Rava Idlis are a super fast alternative to the traditional rice/daal idlis. Since there is no soaking, grinding or fermenting involved, you can enjoy these idlis at any time without the pre-planning.
Try this simple and delicious recipe.
Ingredients:
Sooji (Cream of Wheat/Semolina) – 2 cups
Oil – 2 Tbsp
Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
Asofoetida (Hing) – pinch
Channa Daal – 1 tsp
Urad Daal – 1 tsp
Dry Whole Red Chili – 1
Broken Cashew Pieces – 1 Tbsp
Yogurt – 1 cup, well beaten
Curry Leaves – 1 sprig
Green Chili – 1 (to taste), finely chopped
Cilantro – 5 sprigs, finely chopped
Ginger – 1 tsp, finely grated
Salt – 1 tsp (to taste)
Water – 1 cup
ENO Fruit Salt – 2 tsp
Thinly Sliced Tomatoes and Cilantro Leaves – for garnishing
Method:
Heat Oil in medium pan on medium heat.
Add Mustard Seeds and allow them to pop.
Add Asofoetida, Dry Red Chili, Channa Daal, Urad Daal and mix.
When Channa and Urad Daals become light brown, add in Sooji and mix well.
Keep roasting Sooji until a nice fragrant smell comes or you see the Sooji turning light brown. Do Not Burn the Sooji.
Transfer Sooji to a medium bowl and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes.
Lightly oil Idli trays with spray cooking oil or regular oil.
Prepare Idli steamer by pre-heating water to a boil.
In another small bowl, mix Yogurt, Curry Leaves, Green Chilies, Cilantro, Ginger and Salt. Mix well.
Pour Yogurt mixture into the cooled Sooji and mix.
Add Water a little at a time and keep mixing until there are no lumps visible. Allow the batter to rest for at least 15-20 minutes.
Add ENO Fruit Salt and mix well. The mixture should foam up.
Immediately pour mixture into the Idli Trays and put the Idli Stand into the steamer.
Place a tight lid on the steamer and steam Idlis for exactly 16 minutes on medium heat.
Remove Idlis from the trays by scooping them out with a spoon.
Serve hot with chutney or sambar.
Makes approx. 20 idlis.
Tips:
If you have an Idli Stand, but no steamer, you can use any tall stock pot with a tight fitting lid. Another alternative is to use a Rice Cooker (your Idli Stand Should fit into it).
After ENO has been added, Idlis must be steamed immediately. If you are making more than one batch, be sure to divide the roasted Sooji. Add the wet ingredients only to the amount which will fit in your Idli Stand at one time.
For a prettier presentation, drop a thin slice of tomato and a cilantro leaf at the bottom of each idli indention before pouring in the batter on top. To save time for the future, you can make and keep the roasted, dry Sooji mixture in bulk in the refrigerator or freezer. Whenever you want to make, just add in the wet ingredients.
hi,hetal/ anuja
i keep trying all your recipes and it comes out really really good.thanks for your tasty recipes.pleeeeeeze i want the recipe of lebanese garlic sauce used in shawarma as i live in saudi arabia its very popular here.can u pleeeeeeze help me to make it. i will be waiting for your reply.dont disappoint me hetal/anuja.
Hi Salma,
We currently do not have a recipe for the Lebanese garlic sauce. We will try our best to see if we can come up with a good recipe though it may take some time. Thanks for your patience.
Hai Hetal & Anuja
I Love your recipes , Keep it up . In this Rava Idli I tried without EnO Fruit salt . and it came out very well . Eno health wise is not good . so I prefer to ignore it .
thank you
Hi Sonia,
ENO is just baking soda and citric acid…not really bad for health. However, if you were happy with the results without it then that’s perfect! 🙂
hi hetal/anuja
i keep trying all your recipes and it comes out really good.thanks for posting the tasty recipes.can you please show me the recipe of lebanese garlic sauce used in shawarma?pleeeeeeeeeze .i will be waiting.
Thank you Anuja and Hetal. It came out really good and my husband loved it.
Thanks a lot for a wonderful and easy way out receipe!!!
Can You also please post the receipe for Rava Dosa?
I tried this recipe…comes out to be awesome and very light…
I added dhania powder also in batter because I didnt had cilantro at home..
