Rava Idli / Sooji Idli / Steamed Semolina Cakes

Rava Idli or Sooji Idli is an instant South Indian Breakfast recipe. Easy to put together on busy weekdays or pack for school with ingredients easily available in kitchen pantry.

If you are looking for an easy, No Fermentation, No Grind, Instant Idli Recipe, try the Instant Rava Idli, Sooji Idli or Semolina Idli Recipe made with fine sooji or Chiroti Rava and Curd.

When it comes to planning breakfast, you constantly run out of options. Sometimes, you forget to soak or grind Idli or Dosa Batter and that is when such Instant Breakfast Recipes come handy. They may not be an everyday option for some but hey, atleast its home cooked.

Rava Idli is one such recipe that requires less prep work, it is made with ingredients from your pantry and refrigerator and manages to feed and please the whole family.

Semolina, Sooji or Rava is always available in our pantry. I normally stock them in our freezer for longer shelf life.

Mumbai has a hot and humid climate for most part of the year so the semolina, when stored at room temperature in my kitchen shelf tends to spoil faster. The freezer technique has worked for me.

Here are some recipes using Rava or Semolina that you can try - BANANA SHEERA (Dessert) and RAGI RAVA DOSA which is an Instant Breakfast Recipe.

Here is why you need this Rava Idli Recipe

• Instant Breakfast Recipe
• Requires No Grinding, No Soaking, No Fermentation
• Quick Prep Work and Minimal Planning
• Can be made with vegetables available at home
• Great for Kids Tiffin Box, after school snack or light lunch

Every generation loves idlis. Being South Indians, we have grown up eating idlis atleast 4 out of 7 days in a week.

In fact, I have an amazing fool proof TRADITIONAL IDLI RECIPE on my blog that have been tried by many with amazing results every single time. Do check it out.

Traditional Idlis require some prep work like soaking, grinding, fermenting etc. Let's face it, on certain days, we are totally unprepared, dealing with packed schedules etc which gives us very little time.

The Rava Idli Recipe is the perfect solution for those busy days - Simple and less time consuming with the exact same results of a soft spongy idli.

Ingredients for Rava Idli / Instant Rava Idli

• Fine Roasted Semolina (Chirote Rava) - I prefer using this variety (pic below) than the coarse semolina as it soaks up the liquid well and gives fluffy idlis (as you can see above)
• Curd - Good quality, thick curd. It doesn't need to be sour.
• Fruit salt - Since we are doing an instant idli that is not fermented, we need the fruit salt to puff them up. Use a tiny quantity as shown in the picture. If you don't have fruit salt, opt for baking soda (same quantity).

Accompaniments or Serving Suggestions for Rava Idli or Instant Sooji Idli

• Kothamalli Chutney (as shown in the picture) - Coconut Coriander Chutney that tastes delicious with Rava Idlis.
• Tomato Chutney or Thakkali Chutney - Spicy chutney with Madras Onions and Ripe Red tomatoes. This chutney requires no coconut.
• Molagapodi - The Rava Idlis can be smeared with this podi and oil, can be carried at work or packed in tiffin boxes.

Let us now look at the easy recipe of making the delicious Instant Rava Idli at home.

Step by Step Recipe of Rava Idli / Sooji Idli / Steamed Semolina Cakes

Read the Recipe Notes below First before proceeding with the recipe

(1) In a bowl, add the chirote rava or fine semolina along with curd and salt to taste.

(2) Mix this well and add 1/4 cup of water to this mixture (to adjust consistency) and prepare for tempering.

(3) Heat a small pan, add oil followed by chana dal, mustard seeds, jeera and curry leaves.

(4) Add hing and turmeric powder.

(5) Pour the tempering mixture into the batter (ingredients under tempering in recipe card below), mix well and allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes on the kitchen counter.

(6) After about 20 minutes, prepare the idli steamer, grease the idli plates with some oil.

(7) Now check the mixture and if it is too thick add few tblsps of water to achieve idli batter consistency. Check for seasoning, add if required.

(8) Add the fruit salt to the batter, give it a gentle mix and pour a ladle of the batter into the idli plates / moulds.

(9) Steam the idlis for atleast 15 to 20 minutes.

(10) Serve the idlis (after they cool a bit) with serving suggestions or accompaniments as stated above.

Recipe Notes

• I have used Rava or Semolina that has been dry roasted for 5 to 7 mins, cooled and then stored in refrigerator. Since Rava develops worms very quickly I always roast and refrigerate it.
• It is recommended to roast the rava for this recipe.
• If you want to add vegetables to the batter, please steam them and add. Vegetables like grated carrot, peas, steamed corn can be sauteed with the tempering to reduce rawness.
• Add the fruit salt, only before pouring the batter on to the idli plates.

Some Instant Breakfast Recipes on the blog -

Oats Chilla

Kande Pohe (Maharashtrian Style Onion Poha Recipe)

Instant Kambu Dosai - Instant Dosa Recipe using Bajra Flour

If you try this at home, please give me a shout out / Tag Me on any of my social media handles.

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Vidya Narayan