Click here to view. Kanchipuram Idli recipe.  Kanchipuram is famous for more than silk sarees! In fact, this special savoury idli got its name from that small town in Tamil Nadu.

It is offered at the Sri Varadharaja Swamy Temple, and food-lovers are generally prepared to even withstand the hardships of a long queue to buy the prasad of tasty Kanchipuram Idli from there. Indeed, with an elaborate tempering of assorted spices, these idlis are a mouth-watering treat.

Here is how you can prepare Kanchipuram Idli in your own kitchen. While we have prepared it using idli plates for your convenience, this batter is traditionally cooked in small greased katoris or in a large, round, flat cooker vessel and then sliced into squares or triangles.

Everyone in my family love idlis and enjoy them anytime, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner.

So besides the regular simple Idli, I also make other varieties from my collection of Idli recipes, such as the Palak Rava Idli which is enriched with iron, then there is the Stuffed Potato Idli which is more filling and a good option to serve for lunch or dinner, for a nutty and spicy flavour I make Vermicelli Nut Idli which is also good to serve while entertaining.

Is Kanchipuram Idli healthy?

Yes and No, depends who is eating it. Kanchipuram Idli is made from urad dal, parboiled rice, raw rice and Indian spices.

Let's understand the Ingredients.

What's good.

1. Urad Dal : 1 cup of cooked urad dal gives 69.30% of folic acid of your daily requirement of folate.  The folic acid in urad dal helps your body to produce and maintain new cells, especially red blood cells. Being rich in Phosphorus it works with Calcium to build our bones. See here for 10 super benefits of urad dal. 

2. Ghee : Other than calories and fats, the only nutrients that ghee is rich in are the vitamins – all of which are fat-soluble. All the 3 vitamins (Vitamin A, Vitamin E and Vitamin K) are antioxidants which have a role in removing free radicals from the body and protecting our cell as well as help in maintaining skin health and glow. Ghee is an excellent, high-quality selection medium of cooking because of its high smoke point. As compared to most oils and butter, ghee can handle a smoke point of 230°C, 450°F, thus its less prone to oxidant and destruction of nutrients. Yes, ghee does contain cholesterol, but some amount of cholesterol is needed by the body. Cholesterol has some functions to play too. It is necessary for hormone production, brain function, cell health and lubricating the joints. It is, in reality, a high quality fat for the body and brain. Ghee is loaded with fats but that’s medium chain fatty acids (MCT) which aid in weight loss. Ghee is healthy for daibetics in small amounts and you need to check your fat intake at the same time. Learn to easily make your ghee at home which is free of preservatives. See benefits of ghee

3. Chana Dal ( split bengal gram) : One cup of cooked Chana Dal provides 33% of your protein for the day. Chana dal is  heart and diabetic friendly, also rich in fiber. Chana dal has high amount of potassium and low amount of sodium which makes it very effective in regulating your blood pressure. Read this article on complete benefits of chana dal. 

4. Cashew Nuts (kaju) : In general, walnuts, cashew nuts, peanuts, almonds, pistachios and pinenuts are a healthy snack to carry keep with you as they are rich in monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats and good for heart. They are a healthy snack for Diabetics. Dietary intakes of cashew and other foods rich in magnesium helps to regulate blood pressure. See 9 amazing benefits of cashew nuts for complete details. 

What's bad.

1. Rice : Here are the pros for rice. Rice is a great source of complex carbohydrates, which is an important source of energy for our body. Rice is low in fibre and therefore a good option for people suffering from diarrhoea. What's not good in rice. Foods like rice are high in GI are not suitable for weight loss, heart patients,  diabetics as they affect the blood sugar control levels. See details of is white rice and parboiled rice good for you?

2. Parboiled Rice : Parboiled rice is also known as ukda chawal. The parboiled rice is made with the rice grain soaked, steamed and dried with the hull and finally the hull is removed. In the process of steaming water soluble B Vitamins like thiamine, riboflavin and niacin from the bran integrate into the grain, thus making parboiled rice superior to white rice.  

