A Bit about Spot Idli
The fact that ground and fermented rice and optionally lentil flour is steamed to make soft airy idlis is well known. But there are places in hyderabad like govind ki bandi that are known for something called spot idli.
It is made from idli batter or a non fermented instant idli batter. The difference is it is not steamed in idli trays but cooked on a griddle on top of a mixture of masala variant with a lid on top. So it gets griddled and crispy on the bottom and raises and steams from the covered lid.
We immediately thought of it as being similar to shakshuka, where eggs are poached in a pool of saucy diced tomatoes and peppers.
The Spot idli is typically made with a masala of onion and tomatoes with butter or ghee and milagai podi/gun powder. But when we say typical it is strange because there is nothing typical of spot idli itself.
So when we made pav bhaji for our friends we had a lot of prepped diced onion, chilies, peppers, tomatoes, cilantro diced up. We also had some idli batter – so next day what happened is Spot Idli happened!
Pav bhaji left over prep Spot Idli
we gathered our diced leftovers. This made our cooking within minutes.
We started the pan on medium heat and threw in some oil, some butter, some diced bell peppers, tomatoes, onions and chilies. we also added some left over pav bhaji masala, chili powder and salt.
As the oil heats and butter melts a bit add some water and get a little bit of sauce going. As it simmers it will spread around the pan.
At this point add three dollops of idli batter. It is important to not over cook and reduce the sauce as after adding the idli batter it needs to cook as well for 6 to 10 minutes, and cooking the sauce further will reduce the water and overcook and burn the vegetables and spice powders.
Now its important to cover and keep heat to low – medium.
The idlis will puff and steam from the water in the sauce. After 6 minutes or so you can check and cook further if needed. But when cooked the top of idlis will have few holes, be not wet but light and spongy and moist. The sauce would have dried a bit.
Now leave the sauce behind in the pan and remove the spot idlis to the plate with the griddled side up. To the pan we add some water and make a pan sauce with high heat, reducing down the sauce to spooning consistency and spoon it around the idlis in the plate.
Then you can sprinkle some pav bhaji masala or any other spice of your choice and some cilantro and chopped bell peppers.
The spot idli was crispy on outside and spongy. It soaked the wet sauce nicely and was a nice change in flavors.
One can essentially make various flavors depending on whats available. One can easily think of a manchurian (indian street name for asian soy based sauce), puliogare spice, sambhar powder, maharashtrian style with goda masala and peanuts etc. one just needs to pick a country or region.
Print
Spot Idli
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: Serves 2
Ingredients
- For the Masala
- 1 Tbsp chopped bell peppers
- 1 Tbsp chopped onions
- 1 tsp chopped chilies
- 1 Tbsp chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 tsp oil
- 2 tsp pav bhaji masala (or spice mix of your choice)
- 0.5 tsp red chili powder (optional)
- Salt to taste
- For Spot idli
- 1 to 1.5 cup Idli batter at room temperature with salt added to taste
- Garnish
- 2 tsp chopped cilantro
- 1 tsp chopped bell peppers
Instructions
- Set a pan on medim heat
- Add all ingredients for the masala to the pan. As the butter melts and oil is heated add half a cup of water.
- As water heats and sauce starts simmering spread it around the pan. Reduce heat to low medium.
- Add the idli batter in 3 spots as dollops. Cover with pan.
- Cook covered for 6 minutes. Inspect of idlis ar cooked at the top, they should not be wet but spongy and moist. Else cook for few more minutes.
- Once cooked, remove idlis only to the plate with the griddled side up.
- Set pan to high heat with remaining vegetables. Add half cup water and bring to simmer and reduce till spoonable pan sauce is created.
- Spoon sauce on and around the plate.
- Garnish with cilantro and chopped bell peppers.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: snack
- Cuisine: indian
