Kotte Kadubu | Kadubu Idli

Ingredients

• 1 cup urad dal – 200 grams, whole and husked black gram
• 2 cups idli rava – 330 grams
• 1.5 cups water for soaking urad dal
• 1.5 cups water for soaking idli rava
• 1.25 cups water for grinding urad dal
• 1 teaspoon salt or add as required
• 40 to 50 fresh jackfruit leaves
• 2 to 2.5 cups water for steaming idlis

Steps

making kadubu idli batter

1. Rinse urad dal in a bowl a couple of times.
2. Soak in 1.5 cups water, cover and leave for 4 hours.
3. Put idli rava in another bowl. Fill with water, stir with your hands and pour off all the water at the top. Repeat one or two more times.
4. Soak the rava in 1.5 cups water for 3 to 4 hours.
5. Drain urad dal, put it in a grinder jar and add 1.25 cups water.
6. Grind into a smooth, fluffy urad batter.
7. Move all the batter to a large bowl or pan.
8. Take the soaked idli rava a portion at a time in your palms and squeeze out all the water.
9. Add the well-squeezed portion of rava to the urad batter.
10. Add all the remaining rava in this way.
11. Mix very well with a spoon or spatula so there are no lumps. Cover and ferment for 8 to 9 hours, with the time varying according to climate and temperature.

making jackfruit leaves cups

1. The next day, make the jackfruit-leaf cups before making idlis.
2. Rinse leaves very well with water and dry each with a clean cotton napkin. Use same-sized leaves for the moulds; you need 40 to 50 jackfruit leaves.
3. Overlap two leaves, one over the other, with the stem part facing outwards.
4. Join them with a thin coconut stick or bamboo stick.
5. Place a third leaf on top of the joined leaves.
6. Put a fourth leaf over the third.
7. Secure the four leaves with the coconut stick.
8. Join one leaf to a second, overlapping one over the other.
9. Slide a coconut stick onto both leaves.
10. Join each overlapping leaf to the next with the coconut stick in this way.
11. This forms a jackfruit-leaf kotte or cup. Join well so batter cannot leak through gaps, and cut the stem parts off each leaf.
12. Make cups with all the leaves this way. Depending on leaf size, some cups will be small and others medium to large.

making kotte kadubu

1. After fermenting, the batter should smell pleasantly sour and have many tiny bubbles.
2. Mix in 1 teaspoon salt, or as required, very well.
3. Meanwhile, set a stand or rack in a large pot or pan and heat 2 to 2.5 cups water over low to medium flame.
4. Put the leafy moulds in a steamer pan.
5. Gently pour batter into the moulds, directly or with a spoon.
6. Set the steamer pan of kotte kadubu inside the large pan and cover with a lid.
7. Steam for 12 to 15 minutes over medium to medium-high flame.
8. When done, take off the lid.
9. Test the idlis with a skewer; it should have no stickiness.
10. Wait 2 to 3 minutes, then gently remove the sticks and leaves from each kotte kadubu.
11. Remove the sticks and leaves from all the remaining idlis in the same way.
12. Pair the idlis with coconut chutney, sambar or idli-dosa podi and serve hot or warm.