Tawa idli or tava idli is a delicious and quick snack – a medley of leftover idlis, some pav bhaji masala and basic spices, onion, tomato, and lemon juice. It takes all of 15 mins to make and tastes great as an evening snack with some tea or coffee. I also make a milder version of tawa idli for breakfast since it breaks the monotony of eating idli and chutney or idli upma, which is the usual recipe to use up leftover idli.
More tea time snack recipes?
Paneer stuffed bread rolls
Aloo paneer kofta
Palak aloo tikki
Vegetable cutlets
I am usually lazy to cook for just myself and end up eating dosa for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on days like that. Since I also make idlis in bulk and store them, I rotate idli and dosa through all meals. Needless to say, this gets a bit boring, especially the idli since I am not a huge fan of them. Dosa I can eat all day every day forever as long as I change-up the side dishes. So yeah, what do you do when you get bored with idli and don’t want to make anything else? You improvise with the idlis you have in hand and that’s exactly what I did.
- 4 idli, cubed
- ¼ cup minced onions
- 1 small, ripe tomato, cubed
- 2 tsp ghee or butter
- ¼ tsp mustard seeds
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp pav bhaji masala (adjust to taste)
- ½ tsp grated ginger
- 2 tsp lime or lemon juice
- A fistful of chopped coriander leaves, for garnish
- Heat the butter or ghee in a pan and add the mustard seeds.
- When they pop, add the onions, turmeric and ginger.
- Saute until the onions turn pink and fragrant.
- Next, add the chopped tomatoes and saute until they turn mushy.
- Meanwhile, get out your pav bhaji masala and chop the idlis into small cubes. I like to cut them smaller than normal so the flavours will mingle better.
- Once the tomatoes are soft and mushy, add the pav bhaji masala and salt.
- Mix well and cook for 30 seconds.
- Then add the cubed idli and toss well to coat.
- Finally add the lime juice and garnish with coriander leaves.
- Serve tawa idli hot with tea or coffee.
Step by Step Tawa Idli Recipe:
1. Heat the butter or ghee in a pan and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the onions, turmeric and ginger. Saute until the onions turn pink and fragrant. Next, add the chopped tomatoes and saute until they turn mushy.
2. Meanwhile, get out your pav bhaji masala and chop the idlis into small cubes. I like to cut them smaller than normal so the flavours will mingle better.
3. Once the tomatoes are soft and mushy, add the pav bhaji masala and salt. Mix well and cook for 30 seconds. Then add the cubed idli and toss well to coat. Finally add the lime juice and garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve spicy tawa idli hot with tea or coffee!
Notes:
- If the idlis are refrigerated, it will be easier to cut and toss them in the masala. Fresh idli will crumble when chopped.
- You can reduce the amount of pav bhaji masala and add 1 chopped green chilli
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