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Kanchipuram Idli, a traditional dish from Tamil Nadu, is a spiced, steamed rice cake known for its unique blend of cumin, pepper, and ginger, offering a savory twist on the traditional Idli.

How to make Kanchipuram Idli | Kovil Idli | Kancheepuram Idli

Kalyani
Kanchipuram Idli, a traditional dish from Tamil Nadu, is a spiced, steamed rice cake known for its unique blend of cumin, pepper, and ginger, offering a savory twist on the traditional Idli.
5 from 17 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Soaking+ Grinding + Fermentation time 16 hours
Total Time 16 hours 30 minutes
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Naivedyam
Cuisine Tambrahm, Tamilnadu Cusine
Servings 25 servings

Equipment

  • Pots and Pans
  • Wet Grinder
  • Steamer (sub with Pressure cooker without the whistle on)

Ingredients
  

Ingredients for Kanchipuram Idli (Method 1)

  • 1 cup Raw rice
  • 1 cup Idli rice
  • 1 cup Whole urad dal without skin
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 cup Channa dal See Notes below for details
  • 2 tsp Fresh coconut - cut into tiny bits you may also use fresh or frozen grated coconut

Ingredients for Kanchipuram Idli (Method 2)

  • 1 cup Urad Dal whole and heaped cup
  • 2 cups Idli Rava Homemade or store bought
  • 1.5 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 cup Yogurt
  • 1 TBSP ghee makes it super soft
  • 1 TBSP Oil don't skip

Tempering (common to both the methods)

  • 2 tsp Ghee don't skip unless you have a diary allergy or are vegan : this gives the ultimate flavour
  • 2 TBSP Sesame oil
  • 1 TBSP Dry GInger powder sub with grated fresh ginger if you don't have it on hand
  • 2 tsp Cumin Jeera
  • 1 tsp Black Pepper
  • 1 sprig Curry leaves
  • 2 tsp Cashewnuts (optional skip for nut allergy.

Instructions
 

Kanchipuram Idlis using Method 1

  • Wash and Soak the dals and rice separately for 6-8 hours. Grind dal first to a smooth fluffy batter. Remove . Add the rice and grind slightly coarsely. Mix the dal and rice mixtures and beat well with your hand for 6-7 mins. Add salt and mix well.
  • Ferment overnight or for 10/12 hours till nicely risen.
  • Grease the idli moulds and keep the idli pot with adequate water for steaming.
  • Meanwhile prepare the topping- heat oil or ghee(pref.) , fry cashew nuts and all other toppings one by one. Add to the required portion of the fermented batter and stir well. Add the boiled channa dal and coconut too. Add a pinch of salt to a portion of the batter to balance the heat from the ginger and the pepper and compensate for the addition of the boiled channa dal and coconut. Beat well.
  • Keep aside a tsp of the topping to line  the  idli trays.
  • Place the seasoning / topping at the bottom of the idli moulds (you may even use greased stainless steel ramekins / katoris to Make the idlis - the steaming time would increase a bit).
  • Pour a ladleful of the seasoned batter. Steam for 10-12 mins till soft and done
  • Cool for 2 minutes and demould
  • Serve hot with ghee, idli molagapudi , any chutney and / or sambhar:
  • But you can take my word that this is so good n spicy it hardly needs any accompaniment :)
  • Do try and let me know how it worked for you :)

How to make Kanchipuram Idli (Method 2) - refer Video below

  • Wash and soak Urad dal for 5 hours
  • At the same time, wash and soak the Idli rava for 5-6 hours
  • At the end of the 5-6 hours, drain all the water from the urad dal and grind to a smooth, fluffy batter.
  • Squeeze out all the water from the Idli rava and add to the urad dal batter.
  • With clean hands, whisk the batter with some salt for a good 4-5 minutes - this gives the natural fermentation a boost.
  • Ferment overnight or for atleast 8-9 hours.
  • The next morning (or after 9 hours), ladle out a portion of the batter.
  • Add the ghee and oil to it, and the curd mentioned in the recipe (method 2 above)
  • Mix it well, and let it sit for 1/2 hour.
  • Make the tempering with ghee, oil, curry leaves, crushed cumin, black pepper, dry ginger powder (chukku podi).
  • Mix well, ladle out these into greased steaming katoris / steel tumblers
  • Steam for 13-14 mins, mine was done by 13 minutes.
  • Cool for a good 3-4 minutes before unmoulding.
  • Serve hot with a dollop of ghee, coconut chuntey and / or sambhar.

Video

Notes

Tips and tricks to make soft Kanchipuram Idli
  1. The batter above will make 20-25 medium sized idlis (normal ones)
  2. Take out as much fermented batter as you want to add curd and tempering to make the Idlis, do not add tempering to all batter at once.
  3. Use whole urad dal for best results.
  4. In Method 1, don't cook the channa dal to mushy consistency. It has to hold when cooked and turn soft when pressed between the thumb and forefinger. 
  5. Idli rava can be storebought or homemade.
  6. If making this in a very tropical climate, add less curd and fermentation time also will come down.
  7. You can use a mixture of oil and ghee to do the tempering or use only either one. Ghee gives that distinct flavour.
  8. After steaming (in either method), let them cool for 3-4 minutes before unmoulding.
  9. If you don't have access to dry ginger powder / saunth powder, add fresh ginger for a slightly different mouthfeel.
Keyword Breakfast, Idli, Idli Recipe, Idli varieties, Kancheepuram Idly, Kanchipuram Idli, Kanjivaram Idli, Kovil Idli,, Kovil Idly, Steamed
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