and taste test it. Add more salt if needed.

Notes: This sagu should have more flavor of aloo and less of the besan. However if you prefer more, you can stir in more besan with some more water and pour it.
You may add ½ tsp grated ginger to the tempering but most times you won’t find that flavor in the hotels.

More Instant breakfast recipes
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Tips to make fluffy rava idli

1.Roasting semolina or rava on a low to medium flame until aromatic without changing the color, is the key to prevent them from turning sticky.

2.The right amount of curd and soda or eno are the key to making the best rava idli. The leavening agent makes them light & fluffy so do not skimp.

I have followed the same rule of using ¼ tsp soda or eno to 1 cup of flour, in this case it is 1 cup of rava. It doesn’t leave a soapy taste as ¾ cup of curd & 1 tsp lemon juice is used to activate the soda.

3.Do not reduce the amount of ghee or oil in the recipe as it is very important. With reduced amount of fats, they turn out sticky.

Can I skip roasting the rava?

There are different kinds of rava or semolina in the market. My mom makes these without roasting and they always turn out good. It depends on the kind of semolina.

She uses the chiroti rava which is a finer version of the regular semolina.

So the results will depend on the kind of rava used. To be on the safer side I always roast the semolina until it turns light.

Variations

Semolina or rava is a processed food so eating in moderation is good. Since I had lot of requests for a good rava idli recipe, I thought of sharing this. For a healthier version use fine whole wheat rava or red rava.

Rava idli is served with Coconut chutney and potato sagu (find the recipe below). We do not prefer the sagu much for this so we usually serve with coconut chutney and Idli sambar. Sometimes I make rava idli for dinner if I already have this regular sambar made for lunch.

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Recipe card

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rava idli recipe

Rava idli recipe | How to make rava idli

Instant rava idli are a breakfast food made with semolina, curd, herbs and basic spices. These soft, fluffy rava idlis are great to enjoy with a chutney & potato sagu. Rava idli are very popular in the tiffin centers of karnataka.
Pin Recipe Print Recipe

For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Resting30 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Servings8 rava idli
AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )

Tempering ingredients for rava idli

  • 1 cup semolina or bombay rava or suji or chiroti rava
  • 2 tablespoon ghee or clarified butter
  • ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin or jeera
  • ½ tablespoon chana dal or bengal gram
  • 1 tablespoon cashews chopped (optional)
  • 10 curry leaves
  • 2 green chilies chopped (skip for kids)
  • ¾ tsp ginger grated or paste

Other ingredients

  • 1/3 teaspoon salt – use as needed
  • 2 to 3 tablespoon coriander leaves chopped finely
  • ¾ cup curd or yogurt or dahi (fresh, not sour)
  • ½ cup water for soaking rava
  • 2 to 3 tablespoon water for batter consistency
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice (skip if using eno)
  • 1 teaspoon Eno or fruit salt or ¼ tsp cooking soda (or soda-bicarbonate) (* refer notes)
  • 1 teaspoon oil for greasing idli plates
  • 4 cashewnuts or 8 split cashews
  • 1 teaspoon carrot grated
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Instructions

Preparation for rava idli

  • Heat 2 tablespoons ghee in a pan.
  • Fry 8 split cashews until golden and set aside for garnishing.
  • To the same pan add ½ teaspoon mustard, ¼ teaspoon cumin, 1 tablespoon broken cashews and ½ tablespoon chana dal.
  • Fry until the dal turns golden.
  • Reduce the flame and add 10 curry leaves, 1 to 2 chopped green chilies and ¾ teaspoon ginger.
  • Saute until it turns fragrant just for 30 seconds.
  • Then quickly add 1 cup rava.
  • Mix well to coat the semolina with ghee.
  • Roast on a low flame stirring consistently until the rava turns crunchy and slightly aromatic.
  • Do not brown the rava. Set this aside and cool completely.

Making rava idli batter

  • When the rava is cooled down completely, add salt, 2 to 3 tablespoons coriander leaves, ¾ cup curd and half cup water. 
  • Mix well until the batter is uniform. Cover this and set aside for 30 mins.
  • After 25 mins, grease the plates and place a cashew in each of the moulds.
  • Also sprinkle some carrots. Set this aside.

