I love Idli. Period. But then again, I know people who hate idlis and those who find it boring. This recipe  of Chilli Idli is a makeover on the regular, plain idli with indo-chinese twist. Like the Chilli Gobi and Chilli Babycorn, this recipe uses mini idlis. Leftover idlis work out so well for this recipe, which is an added advantage as you can pass up this dish as a fancy starter/appetizer. We Indians for some reason love the Indo-Chinese cuisine so much that there are so many fusion recipes out there. Chilli Barota is a very popular Tamilnadu recipe that uses fried parotta (multi-layered flat bread) and is usually served with onion raita.
My childhood memories were rekindled recently when we tried Chilli Idli at one of the popular joints. I decided to make it over in my kitchen too. The recipe is quite similar to the Chilli Parotta recipe. I made mini idlis and pan fried them slowly in little oil on my cast iron pan. The idlis crisped up and were not oily at all. If you are struggling to make the switch from nonstick pans, do start off with a small cast iron pan. Just for the sake of testing, I pan fried a batch of idlis in my only nonstick pan and I should say I preferred the ones done in cast iron. Those idlis remained crisp for longer and tasted better too. If you are okay with it, you could also deep fry them! Check out fail-proof idli recipe too!
How to make Chilli Idli | Low Calorie Chilli Idli Fry
📖 Recipe
Detailed step-wise picture recipe of making Chilli Idli | Low Calorie Chilli Idli Fry
In a cast iron pan, heat oil and place the mini idlis. Fry on low flame until both sides are golden and crisp. Set aside.
In the same pan, heat oil and add finely chopped garlic. Fry for a few seconds.
Add cubed onions and fry for a couple of minutes.
Add cubed capsicum and again fry for a couple of minutes.
Next add Kashmiri red chilli powder, salt, sugar and soy sauce. Cook for a minute.
Add tomato ketchup and green chilli sauce. Cook for another minute.
Now add the prepared idlis and toss them well until the sauce is all coated. Add a tablespoon of water if it is too dry. Cook for a couple of minutes and let the idlis absorb the sauces. Remove from heat.
Garnish with finely chopped spring onions.
Serve hot!
Recipe Notes
Instead of using mini idlis, cut regular idlis into small squares. Adjust spices as per preference. You can add a couple of split green chillies if you prefer it spicy.
I would be delighted to know if you have tried this recipe, don’t forget to share your feedback and comments below. If you have any questions, you can e-mail me! I am also available on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter 🙂
