Lauki Idli / Sorekayi Idli / Sorakaya Idli / Bottle Gourd Idli

I had two kind of idlis on my mind for alphabet 'L' and in fact, I had already cooked one of those 'L' idlis, about an year ago. Lauki idlis / bottle gourd idlis was not on that list and to be honest, the idea did not even occur to me. The suggestion came from my husband at the last minute. Bottle gourd is one of those low calorie vegetables and I try to sneak in our diet as much as possible and so, I thought why not? A quick google search showed me that there are enough creative minds who had already experimented with the idea. 

I would have thought of a different batter if I had time but I had to keep it quick since these were made for today's breakfast with no advance preparation. I used an instant batter made with semolina aka rava idli batter for these idlis. And so there is no soaking, grinding or fermenting the batter. If one has toasted semolina on hand or a MTR rava idli packet, 😀 the idli preparation becomes a breeze. One can do the toasting semolina part in the recipe in advance and keep it handy. If one has never tried idli making, rava idli is an easy and instant version to try. 

The semolina is toasted with a seasoning and soaked in yogurt for about 20 -30 minutes and the batter is ready to go. I usually add grated carrot and peas to the rava idli batter to make it nutritious and today, bottle gourd went in instead. They turned out good and one would not even notice the difference between regular rava idlis and these. They make a great meal anytime of the day though these are considered a breakfast dish. We enjoyed them today with a chutney made with fried gram sans coconut. Vegetable saagu would be a delicious accompaniment to these idlis.

Ingredients: (Yield - 14 idli)
2 tbsp. oil

1 to 2 tbsp. cashews 
1 tsp. split chickpeas / Bengal gram / chana dal
1 tsp. skinned black gram / urad dal
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 inch ginger piece, finely chopped / grated
1 or 2 green chili, finely chopped
1 sprig of curry leaves

1 & 1/2 cups semolina (medium coarse)
3/4 cup peeled & grated bottle gourd
1/2 cup yogurt
3/4 cup water
1 tsp. salt or to taste
2 tbsp. minced cilantro

1/2 tsp. Eno's fruit salt

Directions:

1. Heat oil in  a pan and add cashews. Toast them until golden brown, by turning them once. Transfer them into a small bowl with a slotted spoon.

* Add Bengal gram, skinned black gram, mustard and cumin seeds to the same oil. When the lentils start to turn reddish brown, add ginger, green chillies and curry leaves. Sauté for about a minute. 

2. Next add semolina to the pan and toast on medium flame, continuously stirring until you start to smell the aroma and it starts to slightly change the color.

* Turn off the stove and transfer the mixture into a bowl and let it come to room temperature. (This can be done in advance and the mixture can be stored in air tight container for weeks.)

3. Add grated bottle gourd, salt and minced cilantro to the semolina bowl.

4. Next add yogurt and water to the bowl and mix well. Cover and keep it aside for about 30 minutes.

5. Stir the mixture once and if the mixture appears too thick, add some water. 

* Grease the idli moulds with oil / ghee. Place a cashew at the center of each idli mould. (Or the cashews can be added to the batter.)

* Heat about 2 cups of water in a idli cooker base or a idli cooker or a steamer on medium heat.

6. Add Eno's fruit salt to the semolina bowl just before making idlis and sprinkle a tsp. of water over it and mix well. 
* Ladle the batter into the idli moulds.

* Place the idli stand in the prepared cooker / steamer and close the lid. Don't use the valve for the lid if using a pressure cooker.

* Steam the idlis on low heat setting for about 20 - 25 minutes or until done. (The idlis should not stick when touched with moist fingers or a toothpick / knife inserted in the center should come out clean.) Check the water level in the steamer base and add extra if needed.

* Wait for about 10 minutes and then remove the idlis by running a spoon around the edges.

* Drizzle melted ghee over the idlis and serve them with a chutney / saagu.

* Refrigerate the left over idlis and use in a day or two. Or they can be cooled down immediately after preparation and frozen to use later. Nuke them covered in a microwave, and enjoy hot, piping idlis when needed. 

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