KANJIPURAM IDLY

The Kanchipuram Idli is a traditional prasadam offered in the Varadharaja Perumal Temple at Kancheepuram. The idlis are cooked in bamboo casings lined with dried mandharai leaves. The mandharai leaves gives a flavour to the idlis. It has a different taste as it is seasoned with many ingredients like pepper, jeera, dry ginger etc is very delicious and is also very easy to prepare. It can be had for breakfast or for dinner.

INGREDIENTS:

Urad Dal - 1 cup

Raw rice - 1 cup

Idly rice - 1 cup

Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

For Seasoning:

Sesame oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Pepper - 1 tsp

Ginger powder - 1 tsp

Pepper - 3 to 4

Cashew nut - 10

Green chili - 3

Ginger - 1 inch piece

METHOD:

1. Wash and soak the rice and urad dal separately in water for 3 to 4 hours.

2. Soak fenugreek seeds along with urad dal.

3. Grind the urad dal and fenugreek seeds to a smooth paste, remove and set aside.

4. Grind the rice to a coarse consistency (similar to rava/semolina).

5. Mix well both the rice and urad dal batter and add salt.

6. Keep it aside for fermentation for at least 8 hours. 

7. At the time of preparing kanjipuram idly, coarsely crush the cumin seeds and peppercorns.

8. Heat sesame oil in a heavy bottom pan and add mustard seeds and when they sputter add pepper, cashews, curry leaves, green chili and ginger.

9. Add crushed cumin powder, pepper powder and dry ginger powder. Fry for 10 seconds.

10. Add this tempering to the batter and stir the batter to combine well.

11. Now the batter is ready.

12. Grease the steel tumblers with ghee. 

13. Place banana leaves in each tumbler and pour the idli batter.

14. Steam cook it for about 20 - 30 minutes.

15. Once cooked allow it to cool down a bit.

16. Use a knife and gently loosen the edges of the idli.

17. Overturn in a larger plate and tap the plate so that the idli falls into the plate below.

18. Cut and serve Kanchipuram Idli with coconut chutney/ Idly podi/sambar.

**We can also cook these idli in an idly mould or a cake tin.**