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December 9, 2009

Kanchipuram Idli Recipe - Kancheepuram Kovil Idli Recipe

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Kanchipuram idli
Kanchipuram Idli is one of the most popular South Indian Idli recipe that is originated from Tamilnadu - Kanchipuram Varadaraja Perumal temple's madapalli. This idli is served as temple prasadam. Its a world famous idli. Recently I tried this Iyengar style idli recipe from " The Hindu" food safari section. 3 different recipes were given there from the temple and hotels of Kancheepuram. Every time I used to follow my cook book recipe for making Kancheepuram Idli which I have mentioned below as recipe 2. This time I tried Kanjeevaram Varadaraja perumal temple recipe ( Koil idli). It came out really well. 
We loved its taste.

The specialty of this idli lies in steaming it using “Mandharai leaves” . But I used banana leaves here. I steamed the idli in a big tumbler lined with banana leaf. Normally the cooking time of idli takes 2 hours as they make in kudalai ( a hollow bamboo rod). So Its also known as kudalai idli and Kovil idli. But I used pressure cooker to steam idli. Also the consistency of batter should be slightly coarse and thick to get the above texture in the picture. 

Remember one thing, you should eat it hot. Otherwise idli will become slightly hard when warm. If  you grind it too smooth, it will resemble our usual idli but it comes out very soft even after it cools down. This idli tastes the best with coconut chutney and idli podi. I’ve had this with sambar too. But I feel coconut chutney is the best side dish. My husband loves this idli a lot. With the pleasant aroma of steamed banana leaves, it tastes delicious & very soft .

Try it and let me know how it tasted. Lets see how to prepare Kanchipuram idli using two different recipes.
kancheepuarm idli copy

Kanchipuram Idli Recipe


Kanchipuram Idli Recipe How to make Kanchipuram idli - 2 recipes shared here
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Breakfast
Serves:4
Prep time: 16H(with fermentation)
Cook time: 20 Min
Total time: 16H20Min


INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
Recipe 1 – Temple version
  • Raw rice / Pacharisi – 2 cups
  • Urad dal – 1 cup
  • Methi seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • Ghee – 1/4 cup
  • Cumin seeds – 2 tsp
  • Pepper corns – 1.5 tsp
  • Dry ginger powder – 1/2 tsp
  • Curry leaves - few
  • Asafetida/Hing – 1/2 tsp
  • Salt & water – As needed
Recipe 2 – Cookbook version
  • Par Boiled rice / idli rice – 1/2 cup
  • Raw rice – 1/2 cup
  • Urad dal – 1/2 cup
  • Pepper corns – 1/2 tsp
  • Jeera – 1/2 tsp
  • Ghee – 2 tbsp
  • Sesame / Gingely oil – 2 tbsp
  • Hing / Asafetida – 1/2 tsp
  • Curry leaves – a few
  • Dry ginger / Sukku – 1/2 inch piece (crushed) (optional ) (you can use powder too)
  • Salt – as required.
HOW TO MAKE KANCHIPURAM IDLI - METHOD

RECIPE – 1 (TEMPLE VERSION FROM THE HINDU)
  • Soak rice , dal and methi seeds together for 4-5 hours. Grind them to a slightly coarse paste adding salt & required water. The batter should be thick.
  • Allow it to ferment for 12 hrs or overnight. The next day morning add jeera, pepper corns, ghee, hing and curry leaves. Mix well.
    kanchi idli tile1
  • Grease a tumbler with oil and line it with banana leaf . Pour the batter, fill it. Add water till half of the pressure cooker base and keep the tumbler inside it. Close it with a lid.
    Kanchi idli tile2

  • Steam it for 30 minutes to 1 hour. check it with the back of a spoon. If it comes out clean, idli is done..
    kanchi idli tile3

    Enjoy hot idli with coconut chutney !!

    RECIPE – 2 ( from cookbook)
  • Soak the dal and rice together for 2-3 hours. Wash , drain the water and grind .
  • Please don't add more water to grind.The batter should be thick and little coarse.
  • After grinding the batter add salt , hing and mix well. Allow the batter to ferment overnight. The next day morning add crushed pepper , jeera , dry ginger powder , curry leaves , Ghee and sesame oil to the batter and mix well.
  • If u feel the batter is too thick, add a ladleful of water to it. Do not  disturb the batter for 30 mins- 1 hour. After 1 hour , place the banana leaf on the idly plate and pour the batter.      
  •         BEFORE STEAMING
  • Steam it for 15 to 30 mins.Once its done ,prick the idly with the backside of spoon and see whether the idlI is non sticky . At this stage the idli is cooked well.      
  •         AFTER STEAMING
  • Remove and serve hot with coconut chutney !



