Kanchepuram Idli

 

Ingredients - For the batter
Raw rice - 1 cup
Boiled rice -1 cup
Whole urad dal - 6 tablespoons [little less than 1/2cup]
Curd - 1 tablespoon
Salt

Ingredients - For tempering
Gingelly  Oil - 2 teaspoons
Ghee- 2 teaspoons
Ginger -2" piece
Broken cashew - few
Pepper corns - 10 to15
Cumin Seed - 11/2teaspoons
Channa dhal  - 2 teaspoons
Urad  dhal - 2 teaspoons
Mustard seed-1teaspoon

Method
Wash and soak the rices together for 6 hours.
Wash and soak the urad dal for 11/2hours separately.
Grind the rice with little water to a coarse paste.
Grind the dal with little water to a fine paste.
Mix the rice batter , urad dal batter with a tablespoon of curd and enough salt. Let it ferment for 8 to 10 hours.

Crush the pepper corns and cumin seeds separately.
Heat ghee in a small pan and roast the cashews.
Heat the gingelly oil, and add the mustard seeds, once they crackle, add in the dhals and chopped ginger, fry them till they turn golden colour.
Add all these ingredients to the fermented batter and mix it well.

Heat enough water in the steamer. Grease small ever-silver cups / tumblers and pour the idli batter (3/4th of the cup).

Steam the idlies for 20 minutes. ( Steaming take more time because we use cups to make the idlies)

Take the cups out of the steamer and let it cool..

..and take idlies from the cup. Spongy and spicy Kanchepuram idlies are ready to serve.

Instead of steaming them in individual cups, you can steam it in a big ever-silver plate as we do for Dhokla. Adjust the steaming time according to the size of the plate and amount of the batter you are using.

I used a small plate and it took 20-25 minutes to cook. After the plate has cooled down, run a sharp knife around the edge of the plate, revert it onto another plate, slice it and serve.

  

We had these yummy kanchepuram idlies with  coconut chutney.

  

I have used my spice box (anjarai petti) cups to make these cute idlies, you can use any other small cups you have. Instead of having the regular idlies, these different shaped idlies are interesting to make and eat! :)