Thanks for such a nice recipe
Perfectly turned out even for the first time i prepared this recipe with your clear cut method.My husband just loved it..Thank u once again..
Anuja/Hetal,
Should we hang the yogurt first? I tried the recipe and it turned out really good except that it was a little toooo soft… as I was taking out of the idli stand, the idli lost its shape.
Thanks
hello hetal and anuja!!!!
I have tried many of ur recipes and it almost worked good….
Can u please help me how to make garlic paste of chicken broasted???
hey m waitin for ur reply!!!
hi hetal/anuja
i keep trying all your recipes and it comes out really good.thanks for posting the tasty recipes.can you please show me the recipe of lebanese garlic sauce used in shawarma?pleeeeeeeeeze .i will be waiting.
HI Friend,
i am sridevithiyagarajan.now only start the cooking.i love ravaidli.but i don’t prepare well.i saw your preparation method.very clearly,neatly.thank you so much.thanks alot.
Thank you for our feedback 🙂
hi i really liked your recipe. its awesome thank you .
hi hatal anjul i like the idli
Hi Anuja / Hetal,
Thankyou for such a wonderful recipe:)…my 3 yr old daughter just loves ur suji dhoklas:)…i tried this rava idli today…it tasted nice, but they were very dry….any reason why they came out like that?…i would love to try this recipe again….thankyou:)
Hi Reema,
Glad you and your daughter liked the Dhokla 🙂
Here are a suggestion to make the the idlis more moist, add a little extra yogurt (we used the homemade yogurt and the consistency can sometimes vary). That should do the trick 😉
Hi Hetal/Anuja,
Can I use upma rava for making rava idlis or should I use the more fine rava?
Hi R,
Yes, you can use upma rava (coarse sooji) for this recipe. The fine variety will not work as well.
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
I just came across your website from a youtube video…I love it. My compliments on the thorough job you have done putting these recipes together.
I did not see where the cashew pieces got used in this recipe. Are they roasted with the sooji?
Thanks.
Hi Hetal & Anuja,
Tried Rava idlis today for a party. It came out very well. Everyone loved it.
Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Shalini
Thanks Hetal.
I bought eno for doing rava idlis. So i just wants to know what else can i do with eno. Thank you.
Sujatha
Hi Ladies
I made it, and it was good. My bottom plates idlis
were little bit watery. Other than that it was good.
By the way can i use eno in place of baking soda or baking powder.
Thanks
Sujatha
Hi Sujatha,
The bottom idlis were watery because sometimes the water level is too much and it will bubble onto the idlis. ENO is 60% baking soda and 40% citric acid so you could technically substitute it in recipes that call for baking soda and some form of souring agent. You may need to use more ENO than the amount of baking soda mentioned.
Hi Hetal and Anuja
I tried it last night as per the measurements given by you. I made it in two difeerent ways.
1. I used the regular idli stand and pressure cooker.
2. I used the microwave steamer. I poured the batter in small steel katoris and placed them inside the steamer. Cooked on high power for 15 minutes.
Results both ways were fantastic and the idlis were yummy and soft. The only negative aspect was that the idlis in the microwave steamer were a bit hard on the top outer surface. This might have been because of the over cooking. 15 min were I think more than what was required in the microwave. Next time will try cooking for 10 min in the microwave. Hopefully it comes right.
Thanks for such a wonderful site. It is like a magic lamp for all of us. Just rub it and get any recipe with video in seconds. Now I can cook better and almost anything given in your SMTC.
Keep going the good work 🙂
Cheers!
Hi again Rohini,
So glad the rava idli recipe worked for you. Just one concern…you mentioned that you used steel katoris in the microwave steamer. Did these katoris come with your steamer or did you use your own? I’m only asking because under normal circumstances, it is dangerous to use metal things in a microwave.
Hi Hetal,
I used steel katoris which were not part of the steamer but as they were inside the microwaveable steamer everything was fine. I did not keep the steel katoris open in the microwave. Still you are right, I should be careful in future as it can prove disastrous.
Thanks for your concern…You definitely give personal touch to your viewers and this is what makes you our favourite 🙂
Love you!
hello,
i tried this idli, its really amazing.
thanks for sharing this good receipe.
sarika
hi hetal and anuja…
i am in my 1st trimester of pregnancy…i was really craving for idlis n cud not wait till the fermentation process….this recipe is awsome … it satisfied my craving n the idlis came out just the way u hv shown… this made my day although more..so HAPPY:))thx alot ..n keep posting more recipes… I m FAN of ur site….
