South Indian breakfasts are so light and easy to cook. Be it rava idli , sooji upma , vermicelli , fried idli or pesarattu. Pair it with tomato pachadi or coconut chutney and you can start with your work. I love making dosa batter at home. Start with dosa, move to uttapam and end with idlis. 3 breakfasts 3 days no more rattling of brain on what you want to cook today.
Generally we always end up making many more idlis than required. While you can always steam them again and eat it. However, there is another good recipe you can make using the left over idlis. Make fried idli masala. It is super tasty. Here is an easy way to make fried idli in air fryer.
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You will find this batter ready in most South Indian homes and stored in refrigerator. Most kids love it and they can have it anytime they are hungry. Make dosas, vegetable uttapams, kanjivaram idlis whenever you want instantly.
Is idli healthy?
Yes this dish is rich in Iron and protein. It is also great for your bones and gut as it is fermented. Also, low on fat. Serve it with coconut chutney. Coconut gives you enough fiber to help digest the dal. Instant tomato chutney also goes great with it.
Ingredients
- left over Idli
- red chilli powder or adjust as per taste
- pinch turmeric powder
- sambar masala or rasam powder or chutney powder
- Salt as per taste
- Oil spray
- Refer to recipe card for quantity
Equipment
- Oil spray
- Air fryer
how to make idli fry in airfryer?
- Preheat the air fryer to 200 deg C for 10 mins. Cut the idlis in desired shapes.
2. Spray oil on it.
3. Place it in the basket. Cook for 8-9 minutes total (spray oil / brush oil ) once in between.
4. Sprinkle a tablespoon of masala as per your choice( red chilli powder, turmeric powder and amchur )or chutney podi on top and mix well.
5. Serve hot with coconut chutney.
Variations
You can also make idli manchurian in airfryer. Use the chilli paneer recipe for reference.
how to make masala idli at home?
Another way to make masala idlis if you do not own an air fryer. Heat oil add cumin seeds, mustard seeds , ginger, garlic and curry leaves. Let it splutter. Add chopped onions along with turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Add idlis to this masala. Serve hot. You may also add tomatoes if you like as a variation. You can make this variation with air-fried ones too.
Top tips
How to make perfect soft idlis?
- Make sure your batter is fermented well. If you live in a cold climate here are some tricks.
- If you have a balcony or garden put the stock pot with the batter in sunshine. It really helps ferment fast. You can also use the trick below.
- Preheat the oven at 160 deg C for 2-3 minutes and switch it off.
- Place the batter in a steel vessel.Cover it with a lid and put a sweater/ towel on it.
- This method can also be used to set yogurt in the cold winters. Make sure you switch it off first else your fire alarm will start blaring.
Related links
Air fryer fried idli recipe
Equipment
- Air fryer
- oil spray
Ingredients
- 3-4 Idlis
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder or adjust as per taste
- 1 teaspoon sambar masala or rasam powder or chutney powder
- Salt as per taste
- Oil spray
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 200 deg C for 10 mins. Cut the idlis in desired shapes.
- Spray oil on it.
- Place it in the basket. Cook for 8-9 minutes total (spray oil / brush oil ) once in between.
- Sprinkle a tbsp. of masala as per your choice (red chilli powder, sambhar powder or chutney podi ) on top and mix well.
- Serve hot with coconut chutney.
Nutrition
FAQs
Idlis becomes hard if you have over cooked or over steamed them. You should always cover them with a lid once cooked.
Yes you can easily do that. For so many years we have been using 1 batter for both dosa and idlis. However, if you want to make your idlis more fluffier then you can use idly rava . To use idli rava, take 1 ratio of uri dal, 1.5 ratio of boiled rice and 1.5 ratio of idli rava. You need to squeeze of the excess water from the idli rava else the dough will be too water.
Also, you can add little more Urad dal when using with rice to make more soft idlis. For example you can use 1.5 ratio of urad dal with 3 ratio of rice.
Yes, the batter is gluten free. However, you need to take care of ingredients that you are adding to them. If you are just adding the rice and lentils , then its 100% gluten free. If you are adding additional items like oats or making it from rava or sooji etc. then its not gluten free.
Salt inhibits fermentation so its better to add later. However, it is also beneficial if you add salt when you are in a hot and humid country as it will not let your batter go sour fast.
You can make idlis in steamer function of ninja foodi air fryer which has an instant pot in it.
Please share your inputs..