Kanchipuram Idli: Prasadam from the Varadaraja Perumal Temple
Kanchipuram Idli is a special type of idli that is served as prasadam at the divine Varadaraja Perumal Koil in Kanchi. It uses a 2:1 ration of rice to udad dal, and a tempering of dried ginger powder, asafoetida, cumin and curry leaves is mixed into the batter before steaming.
Equipment
- Steamer
Ingredients
- 1/4 Cup Udad Dal
- 1/2 Cup Rice
- 1/4 tsp Methi or Fenugreek Seeds
- 15 Miri or Pepper Corns
- 1/2 tsp Jeera or Cumin Seeds
- 1/2 tsp Soonth or Dry Ginger Powder
- 1/4 tsp Hing or Asafoetida
- 1 tsp Ghee
- 15 Finely Chopped Curry Leaves
- Salt to Taste
Instructions
Soaking the Dal and Rice
- Wash the udad dal well till the water runs clear, and soak it in 3/4 cup of water for at least 4 hours.
- Wash the rice well, and soak it in 1 cup water for at least 2 hours.
Making the Batter (After 4 Hours of Soaking)
- Save some of the water from the soaked udad dal and drain the rest of water completely.
- Grind the udad dal with as little water as possible to a smooth paste.
- Drain all the water from the rice.
- Grind the rice with 2 or 3 tbsp water (saved in step 1) to a smooth paste.
- Mix the two batters together with about 1/3 tsp of salt.
- Set the batter aside to ferment for 8 to 10 hours.
Adding the tempering
- In a ladle, heat the ghee.
- Add the cumin and stir fry for 10 seconds.
- Add the crushed pepper and curry leaves, and stir fry for 5 seconds.
- Turn off the heat.
- Add asafoetida and dry ginger powder (soonth/chukku), and mix well.
- Add the tempering immediately add to the batter.
- Using a gentle hand, incorporate the tempering into the batter. Use a very gentle motion because you do not want to lose the aeration that results from the fermentation.
Steaming the Kanchipuram Idli
- Grease an 8? plate with some ghee.
- Gently pour in the batter to 1/2 the plate height.
- In a pressure cooker, steam for 8 to 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and wait for 10 minutes.
Serving the Idli
- Take the plate out of the cooker.
- Use a knife and gently loosen the edges of the idli.
- While it is still in the plate, cut the Kanchipuram idli into 4 pieces.
- Use a small sharp knife to loosen each piece and remove it from the plate.
- Serve the Kanchipuram Idli with Coconut Chutney or Coconut and Coriander Chutney.