Hi Mini,
Glad you enjoyed the idlis. Wish you all the best for a smooth pregnancy! Keep us posted!
hi
i was wondering how can i make rava idli without adding eno? i dont mind waiting for it to ferment. will letting yogurt & rava mix stand for few hours work?
Hello Hetal and Anuja,
Thank you for not only sharing recipes but also having a corresponding video for it, this helps starters like me to know for sure if we are on the right track of the process !
I tried this one too, idlis were very soft, fluffy, lite and yum! The only change I did was to replace Eno salt with 3/4 tsp lime concentrate (ones you get in small plastic green bottles)+ 1 tsp baking soda.
Thanks a ton, you too are really pleasing to watch.
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
I quite often make Rava idli as its a big hit in my house.
Thanks to you guys.
But for last couple of times when I am making them the top of the idlis crack in the center .They cook well and taste great but for some reason there is a crack in center.What can be the reason ?
Only differnce being in my preparation now is initially I was using store bought yogurt .Now I use home made yogurt.
Please let me know the reason if you guys have any idea.
Thanks in advance for your reply.
Keep up the gr8 work guys.
Cheers,
Bhavika
Hi Bhavika,
hmmm…We’ve not had that problem before, but maybe the homemade yogurt is more sour and reacts with the ENO more than the store bought one. The crack seems to be happening because the idli has risen more than normal. Maybe next time, you can scale down the amount of ENO and see if it makes a difference.
Hello Hetal and Anuja
I have ENO fruit salt but LEMON flavor would that make any difference? Can I use it for making Idli as well as Rava Dhokla both?
Hi Namrata,
If you don’t mind a little lemony flavor, it would be alright to use it. Some people do not prefer it so it’s really up to you.
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
Please let me know Can i use Baking soda in place of Eno and how much.
Thanks,
Sonal
Hi Sonal,
ENO is about 60% baking soda and 40% citric acid. So, you could take approx 1 1/4 tsp of baking soda and 3/4 tsp of citric acid. If you do not have citric acid, you can use lime or lemon juice. You will have to use more of the juice as it is not as concentrated.
Hi Hetal and anuja,
I Tried this rava idli.It came out very well.very delicious.thanks for posting such a wonderful recepies.The steps are easy to follow.you both are doing a great job.Best wishes.
Nicki5
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
I have tried your dhokla recipe and its simply great, So I came back for another recipe. Just looking at the Vid and seeing the ingredients I can say this will be another hit in my home. I am also passing on the recipe to my mom. And waiting for her feedback.
Hi girls,
I tried this recipe. Actually I had Idli rava and I used that instead of suji. Followed the recipe as such A to Z except tht i replaced sooji with the idli rava.
And the idlis were very soft and good. although, there is definitely a difference between the regular idlis and these rava idlis. But they are still great.
They taste more like puttu. I love puttu usually, so i had a couple of the rava idlis with ghee and sugar…YUMMM
I might continue using idli rava since i have a whole packet, but surely would try the sooji once.
Thank you so much, Sujatha, we will definately try them out and let you know:)
Thanks for sharing!
Hi Hetal and Anuja
This is the receipe for Kancheepuram Idli.
Soak 1 cup of idli rice and 1 cup of urad daal.
As usual grind them and leave them overnight.
Before making them, take
1. ginger 2 inches chop them finely
2. coarsly grind 1 tbsp of cumin and 1 tbsp of black peper
3. curry leaves and corriander leaves.
4. hing powder
heat the kadai with 1 tbsp ghee, 1 tbsp Idayam(gingely oil) or vegetable oil. fry the above items and pour them in the the batter.
You can make it traditional way. but to get the kancheepuram effect put them in tumbler or different shape of cup. Smear oil on the cups before pouring the batter. It takes longer time than the traditional idli. But tastes very good.
Let me know if u like it.
Thank you
Sujatha
Hi Sweety,
Although we have never tried it, we’ve had one viewer tell us that she made this recipe with a Tupperware Microwave idli maker and it turned out great. Let us know if it works for you and your feedback. Thanks.
