Muffin Idly

I'm a great fan for my sister's( Pradeepa) preparations. She is very innovative in her cooking. Though she is elder to me i was the first to pick up cooking from my mom. Me and my sister never liked the routine menu like rice, sambar, poriyal or fry. I always prepared Chinese and she always prepared North Indian recipes even three times a day( my mom is poor one, she likes only south Indian foods).  I love my sister's Aloo paratha and a side dish made with peas, paneer and bell peppers. After I came to US and as she went to UK, I miss her and her delicious recipes. One of her latest innovative dish is this Muffin Idly, its so simple and quick to prepare. I love the crunchy crust on the top and soft idly inside. It does not need any side dish but if you prefer, you can have it with coconut chutney or sambar.

Ingredients

Idly batter-5 to 6 cups

Coconut( chopped into small pieces)

Turmeric powder-1/4tsp

Hing/ Asafetida-pinch

Salt to taste

For tempering

Dried red chillies( broken)-6

Whole black pepper corns-2tsp

Jeera/Cumin seeds-1tsp

Mustard seeds-1tsp

Urad dal-1 1/2tsp

Channa dal-1 1/2tsp

Curry leaves-few

Method

To the idly batter add the coconut, turmeric, asafetida and little salt. Heat oil in a tadka pan, when hot add the tempering ingredients and fry for few seconds. Remove from heat and add to the idly batter. Mix well and set aside. Next grease muffin pan with generous oil, pour the prepared idly batter in each muffin cups. Pre-heat oven to 300°f, place the muffin tray on the center rack of the oven and bake for at least 15-20 mins. Slide a knife inside the idly to check whether it is fully done( if the tip of the knife is sticky, it means the idly is not done and requires few more mins to cook, if the tip of the knife comes out clean then the idly is fully cooked).

Once the idlys are cooked remove the muffin tray from the oven and allow to cool for 2 mins. Transfer the Muffin Idlys to the plate and serve hot.