Kanjeevaram (Kanchipuram) Idli

Ingredients

• Par boiled rice - 1 cup
• Raw rice - 1 cup
• Split black gram or urad dal – ¾  cup
• Dried ginger (sukku in Tamil) - small piece
• Asafetida - 2 pinch
• Cooking soda - pinch (optional)
• Salt - as per taste

        For seasoning:

• Mustard - 1 tsp
• Urad dal - 1 tsp
• Bengal gram - 1 tsp
• Chopped cashew nut - 1 big tbsp
• Crushed pepper - 1 tbsp
• Cumin seed - 1 tsp
• Chopped green chili - 3 no
• Curry leaves - few
• Ghee - 2 tsp
• Oil - 2 tsp

Preparation

1. Soak raw rice and parboiled rice together for 3 hours in a vessel; soak urad dal for half an hour.
2. Grind soaked dal to a paste (no need to grind more; it can be slightly coarse).
3. And also grind rice to a coarse paste.
4. Mix both rice and dal paste; the batter should be like idly batter; add dry ginger powder, asafetida powder, salt and mix well.
5. Keep it for fermentation (it may take 8 to 10 hours depending on hot/cold climate).
6. Heat a pan add oil or ghee; add mustard, urad dal, Bengal gram and fry well.
7. Add cashew nut, crushed pepper, cumin seed, chopped green chili, curry leaves; fry well and remove; when it cools little, add in the batter.
8. Add cooking soda also and mix well; the batter is ready.
9. Grease small containers fill three-fourth with batter and steam cook for 10 to 15 minutes or till done.
10. Serve hot with any chutney.