With just a few ingredients, this recipe takes just a few minutes to make. It is flavored with sambar masala, tamarind and jaggery. The end result is a scrumptious breakfast recipe that tastes spicy, tangy and sweet - all at the same time. In a South Indian household, leftover idli is a great dilemma because they are made so often. I make either idli with idli rava or jowar idli and sometimes end up with quite few leftovers. You can obviously make idli manchurian or idli upma with them. But the first needs deep frying and the second one is too boring. But this masala idli is an easy and flavorful way to jazz those leftover idli. This recipe is adapted from Mallika Badrinath’s 100 Tiffin Varieties cookbook. Sambar powder and tamarind are probably the best flavor combination to elevate the taste of bland idlis. This masala idli is a very addictive and absolutely delicious breakfast. Do give it a try and I’m sure you’ll agree with me. Other main ingredients you need are:
onionstamarind pastesambar masala - either homemade or store-bought (I love MTR brand)jaggery or sugartadka/ tempering ingredients - chana dal, urad dal, mustard seeds and cumin seeds, dry red chilicurry leaves & cilantro
Video Recipe
Instructions
Recipe to make this Masala idli could not be simpler. Start by heating oil in a large sauté pan. Add the tempering/ tadka ingredients and when the seeds start to splutter, add the onions and cook till they start to get brown around the edges. Next add the tamarind paste, turmeric, sambar powder, jaggery/ sugar and salt. Mix well. Add a splash of water if the mixture looks too dry. Cook for 1~2 minutes. Stir in the chopped idlis and cook for 2~3 minutes. Turn off the heat and sprinkle the chopped cilantro. Serve right away.
Tips
For the best texture of this masala idli, make sure that the idli are slightly dense. Soft, fluffy fresh ones will disintegrate while cooking. Leftover idli are therefore the best to use.Be gently while mixing the idli with the onion-spice mixture.This dish is best served hot. If you are using leftover idli, then it is not advisable to store any leftovers.You can serve with chutney but there is no need for that.
More Leftover idli recipes
Instead of sambar masala, use garam masala or pav bhaji masala to give this a North Indian flavor. Skip tamarind and add some lemon juice instead.Add chopped veggies like carrot, green beans, green peas or frozen mixed vegetables. Instead of using idli cubes, mash them up into a coarse powder and make idli upma.To make idli manchurian, follow this gobhi manchurian recipe but substitute cauliflower with leftover idlis.
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