This is a special and unique recipe of Leftover Rice Idli or Cooked Rice Idli. You can use the rice that is left from your day’s lunch or dinner, and make these fluffy and ultra soft idli.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 540 minutes
  • Cook time: 12 minutes
  • Total time: 552 minutes
  • Yield: 16 · 16 Leftover Rice Idli
  • Category: Breakfast, Snacks
  • Cuisine: South Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 cup leftover rice (or cooked rice or steamed rice)
  • 1 cup idli rava ((cream of rice))
  • ½ cup urad dal ((husked black gram - whole or split))
  • 8 to 10 tablespoons water (- for grinding ingredients to make batter)
  • rock salt ((edible and food grade) or sea salt, add as required)
  • oil (as required, for greasing idli moulds)

Method

Making batter

  1. Rinse urad dal a few times in water. Soak the lentils in enough water for 4 hours.
  2. Rinse the idli rava with water once or twice. Soak the idli rava with enough water for 4 hours.
  3. Drain water from the urad dal and reserve some of its strained water. We will use this water to grind the idli batter. Or you can use fresh water.
  4. Next drain all of the water from the idli rava very well. Take a portion of the idli rava in your fist. Press it and squeeze the extra water from it. Place this squeezed lump of the idli rava in the blender or mixer-grinder jar. Similarly squeeze water from the idli rava portions and add then to the blender.
  5. Add the urad dal and cooked leftover rice in the blender or the grinder jar.
  6. First add 2 to 3 tablespoons water and grind for a minute.
  7. Stop grinding, and then add the remaining 6 to 7 tablespoons in batches while grinding. Do not add all of the water at once. Depending on the quality of urad dal and idli rava, you will need more or less water. The batter consistency has to be flowing and can be thick to medium-thick.
  8. The batter should be fluffy, smooth, fine and ground well.
  9. Pour the entire batter in a deep pan or bowl. Mix in salt as needed.
  10. Cover with a lid and let the idli batter ferment overnight or for 8 to 9 hours.

Making leftover rice idli

  1. The next day before making the idli, add 2 to 3 cups water in a steamer or electric cooker or a stovetop pressure cooker.
  2. Switch on the steamer or electric cooker or place the pressure cooker on the stovetop and let the water come to a boil.
  3. Grease the idli moulds with oil. Pour the fermented batter in the idli moulds.
  4. Place the idli pan in the steamer, electric cooker or pressure cooker.
  5. Cover with their respective lids.
  6. If using pressure cooker, remove the vent weight (whistle) from the lid.
  7. Steam for 10 to 12 minutes or more till a tooth pick inserted in the idli comes out clean.
  8. Serve the Leftover Rice Idli steaming hot or warm with some coconut chutney or sambar or both.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.