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

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.

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

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 the recipe card at the end of this post.

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.

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.

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.

7. Pour half cup water and mix.

8. Cover this and rest for 30 mins.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

More Instant breakfast recipes
Akki roti
Wheat dosa
Upma recipe
Poha recipe
Eggless pancake recipe

Recipe

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.