Kushboo Idli Recipe | குஷ்பூ இட்லி

I came to know about this Kushboo idli recipe in my marriage feast. It is known as mallige idli/sponge idli in Karnataka. This idli was named after a popular South Indian actress Kushbhu as it looks super white, soft and spongy in texture. For the past one year , I have been trying several recipes with various combinations but the results were not satisfactory. My friends and relatives told me there is a secret ingredient behind this idli and so we cannot prepare this at home. Somehow I found the secret ingredients as sago / javvarisi / sabudana and Castor seeds / kottai muthu/ aamanakku vidhai. I have tried using castor seeds and it came out well. But I missed that recipe. Soon i’ll post that too.

Recently when I saw this post in "Priya's Feast" without using castor seeds, I tried immediately on the same day. This version uses sago / Javvarisi.  I halved the original recipe and prepared the batter in mixie. I used ice water to grind the batter in mixie. The result was so good. If you grind the batter in grinder, you will get perfect idli. I got comparatively bigger idli than my usual idli, white colored, fluffy and soft idli. Please use a cloth (thuni , cotton cloth) while you steam this idli to get best reults. Thuni idli comes out super soft, spongy and helps in giving a plumpy idli.

In this recipe, I have not used castor seeds or baking soda. So make sure batter consistency is not be too thick or too thin. It should be like regular idli batter and it should be fermented properly. Fermentation time varies from 8 to 15 hours based on the weather in your place. Follow all these steps else idli comes out hard. I’ve given a picture in the end to see the difference between our usual idli and this idli. Now I can confidently try this recipe for my guests. Thanks a lot priya.

I have updated the recipe and the pictures with video. Please follow this recipe, I am sure you’ll get bigger and soft idli than our regular idli. You will be happy with the results !

Kushboo Idli Recipe

Tamil nadu special, spongy Kushboo idli recipe with sago / javvarisi and without using castor seeds.

Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Category: Main course

Serves: 20

Prep time: 16 Hours

Cook time: 10 Minutes

Total time: 16H10Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml or 200ml (use same cup to measure all ingredients) Idli rice / Salem rice / parboiled rice – 2 cups Urad dal – 1/2 cup Sago / Javvarisi / sabudana – 1/4 cup ( White big ones, not the crystal nylon variety ) Salt and water – As needed. (Use ice water if using mixie to grind batter)

HOW TO MAKE KUSHBOO IDLI

1. Wash and soak idli rice, sago and urad dal separately in sufficient water.
2. Soak for minimum 4 hours. First grind the urad dal to a smooth, thick paste adding little ice water in a mixie or grinder.
3. Collect the batter in a bowl. Grind rice + sago together adding required ice water.
4. Mix rice batter and urad dal batter with your hand. Ferment over night or 15 hours.
5. The next morning, batter would have raised. Add salt and mix well.
6. Spread wet cotton cloth over idli plate. Pour the batter in each hole.
7. Roll boil water in an idli pot. Place the idli plate and steam for 10 minutes.
8. Remove the idli plate and invert it over another plate. Sprinkle water all over the cloth.
9. Now you can easily remove the cloth. Hot, fluffy, spongy, white Kushboo idli is ready !

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash the idli rice thrice and soak in enough water. Washing the rice properly helps to give white colored idli. Wash the urad dal once and soak it. Wash the sago once and soak it. Soak everything separately for minimum 4 hours. Take a big sized mixie jar. You can grind in grinder too. Firstly grind the soaked urad dal to a smooth paste adding little ice water. Collect the batter in a big bowl. Next grind the soaked rice and sago together in 2 batches. Grind to a smooth batter adding sufficient ice water.  Do not use more water. Mix urad dal batter and rice, sago batter using your hand. Cover and allow the batter to ferment overnight or minimum 15 hours based on the weather in your place. The next morning, batter would have raised well. Add required salt and mix well. Consistency of batter should be like our regular idli dosa batter. It should be thick and pourable. Now take an idli plate and spread a wet cloth over it. Pour ladleful of batter in each hole. Roll boil water in an idli pot. Place the idli plate over it. Cover and steam the idli for 10 minutes. Dip your forefinger in water and make a hole in one of the idli. If your finger comes out clean, idli is cooked. If your finger is sticky, cook for few more minutes. Switch off the flame and rest the idli inside the pot for few minutes. To remove the idli, take the idli plate and invert it over another empty plate. Sprinkle water over the wet cloth and remove the cloth gently. Idli comes out smooth and super soft. Enjoy with your favorite chutney or sambar!

Note

I have not used castor seeds or baking soda in this recipe. Both are completely optional. Do not make the batter too thick or too thin. So add water carefully while grinding the batter. If you live in cold place, do not add salt while grinding the batter because salt curbs the fermentation. Proper fermentation is important for this idli batter. So leave it for 8 to 15 hours based on the weather condition. Last but not the least, use a cloth to make these idli. It makes a big difference in texture and looks.

Here is a picture of my usual idli and Kushboo idli, just for comparision.

 

Hope you can see the difference !!

Technorati Tags: குஷ்பூ இட்லி,kushboo idly,khusbu idly,Soft idly,mallige idly,sago idly,spongy idly,how to make kushboo idly,how to make khusbu idly,idly varieties,breakfast recipes,idly,breakfast ideas,kushboo idli,kushboo idli recipe,tiffin recipes