How to make rava idli

  • Bring water to a boil in a steamer or cooker.
  • When the water is just about to come to a boil in a few minutes, Check the consistency of the batter and pour more water if needed.
  • The batter has to be thick like regular idli batter and must be smooth.
  • When you drop it with the spoon it should not be lumpy.
  • It should not be of pouring consistency either.
  • Skip this step if using eno.
  • Add 1 tsp lemon juice to the batter and give a quick stir.
  • Then sprinkle eno or soda and gently give a good mix.
  • Avoid over mixing. The batter needs to be steamed immediately otherwise the rava idli will not turn fluffy & soft.
  • Immediately transfer the batter to moulds.
  • Place it in the hot steamer and steam for 10 mins on a high flame. 
  • Allow the idlis to cool down for 2 mins.
  • If the rava idli is properly done, then a skewer or fork inserted into it comes out clean or with little crumbs. 
  • When the rava idlis cool down for about 3 to 4 mins, demould them with a wet spoon. 
  • Serve rava idli with coconut chutney or potato sagu (recipe below).
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Notes

Notes on rava idli

  1. Curd and soda or eno are the 2 ingredients that make the rava idli fluffy and soft. Any changes in the usage of these ingredients will affect the texture of rava idli and they will turn hard & dense.
  2. Soda: Do not try this recipe without eno or soda. You can reduce it to a pinch but it will not really yield you good & soft rava idli. As a rule of thumb I suggest using ¼ tsp for every cup of rava. It will not leave a soapy taste as the soda is activated with ¾ cup of curd.
  3. Curd: I use homemade curd made using full fat milk. It must be fresh and not sour otherwise the rava idli will have the smell of curd.
  4. Ghee: Do not reduce the amount of ghee or oil as it prevents the idli from turning sticky. There must be enough ghee to coat the rava.
  5. Water:The amount of water absorbed by rava may differ, so add accordingly.

Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.

For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.

Video

Watch to make rava idli

NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)

Nutrition Facts
Rava idli recipe | How to make rava idli
Amount Per Serving
Calories 150 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 9mg3%
Sodium 140mg6%
Potassium 59mg2%
Carbohydrates 17g6%
Fiber 1g4%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 165IU3%
Vitamin C 26.6mg32%
Calcium 38mg4%
Iron 1.4mg8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @SwasthisRecipes or tag #swasthisrecipes!

© Swasthi’s Recipes

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Rava idli recipe | How to make rava idli (Karnataka style soft rava idli)Rava idli recipe | How to make rava idli (Karnataka style soft rava idli)
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About swasthi

Iโ€™m Swasthi shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthis recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthiโ€™s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills.
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Comments

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  2. Vinod N Solanki says

    January 20, 2021

    5 stars
    It is really very nice recipe. I have today made Rava Idli following measurements given in recipe. It turn out to be very soft, delicious and yummy. Only mistake was that due to little over roasting of Rava, colour of idli become light brown ,which I will rectify next time.
    Thanks alot.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      January 22, 2021

      Hi,
      You are welcome! Glad to know they turned out good. Yes the color of rava should not change. Thanks for leaving a comment.

      Reply
  3. Yvonne Oliver says

    November 16, 2020

    5 stars
    I love all the recipes… Thank you very much ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ™๐Ÿ‘Œ

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      November 16, 2020

      Welcome Yvonne

      Reply
  4. Shanthini says

    November 6, 2020

    5 stars
    Hello Swasthi
    I made the above Rava idli using my roasted coarse rava and reduced the time roasting it.
    It came out perfect. But curious to know if Rava idli should be made with the fine soji rava or not .
    Thank you.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      November 9, 2020

      Hi Shanthini
      Glad to know! Yes rava idli is made with fine rava. Some people also make it with super fine rava known as chiroti rava.

      Reply
  5. Shaili says

    October 12, 2020

    5 stars
    Have made these many times now and follow exact recipe using lemon and baking soda and they come out absolutely soft and yummy. My whole family loves them. Have tried ready made packets and other ways but this is the best. Not going back to any other way. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      October 13, 2020

      Glad to know Shaili
      Yes I too prefer lemon juice and soda.
      Thanks for leaving a comment.

      Reply
  6. Meena says

    September 6, 2020

    5 stars
    Tried first time and have to say recipe is wonderful .
    Love it!!

