Rava Idli | Instant Oats Rava Idli

a set of hands holding a tray of rava idli with bowls of sambhar and chutney in it.

Rava Idli | Instant Oats Rava Idli

Oats Rava Idli is an instant recipe made with semolina/sooji/rava, oats, veggies, and spices. It's a healthy, low-calorie vegetarian breakfast or snack that doesn't need any soaking, fermentation, or grinding. Make this delicious South Indian dish in 45 minutes.

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine South Indian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Soaking time 15

Total Time 45

Servings idlis

Calories 51.41kcal

Author Priya Lakshminarayan

Equipment

1 Mixing Bowl
1 Idli Cooker or Steamer

Ingredients

To prepare the idlis

1 cup oats powder
½ cup rava
½ cup yogurt
1 cup water
salt
1 teaspoon Eno fruit salt or ½ teaspoon baking soda

To prepare the tadka

1 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon urad dal
7-8 curry leaves
¼ cup chopped cilantro
⅓ cup green peas

Instructions

To prepare the instant idli batter

Dry roast oats powder in a pan for 2 minutes on low to medium flame. Keep sauteeing to prevent it from burning and to ensure even roasting.
In a mixing bowl, add the roasted oats powder.
Similarly, dry roast rava in the same pan till it releases a nutty aroma. It could take 2-3 minutes. Keep the flame low to medium. Chef Tip - Keep stirring it to ensure even roasting. The color of the rava should not change though. This step helps to enhance the flavor of the semolina and also gives the idlis a nice texture. Skip this step if you use pre-roasted rava from the store.
Transfer the roasted rava to the same mixing bowl. Let them both cool down.
Then add yogurt and salt.
Add 1 cup water and give it all a mix using a whisk. Ensure there are no lumps. Let it sit on the counter for 15 minutes. Letting the batter rest for at least 10-15 minutes after mixing is important as it allows the semolina to absorb the moisture and makes the idlis soft and fluffy. The longer you soak the better. Meanwhile, prepare the tadka.

To prepare the tadka

In a pan heat oil. Temper mustard seeds and once they crackle, add the urad dal and curry leaves. Roast till the lentils turn light golden. You can also add grated ginger here.
Then add the green peas. Saute for a minute or two. Add the chopped cilantro (coriander leaves). Give it all a mix.
Pour this tadka over the rested batter. Mix it into the batter. If the batter is too thick, add the additional ¼ cup of water to loosen it and get the desired idli batter consistency.
Then add Fruit salt. Quickly mix it well ensuring there are no lumps without beating the air out of the batter. The idli batter will be of thick flowing consistency and also light and airy due to the soda. Do not add more than required as it can make the idlis crumbly.
To prepare the steamed cakes, grease idli molds or plates with oil or cooking oil spray to prevent the idlis from sticking to the molds.
Fill each mold with the batter. Chef Tip - Do not overfill the molds. The idlis will rise on cooking. Fill up to ¾ of the mold. Steam the suji idlis for 12-14 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Keep the flame medium. Oversteaming can make the idlis hard and dry. But if they are not done, increase the cooking time by a minute or two.
Open the steamer after 10 minutes. Demold them carefully using a spoon or a knife. If you try to demold them immediately, they can break.

Notes

Feel free to add more veggies to the batter like grated carrots, beets, cabbage, broccoli, corn, finely chopped green beans, spinach, fenugreek leaves, baby kale, etc. If you are adding veggies, I would suggest you saute them a bit till they turn soft and then add them to the batter. You can also make the rava oats idli plain (without any tempering or veggies). Instead of oats, you can use quinoa, jowar, urad dal, or poha. The idli batter ratio is very important. So be wary of that.

To add more spice, you can also add one or two chopped green chillies either to the batter or to the tadka. Add half a teaspoon of turmeric powder to the batter to give the rava idli a yellow color. Yogurt can be full-fat or low-fat. If you want to keep the batter overnight, then don't add Eno fruit salt before. Add it just before you make the idli. Add cashews in the tadka to give it some crunch. You can also mix some coconut in the batter. You may skip adding Eno if making this for babies and toddlers.

The consistency of the batter is crucial in making rava idlis. The batter should be thick but also pourable. If the batter is too thick, the idlis will be dense and heavy, while the idlis will not hold their shape if it's too thin. Be careful when demolding them. It should not break. When demolding while they are still hot, sprinkle water on top and then demold using a spoon or knife. You can also dip the spoon in cold water. Also, grease the plate with oil spray or oil before filling it with batter. That helps too.

Nutrition