Kanchipuram Idli

Written By: Evergreendishesdev
Published on: April 1, 2015
kanchipuram idli

kanchipuram idli | idli variety | south indian breakfast recipes | good food everyday |

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Kanchipuram idli is yet another kind of idli. It is spicy, tasty and ideal to serve as a finger food for small children. It needs no accompaniment. 

With the summer showing it’s true colours, I am on an Idli spree,I think nothing is more comforting in the blazing heat. After the semolina idli, we come to the kanchipuram idli.

This recipe is ideal to make when you have leftover idli batter in the refrigerator. It is often regarded as a boredom to eat anything more than once a week. This is easy to make and tasty,, needs no accompaniment and  ideal for breakfast or serve it at  tea time.

I often keep a little batter aside to make kanchipuram idli. It is usually made during dinner at home. The variations you can make here are ample. Use coarsely ground pepper powder in the idli batter and it is known as pepper idli.  Another variety  is to add cumin, curry leaves and some chopped coriander in the batter. Steam the idli and later sprinkle a little chilli powder over it. 

kanchipuram idli

kanchipuram idli

The Story Behind Kancheepuram Idli

I recently came to know  from my aunt about it and I thought I must share it here. It is a traditional prasadam offered in the Varadharaja Perumal Temple of Kancheepuram. Thus it is popular by the name. The idlis are cooked in the bamboo casings lined with the dried mandhara leaves. The leaves lend a good aroma to the idlis.

The batter is specifically ground for the purpose and the spices used in the temple preparation are black pepper, cumin, cashew, asafoetida and dried ginger. There is a long queue in the temple for the tasty prasadam.

My way of making the idli

The recipe is adopted from my mother who was making it quite often when we were young. I realised that making simple changes in the breakfast menu was ideal for all of us  and soon it was the kanchipuram idli with leftover idli batter. Instead of making the regular idli, it was a spicy idli which needed no accompaniments. A simple mango tasted best along with some butter.

It is ideal to serve for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can even serve it  in the lunch box. The only thing you should not forget while making these spicy idlis is to grease the container with a little oil. The idlis will not stick to the bottom and come out perfectly.

I would like to remind that if you are like me, making with the leftover batter, be careful with the addition of salt. The batter has salt initially added in it. The quantity of chillies given below is just an indicator and the level of spiciness is not much. You may add a little more if you wish.

 

Why should you make kanchipuram idli ?

  • it needs no accompaniment
  • a good way to use the leftover batter
  • steamed food is ideal during summer
  • it is healthy breakfast option
  • another variation for the morning breakfast

 

Print Recipe
kanchipuram idli
Evergreendishesdev

Kanchipuram Idli

Kanchipuram idli is another variety of idli ideal for breakfast. It is spicy, tasty and needs no accompaniment. It tastes good with pickle.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course: Breakfast, healthy snacks
Cuisine: karnataka

Ingredients
  

  • Ingredients :
  • Idli batter 1/2 kg
  • bengal gram 2tbsp
  • green chilli 2
  • ginger 1 inch
  • coriander 1/2 bunch
  • cumin 1tsp
  • oil 1tsp
  • mustard 1/4tsp
  • asafoetida 1/4tsp

Equipment

  • 1 idli maker
  • 1 small seperator ( the container we get along with pressure cooker )
  • 1 bowl
  • 1 ladle
  • 1 knife
  • 1 wide bowl

Method
 

  1. Soak bengal gram in water for an hour.
  2. Wash coriander leaves and grind it along with green chilli and ginger.
  3. In a small pan, make the seasoning,add the mustard seeds, as they crackle add cumin and curry leaves. Add it to the batter.
  4. Drain water from the soaked bengal gram, and put it along with a pinch of salt.
  5. Take a seperator and smear some oil in it. Pour the batter, to half the quantity.
  6. Heat water in a pressure cooker and let cook without whistle until done.
  7. Remove and cut it diagonally into pieces.
  8. Tasty kanchipuram idlis are ready to serve.

Notes

  • Adjust spiciness as per your taste.
  • Grease  the tin before pouring the batter into it.
 

If you ever make this Kanchipuram Idli ,  do take a picture and tag @foodiejayashree on Instagram or @evergreendishes on Facebook or Twitter. I will be glad to see your creation and share it further. Let’s be connected, do follow on social media platforms. Until next time, let’s stay connected.  Subscribe to get all updates and an e-book for free. Check out my e-books on Amazon.  Happy Cooking !

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kanchipuram idli

Kanchipuram Idli

13 Comments

  1. Anu Nagaraja

    ah! yum!! seasoned idli, flavorsome idli. love it 🙂

    Reply
    • Jayashree

      Thankyou so much dear Vani

      Reply
      • Jayashree

        Thankyou so much dear Anu

        Reply
  2. shubha

    deliciously healthy..superb!!

    Reply
  3. Savita @ ChefDeHome

    I never tried Kanchipuram idli before! Thanks for sharing recipe, Jayashree!

    Reply
    • Jayashree

      My pleasure Savita and glad to have you here

      Reply
  4. Mayuri Patel

    5 stars
    Like kanchipuram idli. The one I’ve had is with cashew nuts and steamed in banana leaves. Good idea to keep idli batter on the side to make this idli.

    Reply
  5. archana

    5 stars
    Wow! I did not know kanchipuram idlis are so easy to make. I kept thinking of a very complicated way in which it is made. This is definitely doable.

    Reply
  6. Priya Vj

    5 stars
    Using left over idli batter by seasoning it with spices is a good hack .I normally make Kancheepuram idlis the authentic way by grinding a separate batter the way it is made in the temple .

    Reply
  7. Seema Sriram

    5 stars
    YOu saved me a lot of time. usually I grind separately for Kanchipuram idlies, now I know the easy hack, thankyou.

    Reply
  8. Kalyani

    5 stars
    This is a good variant on the kancheepuram idli. I Usually make it without coriander leaves or green chilli as it’s traditionally not added in the temple style recipe . Must have tasted good especially when cut into those dhokla kind of bites !

    Reply

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