First heat a pan with 3 tsp oil, add the mustard and once it splutters, add the remaining ingredients listed, one by one, in the given order. Saute until the dals and cashews turns golden brown. Turn off the flame.
Add the prepared tempering to the idli batter and mix well until combined.
Now grease the idli molds/ tumblers/ plate/ bowl as you prefer with oil. Fill upto ¾ of the molds with the prepared batter. Steam in medium flame for about 15 minutes or until done. Check by inserting a tooth pick in the middle and it should come out without batter sticking to it. Turn off the flame and remove the molds from steamer and let them cool down for few minutes. Gently loosen the idli from mold using a knife and just tapping the mold by placing upside down.
Enjoy the idli hot with chutney/sambar/gravy.
Notes | FAQ
- Be generous in using oil while greasing. It will help in removing the idli from mold easily. - You can even use grated carrot. You can either add directly to the batter or saute along with tempering items and then add to batter. - Idli batter already has salt in it, so no additional salt is needed. However you can add an additional small pinch if you like for the tempering.