Rawa Idli

There are days that I wake up in the morning with no idea of what I shall cook for the day's breakfast. Then as I sit having my morning tea, I think of something and go about it. This weekend morning was one such. Though the recipe is nothing novel, I thought I shall share here, just because I started with some karabath (Udupi restaurant lable for rawa upma) in mind and as I was roasting the rawa, I altered course and made rawa idli. This is just to let you know that preparing rawa idli is such a simple task!
The vegetable vendor who delivers vegetables home twice a week can sometimes be very insistent that I relent without my knowledge. Thus I end up having to store some vegetables in the freezer.
An acquaintance in Egypt used to buy vegetables in bulk when they are in season and clean, cut and boil them for a few minutes, drain, cool and store them in her deep freezer for few days. Though I do not do something that elaborate, I too store them in my freezer and consume within a fortnight.
It is not only useful when you have unexpected guests or in a hurry to cook a meal. It also eases my morning chores to pack breakfast for my husband early in the morning to have a few chopped carrots and beans in the freezer.
Contrary to what I have in one of the cookbooks, you do not necessarily have to use sour curds to make rawa idlis. Normal yoghurt is sufficient and if desired you can add ENO, which also mostly I do not, but I have read in many blogs that it works with excellent results.



Ingredients: (Makes 8 rawa idlis)
100 ml semolina
60 ml to 80 ml yoghurt (slightly sour will work best, though not compulsory)
Salt to taste
3 tablespoons finely cut vegetables (carrots and beans, green peas)
3 green chillis chopped
1"piece ginger chopped
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon channa dhal
Few fresh curry leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 tablespoon broken cashew nuts (optional)
1 generous spoonful of ghee/ cooking oil (I use ghee)
1 teaspoon oil for tempering
few drops of oil for greasing the idli moulds

Method:
Steam the cut vegetables if you desire that they should be soft.
In a heavy pan, heat the ghee and add the semolina. Roast evenly until aromatic. Keep aside.
Add salt to the yoghurt and mix well. Drop the vegetables in the yoghurt.
Heat oil in the same pan and add the mustard seeds. Allow them to crackle. Add the channa dhal, cashews and green chillis. Toss until they roast to a golden colour. Add the curry leaves and switch off the heat.
Add the tempering to the yoghurt mix along with the coriander leaves.
Grease the idli moulds with oil. Place the steamer with sufficient water on the stove.
Just then add the roasted semolina to the yoghurt mix and stir well. Allow this to stand until the water in the steamer is starting to boil.
If the semolina has become thicker than the consistency of normal idli batter (thick, yet pouring consistency), add some water or yoghurt to the batter.
Quickly fill the prepared moulds and place it in the steamer as the water will be rolling hot now.
Cover the steamer with the lid. Reduce the heat to moderate when the steam gushes out of the steamer vent. Cook thus for 7 minutes.
Switch off the heat and remove the idli plates from the steamer. Allow to cool a bit before recovering the cooked idlis.
Transfer to a serving dish and serve hot with a chutney of choice.




Some points to note:
If you feel the yoghurt will not be sour enough to fluff the idlis, add to the mix a little amount of ENO just before pouring the batter in the moulds, mix thoroughly and then fill the moulds. This way you get soft, porous and well risen idlis.
Do not add the semolina much ahead to the yoghurt. The semolina will soak and the idlis will not be porous. You can allow about five minutes for the semolina mix to stand.
**** (Please read Jayashree's comment below. I had not tried leaving the batter to sit until now. She has pointed out that it can be done also.)

Allow the mould to cool well before removing the idlis.
The quantity of yoghurt/ water depends on the quality of the semolina. You can add to the batter just before filling the moulds according to the consistency.