Note
  • As per the original recipe, the batter should be ground till coarse(rava consistency). But most of the time I grind the batter smooth. U 'll get a really soft idli !! My family likes that way. 
kancheepuram idly 1


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43 comments :

Sailaja Damodaran said...

Love to eat it with coconut chutney.....Looks very tasty & soft

priya said...

so soft and different!...yummy!

Shama Nagarajan said...

yummy idli

Chitra said...

Thanku all for the quick sweet comments :)

Raks said...

Crystal clear picture! Should try all soon.thanks for posting!

Latha said...

Idlis on banana leaf...interesting.

Saraswathy Balakrishnan said...

A very different iddly to be steamed with banana leaves pa..will surely try them if I get hold some banana leaves here..

Ash said...

This is a nice looking idli... b'cuz I loved the different texture of it in the pic.... And done differently too.... Hot hot idlis with chutney...I can only shout "Break it fast"!!!!!

I think this post came after a long time.... I hope all's well.....

Happy Celebrations!!!

Ash....
(http://asha-oceanichope.blogspot.com/)

Priya Suresh said...

Wat a delicious, soft idli, had these idlies long back...Looks too marvellous CHitra..

Sarah Naveen said...

oh wow!!! thats a perfect and yummy idli...

Cham said...

You are right- it is better with coconut chutney- Good one!

jayasree said...

I can almost smell the flavor steamed leaves and idli together. It must surely be heavenly.. should try it soon.

chef and her kitchen said...

I love it for d flavors...looks gr8..never steamed them in banana leaves..will try next time..f

Jayashree said...

I never knew that kanjivaram idlis were steamed in banana leaves. I can almost imagine how good it would smell.

Tina said...

Cute and delicious idli.

Rekha shoban said...

Healthy and delicious idly

Myvegfare said...

lovely pics, i got introduced this idly after marriage, but never knew they were made in banana leaves!!, well, if i ever get hold of them here i will try!!

gtyuk said...

nice idlis, it's been a year since I ate them; I love it with coconut chutney but also very much with thuvayals :)

Rohini said...

Yummy idlis!! Love to have them with coconut chutney! :)

prasu said...

idli with coconut chutney makes them so delitable dear.ur idlies look perfect dear.

Unknown said...

Perfect and soft idili..Yummy with chutney!!

Shri said...

Well, heard this name over and over and little did I know this is how it looks..Yummy!

Manju said...

you wont believe that ive never had this before...but ive heard soo much about it that i wanna try it now!!

Uma said...

mmm. looks sooo soft and yummy Chitra!!

Gita Jaishankar said...

Nice idlis...I have never tried steaming idlis in banana leaf...thanks for the great recipe :)

Supriya said...

yummy!

my kitchen said...

Idly with flavor of banana leaf, Loves to eat with tomato thokku

lata raja said...

very tasteful idlis Chitra. I love them with milagu kuzhambu.

radha said...

Looks so delicious. Hot idlis with chutney and sambar.

Srivalli said...

Good one, we love Kanchipuram idlies

Mythreyi Dilip said...

This is my all time favorite Chitra. I add little turmeric and chopped coconut pieces. Ur version looks yummy and good!

Padhu Sankar said...

Looks delicious!
http://padhuskitchen.blogspot.com/

Sunitha said...

The idli looks supple and delicious.. one of my favourites..

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Anupama said...

nothing can beat these idlis... flavor packed!

Sanjana said...

These look AMAZING! I would love them for my dinner tonight. Thanks for visiting my blog Chitra :) Do come back often. I look forward to following you!

Sanjana x

Shoba said...

Thank you chitra I can decide this dish as my son lunch box recipe.

Shanthi said...

Lovely way of doing kanchipuram idly....i can feel the banana leaf smell on idly....

Remya said...

lovely recipe i was searching it....thank u..i will try n let you know the result

chitra said...

which of the above two is Varadaraja Perumal Koil recipe?

chitra said...

also, do you use the weight for the pressure cooker ?

Chitra said...

Hi its the first re cipe.no need to use weight valve.cook in low flame like. Cake baking.make sure there is enough water.

chitra said...

thanks