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      September 7, 2020

      Thanks Meena
      ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  7. Aneesha Mohan says

    August 28, 2020

    5 stars
    Thank you so much. Idlis turned out to be fluffy and flavourful.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      August 28, 2020

      Glad to know Aneesha

      Reply
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  9. Lynette says

    August 7, 2020

    5 stars
    This recipe is wonderful! I made this today and we LOVED it.. Very soft fluffy tasty idlis. Will surely be making it again..

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      September 7, 2020

      Hi Lynette
      Thank you so much!

      Reply
  10. Preeti says

    August 2, 2020

    5 stars
    PERFECT!!!! Thank you for sharing!

    Our idli steamer plates are a little smaller so we got 12 with your recipe. The kids loved it and mother-in-law approved as well! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      August 3, 2020

      Welcome Preeti
      So glad to know! Thanks for leaving a comment
      ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  11. Swe says

    June 20, 2020

    5 stars
    Hi, thanks for their recipe, idlis came out amazing. I tried it with Greek Yogurt, but it was still great.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      August 3, 2020

      Welcome Swe
      Thank you

      Reply
  12. Deepika says

    June 19, 2020

    What can be done if curd is too sour and you realise it late that is after adding it to mixture

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      June 19, 2020

      Deepika,
      Make a spicy & hot chutney it will go well with it. Check this ginger chutney

      Reply
  13. Mallika Rajashekar says

    June 10, 2020

    Thank you so much..for such a wonderful recipe…It came out so tasty softy and yummy๐Ÿ˜Š
    My in-laws apperciated it a lot๐Ÿ™๐Ÿ™๐Ÿ™

    Reply
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  15. Bhavya says

    June 3, 2020

    Can we store the dry mix in fridge
    If yes then for how many days

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      June 4, 2020

      Yes you can keep it for a month

      Reply
  16. Roopa says

    May 3, 2020

    5 stars
    Hello Swasthi
    Rava idli came out amazing texture and taste! Thanks for details. I was confused about calories! Is it for how many idlis?
    Thanks

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      May 5, 2020

      Hello Roopa
      Glad to know. It is per idli. But these are just approximations. Thank you

      Reply
  17. Roopa says

    May 2, 2020

    5 stars
    These recipe made nice fluffy Rava idli!
    Really appreciate your instructions.
    By the way what is the servings size ?
    Is this calorie for only 1 idli? Looking forward to see your message.

    Reply
  18. Vishna Devi Nadarajah says

    May 2, 2020

    5 stars
    Excellent recipe. I try it and very happy with the outcome .

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      May 5, 2020

      Glad to know they turned out good. Thank you

      Reply
  19. Monali says

    May 1, 2020

    Is it okay to use flavoured eno or Pudina haha flavoured in rava idli

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      May 2, 2020

      It should work well

      Reply
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  21. Pooja says

    April 30, 2020

    5 stars
    Tried this today and it turned out so good. Infact my husband like this more than Rice idli. Thanks for sharing this !

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      May 2, 2020

      Hello Pooja
      You are welcome! Glad to know.
      Thank you

      Reply
  22. Megha K says

    April 27, 2020

    5 stars
    Hi! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe. It was yummy.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      April 29, 2020

      Hi Megha,
      Glad to know! Thank you

      Reply
  23. Amrita Ganguly says

    April 25, 2020

    5 stars
    Tried for the first time and it came out just perfect. Thanks for the awesome yet easy recipe!!!

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      April 27, 2020

      Glad to know Amrita
      Thank you!

      Reply
  24. Prachi says

    April 20, 2020

    5 stars
    Thank you for the detailed recipe. The idlis turned out soft and delicious. I doubled the proportions and it worked out great.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      April 20, 2020

      Hi Prachi
      You are welcome! Glad to know they turned out soft. Thank you

      Reply
    • Nithya says

      June 7, 2020

      5 stars
      Great recipe. And fantastic instructions. This is the first time, my rava idlis came out really well. I made it with kudaravalli rava.

      Reply
  25. Salma Yamani says

    April 10, 2020

    Hi Swasthi! Your recipes are absolutely delicious…. When I need any new recipes to try, I go through your website first…. Youโ€™re making every recipe with easy steps. This is the best website for beginners too.. Can I make this rava idli using idli rava? If yes, should I soak it before make the idlis? Pls reply me. I need to make this tonight. Thnx in advance

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      April 10, 2020

      Hi Salma,
      You are welcome. Thanks for following the blog. I haven’t tried it. But it should work. There are 2 kinds of idli rava. The fine one should work. Hope this helps.

      Reply
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