Kancheepuram Idly:(Mudhaliar Style)

Kanchivaram Idly. Kanchipuram Idly. Kanjeepuram Idly. Kanchi Idly. Thalicha/Thalitha Idli. Spiced Idlies. Mudhaliar Idly. Sesonned Idlies. Country Style Rice Pancakes. Steam cooked Rice cakes.

The Kanchipuram idli is popular in the temple town – Kanchipuram (approximately 70 KM from Chennai. It tastes better at Devarajaswami temple. My Gradmother was originally from Kancheepuram, she used to fix this idly for evening dinner. She intentionally used long narrow tumblers and large bowls, to prepare this…instead of idly ladle. Since its well tempered, the side dish will be milagai podi or chutney.

Ingredients:

Parboiled Rice 1 cup
Urad dal 1/2 cup
Fenugreek seeds 1 spoon(optional)
Salt as per taste
Cooking soda less than 1/4 spoon
Sesame oil few spoons(optional)

Batter Preparation:

Soak rice and urad dal in water each separately. Maybe soak fenugreek along with urad dal. Let them be soaked well for atleast 5 hours.

Then wet grind them each separately to coarse thick batter.

After grinding each separately, mix them togather.

Then in a small cup add salt, cooking soda and 1/4 cup of warm water. Mix them thoroughly till the salts get dissolved.

Now add this salty solution to the batter and mix them thoroughly. One can add 1/4 cup of sesame oil too, if desired.

Now let the batter stand for at least 7 hours or overnight. Make room for its fermentation, that is…..store the batter in huge vessel. As the batter may increase in volume after fermenting.

For Sesoning:

Cashew nuts 10 slitted or chopped
Chana dal 1/2 cup
Urad dal 1/2 cup
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Black pepper 1 spoon
Cumin seeds 1 spoon
Green chilies 6-8 chopped(or dry red chilies if desired)
Coconut finely chopped 1/2 cup
Curry leaves 1 cup
Salt
Ghee/Sesame oil 1 cup
Ghee or sesame oil few spoons.

Method:

Heat ghee/oil in a wok. Add mustard, pepper, cumin, asafoetida, green/dry red chilies and curry leaves. Let them pop and splutter well.

Now add chana dal, urad dal and cashew nuts to this. Fry them till they turn to reddish color.

Run this sesoning over the fermented batter. Mix them thoroughly.

In a pressure cooker, heat 2 cups of water. Let it to boil over medium heat.

Meanwhile….Drizzle little ghee/sesame oil in small steel cups or bowls or even steel tumblers.

Grease these cups really well. And add a scoop of batter in this greased cups.

Steam cook them for 10-15 minutes.

Once it is done…..maybe check with a wooden toothpick or bamboo skewer sticks. If the idly is not sticky, its done.

Serve them warm with coconut and tomato chutney. This Idly tastes good, as such without any side dish too.