Chilli Idli Fry is a delicious vegetarian snack prepared with leftover idli and vegetables stir-fried in Indian Chinese sauce. If ever you are out of ideas to use the leftover idli from the breakfast, don’t worry, try this idli manchurian recipe. It is an excellent snack to accompany the evening cup of tea. Be sure to watch the video!
What is Idli Manchurian?
Chilli Idli or idli manchurian is an Indian Chinese fusion snack. It is made with steamed idlis coated in cornstarch, fried till crisp, and then tossed in sauces along with vegetables.
The dish got its name from the famous Indian Chinese fusion main-course Manchurian – which has a similar cooking process. A Manchurian can be made with – cauliflower, vegetarian meatballs, mushroom, soya chunks, or paneer.
In this manchurian recipe, we have used steamed idli as the key ingredient.
Feel free to add desired vegetables of your choice to the Manchurian, such as – capsicum, red bell pepper, baby corn, beans, or mushroom.
I love the idea of transforming leftovers into a delicious dish. Whether it is making biryani with leftover chicken, pizza with leftover naan or chilli idli with leftover idli I am hooked to such smart leftover meal ideas.
I should probably confess that this idli fry recipe is a regular teatime snack because I always end up with an extra batch of idli from breakfast or lunch. And what could be a better way to use them than making Indian Chinese style idli Manchurian.
That said, in true clean-out-the-fridge fashion, I want to point out that this chilli idli recipe is an extremely good leftover recycle exercise.
What kind of idli is BEST for making chilli idli?
Any variety would do. There is no hard and fast rule. The plain rice idli, masala idli, or Kanchipuram idli – you can make idli manchurian with either of these idli varieties. On many occasions, I have used the instant rava idli for this Manchurian recipe and the end result was totally gratifying.
These idli fry bites make an excellent starter for the Indo-Chinese party or you can enjoy them as a teatime snack. Either way, they taste only delicious.
Watch Chilli Idli Fry Recipe Video
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Chilli Idli Fry Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 – 6 rava (sooji) idli see recipe here
Ingredients To Fry Idli:
- 1/4 Cup corn flour (corn starch)
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 Cup cooking oil
Ingredients For Sauce:
- 1/2 Cup bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 Cup onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon ginger and garlic, fine chopped
- 2 green chillies sliced
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon spring onion greens chopped
- 1/4 Cup water
Instructions
- Cut each idli into bite size small pieces. Set aside
- In a bowl combine sliced idli, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Mix nicely to coat idli with flour.
- Heat oil to shall fry the idli in a frying pan. Shallow fry the idli pieces in small batches till they turn brown and crisp from all sides.
- Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel and set aside.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan. Add chopped ginger, garlic and green chilli. Fry for 1 – 2 minutes.
- Now add the diced onion and fry till the onion turn translucent or soft. Add the bell pepper and cook for a minute.
- Pour the sauce along with 1/4 cup water and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
- Next, add the fried idli into the sauce mixture and combine nicely. Turn off the heat. Garnish with spring onion greens.
- Serve Chilli Idli warm with your favorite chutney or sauce.
Recipe Notes:
- I have used rava (sooji) idli for the recipe. The regular rice idli can also be used in this recipe.
- After adding fried idli in the sauce mix do not cook them for too long. Else, they will turn soggy. Just mix nicely, garnish and serve.
- Always taste and then add salt to the sauce mixture because it is added earlier also while coating idlis with cornstarch.
Nutrition
6 comments
Nice, my wife will love to see this. i am sharing this article to her. Any way nice photographs too.
Thank you so much. I hope she likes it.
Looks delicious 🙂
Thanks 🙂
looks like easy to make and good in taste
You must try this recipe Palak 🙂