Kerala Idiyappam Recipe| Nool Puttu or Sevai with Rice Flour (Video)

Basic idiyappam recipe for beginners in the kitchen.  Learn how to make this South Indian breakfast favorite perfectly each and every time.

Lately, I’ve been thinking and rethinking a lot about adding more basic recipes to the blog because, you know, they’re always simple and are huge assets for all recipe collectors. I consider these basic recipes as the backbone every new recipe creation.

From my own experience, I’ve learned that a collection of few great basic recipes makes anyone a great cook. In short, such recipes act as quintessential kitchen tools for beginners, too!

I developed the beetroot idiyappam recipe from a very basic recipe for plain idiyappams. If you’re not familiar with idiyappams or string hoppers, these are popular South Indian breakfast dish made of very few ingredients like rice flour and water. In Kerala, these are usually served with vegetable stew. In some parts of Kerala, these are called nool puttu, while in Tamil Nadu, sevai is a popular breakfast dish.

Idiyappam has dozens of variations, but today, we’re going to talk about the very basic recipe for making the perfect, soft string hoppers. And of course I’ll give you plenty of tips and tricks to make your family go ‘wow’.

Ok, let’s do this. Start with the number one tip.

1. Use good quality rice flour
If you really want to make idiyappams that taste great, you need to buy good quality rice flour. Classic idiyappam recipes call for raw rice flour. And that’s exactly why you must visit your local Indian grocery store. Raw rice flour is totally different from the regular rice flour you buy from other grocery stores.

2. Roast the flour
Roasted rice flour is readily available from Indian shops. Look for “idiyappam podi, appam podi” etc. If you can’t find roasted rice flour for your idiyappam recipe, buy regular rice flour and roast it at home. All you need to do is lightly fry it over low flame. Don’t forget to stir continuously.

3. Use boiling water
It is important to allow the water to come to a boil before adding it to rice flour. Warm water is not enough if you want soft and delicious idiyappam.

4. Don’t let dough cool completely
Well, this is obviously a very important tip. While you’re pressing the idiyappam, the dough needs to be slightly warm. That way, idiyappam remains soft and holds its shape really well.

Bottom line: roasted rice flour + boiling water + warm dough = the perfect idiyappam recipe.

There you go. Use these super simple tips to make delicious, soft idiyappam next time, and have a super delicious start to your day.

More Kerala Breakfast Recipes

• Beetroot Idiyappam
• Palappam (Rice Crepes)
• Appam
• Idli
• Vegetable Upma with Semolina
• Vermicelli Upma
• Puttu
• Malabar Paratha
• Chapati

Yield: 16 idiyappams

Idiyappam / Nool Puttu / Sevai

Print

Idiyappam, the popular South Indian breakfast made with just two ingredients. These are unique and delicious!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 6 minutes

Total Time 16 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups roasted rice flour (see notes)
• 1 ½ cups salted boiling water (see notes)

Instructions

1. Place rice flour in a heat proof bowl. Add water little by little and stir with a spoon. Set aside to cool slightly.
2. When the dough is cool enough to touch, knead it into soft dough. Add more boiling water if needed. Set aside.
3. Brush the idiyappam steamer or idli steamer lightly with oil.
4. Fill the idiyappam press with the dough, and close with lid. Press into noodles onto the greased idli steamer moulds. Garnish with plenty of grated coconut. Place the idli moulds in the steamer. Close with lid. Steam for 5- 6 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat. Leave the steamer to cool slightly before opening the lid. Serve idiyappam with vegetable stew.

Notes

- Roasted rice flour is available in Indian grocery stores. Look for rice flour labelled as roasted, or idiyappam podi.
- You can also buy regular rice flour and roast it at home.
- To make salted boiling water, bring a pot of water to boil and add salt.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 145Total Fat 1gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 2mgCarbohydrates 32gFiber 1gSugar 0gProtein 2g

Looking for a tasty side dish for idiyappam. Try this vegetable stew recipe.

Like this idiyappam recipe? Then check out:

• Uzhunnu Vada
• Parippu Vada
• Pazham Pori