Instant Spinach rava idli (palak idli)

Rava idli is my favourite kind of food. Quick, healthy and super tasty. 

What is Idli? South Indian semolina steamed savoury cakes. This version is made with added spinach into it.

It’s a shame that I don’t get that many chances to prepare this one, given the fact that Mr. Husband doesn’t like Idli that much. I know! I should have asked the question before agreeing to get married to him. *sigh*

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I love preparing Idlis more than I love having them. When the first sight of those soft, spongy Idlis appear from the steamer, my mood gets uplifted automatically and I can’t wait to pop them in my salivating mouth. I am sure you as an Idli lover would understand, no!?

This is a No onion garlic recipe, click here for more no onion garlic recipes.

With this one, I have made it even healthier by the addition of spinach. But its not your regular spinach Idli where you add the puree to the Idli batter and steam it. I find that method makes the Idlis kind of sticky and not very spongy. I might be wrong and using a completely incorrect proportion for that. But that’s my personal observation.

So what I do instead is- I chop the spinach into bits, then wilt it by boiling or microwaving it for 5 minutes. Then I squeeze all the water out (As much as I could) from the leaves. And then I add it to the batter. This method not only keeps the Idlis soft and porous as ever, but I also like the bits of spinach coming in between. Reminding me of its presence in a healthy and fun way. Makes sense?

If I am not using spinach, I at least use the coriander leaves (cilantro) to prepare Rava Idlis. The taste they impart is just outstanding and not to be missed. I also tend to add black pepper sometimes to the batter but that’s a personal choice of flavour.

You could serve these Idlis with-> Cauliflower Sambar | Beetroot sambar | Coconut chutney | Mango coconut chutney | Shallot (pearl onion) sambhar | Ridge guard chutney

Tips to get the soft, spongy and porous instant Rava idli-> I mostly use the finer variety of semolina to make Rava idli. If you give it enough time to rest, it gets swelled up and gives good results. I also dry roast semolina beforehand and keep it in an airtight container to make upma or halwa or this idli. These two tips ensure I always get the best rava idlis ever.

You can however use the coarse variety as well, which would give a slightly different texture to the Idlis and is not bad at all. Similarly, if you dont get time to roast semolina (sooji/rava), that is absolutely fine and you dont need to get worked up on it. Only the texture of the idli would be a bit different but taste wise it would be good.

Ok, so here is my version of Rava idli with spinach. I hope you like it. 

Do write to me if you try this recipe and it comes out to be good. Even if not, I would love to hear from you. Connect with me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to see more of these recipes and inside fun.

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Instant Spinach rava idli (palak idli)

Instant rava idli (steamed semolina cakes) are super easy to prepare and make a very healthy breakfast item. Serve with chutney or Sambar to complete the platter

Course Breakfast | Light meal

Cuisine South Indian

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 9 -10 medium sized Idlis

Author Nupur @ The Veggie Indian

Ingredients

• 1 cup Sooji Semolina or rava
• 1 cup thick Yogurt Curd or dahi
• 1 cup spinach leaves chopped small
• leaves A handful of cilantro or coriander chopped
• ½ cup water or less
• ½ tsp Eno fruit salt or baking soda
• ¼ tsp cumin powder
• ¼ tsp black pepper powder
• ½ tsp salt or as per taste
• tsp About 1 of ghee for greasing the Idli moulds
• A handful of cashews roasted and halved (optional)

Instructions

Make the Idli batter

1. Take sooji, salt, yogurt and water in a bowl. Mix well and keep aside for at least 15-20 minutes.
3. In the meanwhile, wilt the spinach. You can either microwave it on full power for 3-4 minutes. Or you could boil it in water for 5-6 minutes at medium.
4. Once wilted, drain the water in a colander (chhalni) and keep aside allowing the spinach to cool down a bit.
6. When spinach is cool enough to be touched by bare hands, squeeze all the excess water by pressing between your palms. You could also use a strainer for this. The spinach should turn into a small wet lump without any water dripping from it.
8. Add this spinach lump to the Idli batter (after its 20 minutes are over). Mix everything well so the spinach leaves are scattered and mixed evenly into the batter. Also add black pepper powder and cumin powder, check the consistency of the batter and add more water only if required.
10. In the meanwhile, keep the Idli steamer ready with about a glassful of water boiling in it.
12. Just when you are ready to start making Idlis, add eno fruit salt on the batter and sprinkle little water on top. It will start to bubble immediately. Quickly mix it well.
14. If using cashews, place each half onto the greased Idli moulds and pour the batter into them. Steam for 8-10 minutes. Check if the Idlis are done by inserting a knife into an idli and if it comes out clean then the Idlis are done. If not, steam for a further for 3-5 minutes and then turn off the gas.
15. Allow them to rest for a 2-3 minutes and spoon them out and serve fresh.

Recipe Notes

Make sure you dont allow the batter to rest , after baking soda or fruit salt is added.

You could also add some green chili paste or grated ginger or toasted curry leaves for added flavour and spice.

More instant breakfast recipes that you might like:

Moong dal Cheela (excluding soaking/ fermenting time) 

No fermentation instant Rava dosa

Chana dal & brown rice Dosa (excluding soaking/ fermenting time) 

Onion uttapam (excluding soaking/ fermenting time)