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Karthigai Deepam 2019 – Tuesday, 10 December

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Kaima idli recipe, Saravana bhavan style

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kaima idli recipe
Kaima idli recipe, that’s very close to Saravana bhavan’s Kaima idli, only that this is homemade! You can deep fry or even bake for healthy version.

I had Kaima idli first time in Saravana bhavan, then 2-3 times in Madras woodlands in some other name like, chilli idli or something similar to that. I have even attempted to try this at home. But deep frying the idlies was my main concern about the recipe when I saw this recipe at Lavi’s blog. Not that I wont deep fry the idlies, but I could not properly deep fry my idli.

It was so soft to deep fry and always got stuck to the ladle. So I dropped the idea of trying at home. But that was long time back. Now since we come to learn few basic kitchen tricks, I tried this again. I refrigerated the left over idlies before deep frying and the deep frying part was totally mess free.It came out crispy and golden in colour.

I wanted it spicy and look more like the Saravana bhavan hotel style kaima idli, so added what ever I could figure out in the recipe and the result was very satisfying. I am sure everybody would enjoy this as snack. If you are making for your kid, try to skip chillies and add more of tomato ketchup or sauce to match their taste. Check out my kothu parotta.
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Kaima idli recipe

Kaima idli recipe, that's very close to Saravana bhavan's Kaima idli, only that this is homemade! You can deep fry or even bake for healthy version.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 2
Cup measurements

Ingredients

  • 5 Leftover idli
  • 1 Onion
  • 2 Tomato
  • 2 Green chilli
  • 1/2 Capsicum
  • 3 tbsp Green peas frozen
  • 3/4 tsp Ginger garlic paste
  • 1 tsp Red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp Biryani masala/ Pav bhaji masala
  • 1 tsp Coriander seeds powder
  • 1 tbsp Tomato sauce optional
  • Salt - as needed
  • Oil - as needed
  • 2 tbsp Coriander leaves chopped
  • 1 sprig Curry leaves
  • 3/4 tsp Fennel seeds/ cumin

Instructions

  • If you are going to make this in the evening/night, refrigerate the idlies from morning. This is for easy deep frying. It absorbs less oil if we refrigerate. The cut into bite sized pieces as shown in the picture. You can also bake it in a preheated oven at 190 deg C (Baking and pre heat temperature same) for 15 mins (or until crisp), turning in between once.
  • Cut onion length-wise, chop tomatoes finely, capsicum into thin short strips. I used frozen peas, you can use any cooked peas in place of it. Deep fry the idli pieces in hot oil until crisp and golden brown. Set aside in kitchen towel. Heat a kadai with 2 tsp of oil and pop the fennel seeds and add curry leaves.
  • Fry onion till transparent and add ginger garlic paste. Fry for a minute. Add chopped tomatoes and salt.
  • Fry till it gets mushy. Add green peas and capsicum to it and fry for 2 more minutes. Add chilli powder, daniya powder and pav bhaji masala. Add tomato sauce and fry until all masalas blend well.
  • Add the fried idlies and toss well.
  • Add 1/4 cup water and boil in high flame, mix well and garnish with the chopped coriander leaves. Transfer to the serving bowl.

Video

Notes

  • Deep frying the idlies is optional, but it gives the idli nice colour and it helps to hold the shape.
  • If the idlies are not refrigerated, the idli pieces get stuck to the laddle while frying. So make sure to refrigerate the idlies.
  • You can replace the pav bhaji masala with garam masala powder too.
  • Its really spicy, so adjust the spiciness according to your taste.
  • If you eat immediately then it will be crunchy and juicy as well. but if later, then it will be only juicy, still tastes great!
  • If you want you can skip tomato sauce and add a tsp of lemon juice. But i love the sweetness from the sauce.
  • Capsicum and green peas helps in reducing the heat while eating.
  • Do not boil for long time after adding water. Just bring to boil in high flame and mix well.
  • 1/4 cup water in last step is approximate. If you feel its very dry, you can add more to make the gravy loose and coat the idlies well.

Kaima idli recipe steps:

  1. If you are going to make this in the evening/night, refrigerate the idlies from morning. This is for easy deep frying. It absorbs less oil if we refrigerate. The cut into bite sized pieces as shown in the picture. You can also bake it in a preheated oven at 190 deg C (Baking and pre heat temperature same) for 15 mins (or until crisp), turning in between once.step1 deep fry
  2. Cut onion length-wise, chop tomatoes finely, capsicum into thin short strips. I used frozen peas, you can use any cooked peas in place of it. Deep fry the idli pieces in hot oil until crisp and golden brown. Set aside in kitchen towel. Heat a kadai with 2 tsp of oil and pop the fennel seeds and add curry leaves.step2 temper
  3. Fry onion till transparent and add ginger garlic paste. Fry for a minute. Add chopped tomatoes and salt.step3-fry
  4. Fry till it gets mushy. Add green peas and capsicum to it and fry for 2 more minutes. Add chilli powder, coriander powder and pav bhaji masala. Add tomato sauce and fry until all masalas blend well.step4-masala
  5. Add the fried idlies and toss well.step5-add
  6. Add 1/4 cup water and boil in high flame, mix well and garnish with the chopped coriander leaves. Transfer to the serving bowl.step6

Serve hot, best it tastes. Hot and spicy kaima idli! Love to have it with onion raita. I could not resist myself from eating until I finish clicking, so had few in kadai which I munched in between clicking 😉.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  22. Laavanya

    I always order this at Saravana bhavan too…. Love this dish…. but when i make this at home i bake the idlis in an oven after tossing with some oil and chilli powder…. it gets nice and crisp without the hassle of deep frying. The photo is so tempting Raks and it looks exactly like the one in the restaurant 🙂

    Reply

  32. Vini

    drool drool 😛 😛 looks just like a platter from saravana bhavan! Wish winter gets over soon so that I can ferment some idli batter and make this right away 🙂

    Reply

  36. Sangeetha

    wow…kaima idli looks so tempting…loved its color, texture everything perfect and inviting…great pics as always!
    i too never tried deep frying idlis…thanks for the tip, will try this for my kids

    Reply

  48. Pavithra

    I made kaima idli using this recipe and it was v good…thank you!
    just one ques though; the idlis were crisp after deep frying but became soft on mixing with the veggies. do the idlies need to be fried with cornflour? have you ever had them soften a bit before serving?

    please keep posting more such recipes!

    Reply

  50. bharu

    Hi raks.. I just love kaima idlis.. And im planning to try it out today at home. But we dont include onion garlic. So can i make it without onion garlic will it taste good?

    Reply

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