Every two weeks(almost) I try to make the Idli/Dosa batter with the help of my darling boy. Yes, he loves watching the grinder run and is ever so ready to press the On/off button. So this week, I decided to make a little extra batter than the usual quantity hoping I could experiment with some new variety because I just love adding stuff to plain batters. For e.g. The other day, I added some freshly chopped methi leaves along with some onions to the Dosa batter and it was quite a hit even with my little man. Sometimes just grated cheese on a lovely roast of Dosa is good for us too. So you see, I am always adding bits and bobs to this and that.
With idlies, I haven’t tried stuffing it yet. I’m not even sure if I can do it successfully. But I love making different types of idlies. Our favourite has been my mom’s recipe for Ragi Idli which is quite delicious with any green chutney. No matter how many chutneys and sides one can make, there is nothing quite as simple as Idly and Podi. We, South Indians have a proper dabba (box) filled with this golden powder and it is usually kept at an obvious place because we want it so often. For those of you who don’t know what a Podi is, it is a very basic spice powder made of a combination of dals/lentils and dried red chillies. Today, people are experimenting with Podi by adding various seeds and nuts to make it a tad healthier. I’m sticking to the original type for now Atleast. This powder is mixed with any cooking oil just before serving.

So, here is a simple recipe using the ever so humble Podi.  And Here is what you need-

Idli batter

Podi with any oil of your choice(gingelly oil is usually the best)

Ghee – lots of it

Make idlies as you would normally do however grease the Idli plates with a little ghee before filling with the batter. Once steamed, let it cool down for few minutes. Meanwhile, take a small plate, mix enough Podi with oil to form a marinade.Take each piece of idly and smear it liberally with more ghee and then apply the Podi paste. Make sure all the idlies are coated equally on all sides with the ghee and Podi paste. That’s all there is to this recipe. You can either have it warm or leave it in a box for atleast another 30min. The longer you leave them the better it tastes.

For a change, I used the idiyappam plate to make these giant idlies just so I could cut them into neat bite size pieces.

You may now think this isn’t anything new as we all have eaten ghee idlies with Sambar, chutney and Podi etc etc. but quite often we forget that using the same old stuff in new ways can give wonderful results just like this one above.

And Needless to say, this recipe was much loved by my darling husband who even said  it tasted just as good the next day. Ahem!maybe because he almost never gets a choice to say anything other than ‘awesome’ or he probably is thinking he is better off eating only half decent food than no food at all 😉