Can healthy individuals have Kanchipuram Idli?

Idli is a perfect combination of urad dal and rice which make it a complete protein. It additionally is without gluten, so if you need to go gluten free, Idli would be the best option for you. It is also a low calorie recipe, thus making it a good option for people on weight loss. When you eat idli for breakfast or lunch, make sure your remaining meals in the day contain fibre and low in carbs. 

Is Kanchipuram Idli safe for diabetics, weight loss and cardiac patients?

Idli is a moderate Glycemic Index (GI) recipe and since it is fermented it is pre digested by micro organisms, thus prove not a very happy food for diabetics. But we have a idli recipe which does not use par boiled rice and safe for diabetics. Try the green moog dal and vegetable idli.

Green Moong Dal and Vegetable Idli, Healthy Moong Dal Idlis

8 Pointers to get healthy on a Indian diet

1. Eat healthy and say yes to good home cooked food. Prefer whole grains like oatmeal, quinoa, buckwheat, barley and healthy flours like bajra flour, jowar flour, quinoa flour, wheat flour etc. rather than refined ones like maida. Have healthy Indian fats like ghee, coconut, coconut oil in your diet.

2. Opt out of junk food, packaged food, deep fried foods. Prefer steamed snacks and other non-fried snacks. Check out some Healthy Indian Snacks. Remember to eat small frequent meals through the day as that will keep you always full and prevent your blood sugar from dropping. By starving your body through some diet, will not help you one bit. In fact, dieting will make you binge on 2 to 3 meals which is not good. 

3. Have 4 to 5 servings of vegetables and 2 to 3 servings of fruit is a must. Follow the logic of a vegetable in each main meal of the day and a fruit in-between meals. Check out a few Healthy Indian Soups and Healthy Indian Salads  recipes using this food group.          

4. Cut down on sugar and salt in your diet and pick honey ( very small amounts) or dates to sweeten your food. Slowly cut the sugar habit as this is not going to happen over night. Sugar  is also called white poison. It is a simple carbohydrate with zero nutritional value. On intake, sugar will cause inflammation of the body which will last for many hours. It will spike your blood sugar level and shut down the fat burning process. This also causes high blood sugar levels in your body. The development of prediabetes comes from uncontrolled eating sugar and refined food products for many years and the classic symptom is if you have excess belly fat. This leads to diabetes and further onwards to heart attack, high blood pressure, strokes, impotence and kidney damage. 

Salt and blood pressure. Apart from stress and obesity, one of the main reasons for high blood pressure is excessive sodium and salt intake. Most people find it difficult to limit the amount of salt in their cooking, thinking it will affect the taste of their favourite dishes. 

This is not true. Bajra and jowar are rich in potassium and critical for those with High Blood Pressure as it lessens the impact of sodium. Eating more Potassium Rich Foods will remove more sodium from your body through urine. So include the basic bajra roti and jowar roti in your daily diet to have with Lower Blood Pressure Subzis Recipes. 

5. Befriend a few healthy seeds and nuts like chia seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts and almonds. 

6.  Sprouts are called ‘living food’. They are high is most nutrients and easy to digest as well. Let them feature in your meals at least thrice a week. Also Read : All Benefits about Sprouts. 

7.  Exercise 45 minutes every day. No excuse. You can walk fast, run, do weights, play your favourite sport or go to the gym.

8.  Sleep early and get up early. Get your body into rhythm and it will function best. Sleep helps your body to recover.

How to burn 50 calories that come from Kanchipuram Idli?

Walking (6 kmph) = 15 mins

Running (11 kmph) = 5 mins

Cycling (30 kmph) = 7 mins       

Swimming (2 kmph) = 9 mins

Note: These values are approximate and calorie burning differs in each individual.