Four soft savory South Indian steamed semolina cakes, with yogurt, cashews, ginger and curry leaves mixed into the toasted-grain batter, for one modest breakfast.
60 gYogurt
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8 gGhee
2 gGinger
3 gCilantro
0.5 cupSemolina
6 gRaw Cashew
2.25 cupsWater
0.4 gBaking soda
0.5 tspLemon Juice
0.5 gCurry Leaves
1 mlCooking oil
To tasteSalt
Melt all the ghee in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Fry all the chopped cashews for 2 minutes until lightly golden. Add all the ginger and thoroughly dried curry leaves and stir for 30 seconds. Add all the dry semolina and toast over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring, until fragrant but not browned. Scrape everything, including all the ghee and nuts, into a bowl and cool completely for about 15 minutes.
Mix all the yogurt, cilantro, a little salt and 40 ml water into the cooled toasted mixture. Cover and rest for 30 minutes. Stir in up to the reserved 15 ml batter water only as needed for a smooth thick batter that drops from a spoon, not a thin pouring batter; discard any unused adjustment water. Keep the baking soda separate.
Grease four shallow idli molds, each about 6 cm across and holding at least 50 ml, with all the oil. Bring the remaining 500 ml water to a steady boil beneath a steamer rack, keeping the water below it. Stir all the lemon juice into the rested batter, then gently fold in all the weighed baking soda. Immediately divide every bit of batter among the four molds and place above the boiling water. Cover and steam for 12-15 minutes until risen and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, without wet batter. Do not let the steamer boil dry.
Remove the molds carefully and rest for 5 minutes. Discard the steamer water. Loosen with a wet spoon and unmold, keeping every piece and crumb. Serve all four warm as one modest breakfast; chutney, sambar, extra ghee, coconut and side dishes are not included.