Kaima Idly

When you ever had a chance to dine at saravana Bhavan, you should definitely recogonise the recipe on seeing the title itself. I love Sambar Idly and Kaima idly from HSB. Both are master piece and everygreen favourite.Today we going to learn the famous Saravana Bhavan special master piece recipe Kaima Idly. I love the softness of the idly inside and crunchiness outside cooked in tomato based spicy gravy. Dont worry if you have some left over idlies cooked in the morning for the breakfast. Just remember to keep it in fridge for atleast 5-6 hours before making this recipe.  The spicy masalas getting incorporated with crunchy idlies with a piece of lemon squeezed on the top makes lip smackingly good. When I post this recipe itself, am drooling now. Before I finish my dinner, let me post this recipe. Lets check this spicy Kaima Idly.

Ingredients :

Idly- Dosa batter recipe :

Idly puzhungal rice  - 2 cup

Urad dhal (without skin) - 1/2 cup

Fenugreek seeds (Methi seeds)- 1/4 tsp

Poha - 3 tsp

Salt

Soak idly rice- poha, urad dhal and fenegreek seeds separately for atleast 5-7 hours before grinding. Soak Rice & Poha together and urad dhal & fenegreek seeds together. I always prefer and suggest to use Wet Grinder instead of Mixie for grinding batter. Another thing is always use better quality of Urad dhal to get fluffy batter. Remember to add very less fenugreek seeds as more you add spoil the taste completely.

First grind urad dhal- fenegreek in the grinder to a smooth paste. Usually I will grind it for 20-25mins in my Ultra wet grinder.(The final consistency must be fluffy and must be like white colour). Now transfer the smooth grind urad dhal to a deep bowl.

Now drain excess water from poha & rice. Add these to the wet grinder.Add 1/2 cup of water and let it grind completely. It is better to the soaked rice slowly in the grinder to avoid it to get struck because of over loading. Always add the rice when the grinder is running. But be extra care. Grind it to a smooth paste. Have it in a mind not adding too much water. Add water bit by bit when you grinding rice. You shouldnot feel the batter to be grainy.It should be smooth as possible. My MIL used to grind it like bit rava consistancy. But I prefer to silky smooth. The process will take 30-40 mins depends on the grinder. Now transfer the grind rice to the deep bowl containing grind urad dhal. Add fistful of salt and mix it properly so that urad & rice mix up well. Allow it to ferment for 8-12 hours.

The next day you can see batter would have fermented and rise up the level.  This is the recipe for Idly - dosa batter. The fermented fluffy portion you can use it to prepare Soft idlies.  Whenver I prepare batter, for the first 2 days, I will use it for Idly and rest I will use it for preparing dosa. I use the fluffy portion and prepared Kaima Idly two days back and have given you the recipe. The rest of the batter am using to prepare Masala dosa.

Kaima Idly masala preparation :

Idly (Left over cooked in the morning) - 5

Fennel - 1 tbsp

Onion - 2 Medium

Tomato - 2 big

Green chillis - 2 (Slit lengthwise)

Capsicum - 1

Mixed vegetables (Green peas, carrot and beans) - 1/2 cup

Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp

Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Corriander powder - 3/4 tsp

Garam Masala - 1/2 - 1 tsp (Depends on spiciness level)

Tomato sauce  - 1 tsp

Corriander leaves (Chopped) - 2 tsp

Curry leaves - 1 spring

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

Method :

Always remember to refrigerate the idlies before making this recipe. This helps to absorb less oil when frying. Take the idlies out from refrigerator and cut it into small bite sized pieces. Deep fry it in oil till golden brown. Drain out the excess oil using tissue paper and keep it aside.

Cut onion lengthwise and slit the green chillis.  In a pan, add oil, Splutter fennel seeds and curry leaves. Add ginger garlic paste and saute it for a while. Now add onion and fry till it become transparent.

Now add green chillis, tomato and cook till tomato become soft & mushy. Meanwhile pressure cook the mixed vegetables (Carrot, beans and peas) for 2 whistles. Add the mixed vegetables to the tomato gravy, followed by adding capsicum pieces. Now add the masala powders (Chilli powder, corriander powder, garam masala) with 1/2 cup of water and let it boil till raw smell of masala goes off. Add tomato sauce at the end and add the fried idlies to the gravy. Toss it well without making it gooey. Let the masala blend well with idlies. 

Garnish with corriander leaves and squeeze lemon juice before serving. Serve hot with onion raitha. The crunchiness can be felt only if you eat hot. Oooo. Drooling.I am going to eat my dinner now. See you in my next post !!