Udupi Idli

also called Hotel-style Idli · Idli Rava Idli

The grainier hotel idli that travelled the world from Udupi's restaurant chains - built on rice rava rather than ground rice.

Udupi, Karnataka

Image: AI generated · Unverified

The idli that travelled the world. Made famous globally by the Udupi restaurant chains that fanned out from coastal Karnataka in the twentieth century, this version uses rice rava (coarse rice grits) instead of ground rice, paired with the standard urad dal. The batter is a touch grainier; the finished idli has a slightly heavier, more textured mouthfeel than the all-ground hotel idli - and it stays soft longer at room temperature, which is exactly what restaurant service demands.

Served with Udupi-style tovve (a mild dal), coconut chutney and a vegetable sambar - the canonical South Indian breakfast plate.

The Recipe

Yield · ~25 idlis

Effort profile

Soak3 hours (urad) + 12–15 min (rava)

Ferment8–10 hours

Steam10–15 minutes

Steps5

Each axis is scaled against the longest example in the archive.

Ingredients

Batter

1 cup whole urad dal
2 cups idli rava (rice rava - coarse, not idli flour)
1½ tsp salt
Oil for greasing

Method

1.
Rinse and soak urad dal 3 hours; drain. Grind in a wet grinder with ~1 cup water to a soft, fluffy, airy batter.
2.
Rinse idli rava and soak only 12–15 minutes - until volume increases. Squeeze it out fistful by fistful.
3.
Fold the squeezed rava gently into the urad batter.
4.
Cover and ferment 8–10 hours in a warm spot.
5.
Stir in salt. Grease idli moulds, fill, and steam 10–15 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Serve with

Udupi-style tovve (mild dal)coconut chutneyvegetable sambar

Notes

Rava (never dry - always pre-soaked) is what gives the slight grain and the recognisable Udupi mouthfeel. Batter consistency should be a touch thicker than dosa batter; loosen with water after fermentation if it has thickened.

Adapted from udupi-recipes.com.

Where it's from

Udupi, Karnataka · 13.34°N, 74.74°E