Hi,
I just wanted to know one thing can we make this in microwave? As I am having microwave-idli stand for this.
Thanks
hi sweety, i always make idli in microwave and it turns out great.
Hello Hetal and Anuja.
I have a question.
I tried this recipe..But the surface was not as smooth as with Traditional idlis..
Is it supposed to be that way or wat?
Also wat should be the consistency of the batter like Rava dhokla batter or wat?
should the consistenct be pouring ?
I tried with this measurement but the batter was too thick so may be thats why the surface was not smooth.
Please let me know wat must have gone wrong?
hi,
thank you so much for ur reply mam..i wil try out and let u know for sure.if i dont get eno salt for dhokla can i try yeast or baking soda
Hi Chikku,
The basic ingredients and preparation methods for rava idli and sooji dhokla are the same. However, the remaining ingredients make the final products are very different in taste. Give them both a try and you’ll see the difference. Be sure to let us know how they turn out! Cheers!
hi hetal
wat is the difference between rava idly and sooji dhokla actually.. since in both we r using sooji and steamin it.. please clarify my doubt.. ur receipes are fantastic
i made this recipe today.the recipe came out perfect.it was delicious.my husband and my little daughter loved it.
Hi Hetal, Aanju
I want to know what is suji? It is made from wheat?
hello ladies:
oops sorry…i did not fill in the correct boxes or the reply mail.
this is an awesome recipe. i made it exactly the same way and it turned out to be too good. my little one loved it. since i did not have the idli utensil, i used 5 small round “katoris†and steamed it the traditional way. the recipe came out perfect. thanks for the delicious recipes.
best of wishes.
rizwana
barodawalarizwana@yahoo.com
raudawala@yahoo.com
Thanks Pavithra!
Unfortunately, idli rava will not work in this recipe. Idli rava is actually parboiled rice which has been ground into a coarse powder. Sooji is cream of wheat. Idli rava has to be soaked for minimum 6-8 hours so it wouldn’t be “instant”. I do use idli rava for the traditional idlis. We will have a video for that coming soon.
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
I tried this recipe and it came out wonderful. The ENO fruit salt makes a big difference. The idlis remained soft even after 4 hours. That was amazing.
Can I try this with dili rava instead of suji. I have a lot of idli rava at home and want to use it. Any idea is it will work the same.Thanks again for the nice recipe. I like all your recipes.
Thanks,
Pavithra
Dear Hetal / Anuja,
I tried this receipe as per your instruction and tasted really good. Thanks a lot.
thanks anuja
We have been told that you can substitute soda bi carbonate for Eno but the results are not going to be as good. Also, you are probably better off leaving the batter in a warm place to ferment for a couple of hours.
Hi Hetal and Anuja…
good work by the deadly duo…:)
my compliments to you…
i have a question….can we use soda by carb. as a substitute of ENO fruit salt…?
It is not Soda by Carb. It is Soda Bicarb (Bicarbonate of Soda. This does not bubble up instantly. With citric acid, Soda Bicarb releases Carbon dioxide in a flash. Eno is a chemical combination of the following:
Sodium bicarbonate-2.32g
Citric acid-2.18 g
Anhydrous sodium carbonate-0.50 g
and so does froth instantly…. the secret behind ‘Instant’
Brilliant Mathew, thank you. I have been searching for a fruit salt recipe all over the net.
Thanks Hetal.
Hi Sandhya,
ENO Fruit Salt is actually an Ayurvedic substance for relieving acidity or an upset stomach (similar to Alka Seltzer but without aspirin). It is used in cooking for making things rise without fermentation…in recipes like rava idli or dhokla. You can find it in Indian stores. We are not aware of any substitutes but please DO NOT use Alka Seltzer.
Sorry Hetal, How can you say Eno is ayurvrdic?
Here is the mix for Eno…. Its a chemical combination!
Sodium bicarbonate-2.32g
Citric acid-2.18 g
Anhydrous sodium carbonate-0.50 g
Hi,
The recipe looks good and easy to make. I have a question… what is ENO fruit salt?? Where can I get it?? And… is there a substitute for ENO fruit salt??
I liked this quick idli recipe. My daughter just loves idlis and i am sick of using Gits.
I think I will try this one. Looks good.