Idlis...anyone?

The humble Idli or Idly, often referred to as the poor man's meal is a great divider. Obviously from an epicurean perspective. Those who like it, love it. Those who don't cant stand the sight of it. Idli is of many types. By this, I don't mean the soft ones and the ones that can bounce back on you, when you throw it on a wall. What I meant was the different kinds-Malligai poo Idly or the normal white idly, Kanjeevaram idly, Rava Idly, spicy rava idly, Vegetable idly and the list goes on. The most popular is the Malligai poo idly and the Rava idly. While the former takes a day's preparation, the latter can be done in a jiffy...jiffier, if you have MTR rava idly mix. I am not blogging this recipe to tell you how to make MTR rava idlis. They are like a dummies guide. All over everywhere. This blog is dedicated to the various enhancements I have tried out in making these Idlys. Each time it is a different enhancement ingredient. But the taste is just as good as any other.

Make the idly batter/MTR rava idly batter and keep it ready. Line the idly plates with a bit of oil so it can recieve the steaming contents.

Option 1-Idly Toppings:
Method

1. Place a spoonful of idly batter on the idly plate and top it with any leftover "porial". May be, 1 tsp on each idly.
2. Its a great way to get the kids[of all ages] to eat the idlys, provided, they have the right accompaniments.

Note: You can any of the following as a topping and give the Idlys a twist in the tale

1. Grated carrots
2. Grated Cauliflower
3. Fried Onions
4. Soya chunks[The picture here is of Idly's topped with soya chunks porial I had made that afternoon]
5. Left over vegetables/porial
6. Spinach[washed, finely chopped and microwaved for 1 minute]

Option 2-Masala Idly
Method

1. Mix left over chutneys/gravies with the idly batter and blend them well.
2. Place a spoonful of idly batter on the idly plate and place one cashewnut on the Idlys. It looks nicely presented too, when done.

Note: You can any of the following to the batter.

1. Dal
2. Chutneys/Thogayal[Mint/Coriander/Curry leaves/Onion]

I have included only those recipes that I have personally tried. If you have experimented with any more options, do let me know. It would be interesting to try them out...

Until then, enjoy!