Kotte Kadubu
The charm of this idli recipe is the jackfruit leaf moulds. Unlike the moode, the kotte kadubu mould isn’t a difficult one to make. If you get the technique right it is just very simple. It is best that these moulds are prepped the previous night to save some time. The next morning you can just pour the idli batter into the moulds and steam the idlis. If you don’t want the hassle, or you cannot find jackfruit leaves, use a regular idli steamer with the mould racks. The recipe by itself is unique for using tapioca along with the usual idli suspects!
For the moulds
- 20 jackfruit leaves for making 5 Kadubus
- 20 Coconut Sticks or toothpicks
For the idli batter
- 1 cup Urad Dal / Black gram split lentil
- 1 cup Flattened Rice (Avalakki)
- 1 cup Tapioca Pearls
- 3 cups Kusubalakki (or other parboiled idli rice)
- 4-5 cups Water
- Salt to taste
Make the Moulds, ideally an evening ahead
For the idli batter
Wash and soak the urad dal, tapioca pearls and poha/avalakki for about 5 hours. Wash and soak Kusubalakki in another container for about 5-6 hours.
Grind the urad dal and poha to a fine paste by adding some water. Grinding in a stone grinder will give you better results.
Tip the ground urad dal batter to a large vessel.
In the same grinder, add the soaked rice and grind till it turns a little coarse with a little water.
Now mix both the batters well, add salt and water to bring it into a cake batter consistency.
Keep it aside for fermentation for 12–14 hours. Depending on the weather conditions, the batter will double or triple itself.
For making the kadubus
Pour in the idli batter into the moulds. You can trim off the edges of the moulds if you feel they are taking a lot of vertical space in the steamer.
Steam the idlis in a idi steamer or pressure cooker with the whistle removed. This needs about 15 minutes to be done.
Peel off the leaves, make sure you remove the tooth picks or sticks and serve hot with a sambhar and chutney.