Kanjeepuram Idlis -Spicy cupcakes the South Indian way

I learnt about Kanjeevaram Idli from my grandma(dad's mom), who hails from Tiruvarur. She is one terrific cook! My mom also makes this at times, when we get bored of the regular idlis. The best part is that, these can be eaten as such (being spicy), without any side dish to go with. However I love mine with Puli Inji, a thickish sauce made with Ginger and Tamarind juice.

Kanjeepuram Idlis - Served with Puli Inji

Makes  ~ 12 Idlis

Ingredients -

Set A :
Idli Rice (short grain) - 1 and 1/2 cups
Urad dal - 1/2 cup
Channa Dal - 1/2 cup


Set B:
Ghee - 2 to 3 tsp
Cumin /Jeera - 1 tsp
Black pepper corns/ powder  - 1 tsp
Ginger (finely chopped ) - 1 tbsp
Hing / Asafoetida - a few drizzles
Curry leaves  - a few
Salt - to taste


Optional add-ons

Carrot (shredded )- 1/4 cup
Ghee-roasted cashews - a handful

Method -

Soak the rice and dals in set A for atleast 2 hours and then blend a bit coarsely into a batter, adding water as necessary.  Let ferment overnight (10 hours min).


I used half brown rice and half regular Idli rice and made them into Brown Rice Kanjeevaram Idlis.

Kanjeepuram Idli - basic batter

Fry the list in set B in ghee and then add to the batter and mix well. If adding carrots, add them without frying.

Pour into Idli moulds and steam as usual. You can also steam them into a single piece of a large Idli Cake (like we do for Dhoklas) and then cut them into squares.

Remember to grease the idli moulds with some ghee! Yummmy! :-)

Note to Beginners :  If you're using pressure cooker, don't use weight/whistle.

Hot from the steamer!   Kanjeevaram Idlis with Puli Inji

Give them to those who don't quite relish regular idlis which are bland on their own and I'm sure, they would like this  variation!  This also goes well with the tangy Tomato Thokku :-)

If you have the batter ready, it's just a matter of steaming the idlis and all it takes is about 15 minutes. Great for breakfast! :-)