Probably one of the most popular and nutritious breakfast choices throughout the Indian sub-continent, Idli serves as a favorite of every Indian, who is a fan of South Indian cuisine.

These healthy steamed cakes are one of the most popular dishes of South India, enjoyed with a piping hot bowl of sambar. It is mixed pulses cooked along with tamarind purey and fresh vegetables and infamous coconut chutney.

Idli recipe: health intact for you

Idli Recipe | Image Resource : shutterstock.com

Coconut chutney has served as a prominent ingredient in every south Indian dish, giving it a fresh crunch of taste and a tropical essence. Traditional idli is prepared using soaked basmati rice, urad dal and fenugreek. However these days there are healthier versions of the same, using semolina, which is quite difficult to digest.

Idli is mostly consumed for breakfast because of its high nutritional value and low fat content. The traditional recipe of Idli includes Basmati rice and Urad dal to be soaked in water for over 4-6 hours, after which it is grinded into a coarse paste and is left for fermentation in a warm place to achieve the fluffy texture. Once the batter has risen salt is added and mixed.

Idli is steamed in a specific idli maker, which is placed inside a container with water to create the steam. The idli recipe stand is to be gresed well, adding the batter into the moulds and letting it boil for a good 8 – 10 minutes.

That’s as easy as it gets to prepare such a wholesome dish, which is so full of all the nutrients and lip smacking taste. However idli is notr only steamed, but is prepared in a number of ways depending on the region, specialty, health factor, street style taste, preparation time.

Varieties of Idli recipe

Some of the most trending recipes of idli is “Fry Idli”, a street style version of the dish, is prepared using vegetables which are tossed in spices and coconut chutney and mixed with fried idli pieces.

Another one is based on a regional specialty “Mysore Masala Idli”, which is cooked in special Mysore spices and seasonal vegetables, it’s a richer version of the fried idli as it is cooked in butter, and it is served with sambar and coconut chutney.

The healthier versions of idli dishes are made using, Ragi, Oats, Semolina, Brown rice idli, Millet idli etc.

Hands down to this South Indian favorite Idli recipe, which is yet one of the healthiest snacks, with no compromises in the taste and high nutritional value. What makes idli one of the healthiest snacks is its digestive value and the importance of fermentation, which helps in breaking down minerals and vitamins, which in turn helps with the digestion. Also the presence of lactic acid helps in altering the PH Balance in the intestines.