Chilli Idli fry is an interesting Indo-Chinese dish made with Idlis– a popular South Indian snack served with Chutney and Sambar and is one of most popular breakfast choices for most of the Indians. Cubed and fried Idlis are tossed with Chinese sauces and served hot, is an equally popular choice for snack.
Idlis while being a popular breakfast choice for many of us, leaves us facing a dilemma of different kind. An oft faced dilemma that we all have through is what do we do with leftover Idlis. While soft and hot Idlis are relished by everyone at home, nobody seems to be as much interested in the leftover ones. This presents an opportunity to innovate- dishes like Masala idli fry and Chilli Idli Fry are outcome of the such need.
With the Monsoons arriving in Pune on the past weekend, fried food would now begin to feature in my menu. Watching clouds shower all its affection on us Punekars from the confines of my balcony, I felt hungry and I was reminded of leftover Idlis. The best part of this dish or for that matter any Indo-Chinese dish is that it requires very little cooking time. Chilli Idli fry would require some 10 minutes of your time in front of gas-stove, tossing and mixing the veggies and sauces and finally throw in cubed and fried Idlis and there you go- you have a lip-smacking snack ready to savor in these gorgeous rains.
You can also find the video for the recipe in this post. Scroll to the bottom and click on the embedded video in this post.
Let’s check the recipe now.
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 3-4

- 7 Steamed Idlis
- 1 Large=90 gms Onions-chopped into cubes
- ½ cup spring onion- finely chopped
- 1-tbsp Corn Flour
- 3-4 Green Chilies- sliced into lengths
- 1½ cup Bell Peppers (red, green, yellow)- cut into cubes
- 5-6 Cloves of Garlic- finely chopped
- 1½-inch Ginger root- finely chopped
- 1½-tsp Red Chili Sauce
- 1½-tsp Green Chili Sauce
- 1-tsp Dark Soy Sauce
- ½-tsp Vinegar
- ¼th-tsp Black Peppercorns-coarsely crushed
- Salt to taste
- 3-tbsp Tomato Ketchup
- Cooking Oil
- Cut Idlis into 4 pieces. I am using leftover Idlis for making this dish. If you are using fresh Idlis, then refrigerate for an hour.
- In a large bowl, put chopped Idlis. Add corn flour and coat well. Corn flour adds a slightly crisp layer when Idlis get fried.
- Heat Oil for deep frying on medium heat. Lower heat, and fry on low heat. Fry until Idlis get a slightly crisp layer on its top.
- We have fried Idlis for a min and half. Remove from pan. Fry remaining batches of Idlis.
- Heat 3-tbsp Cooking Oil in a pan. Add chopped Ginger and Garlic and fry on high heat until garlic becomes brown at its edges.
- Add sliced chilies and chopped onions and fry for 30 seconds on high heat. Add chopped spring onions, chopped capsicum and fry on high heat for a minute. Cover and Cook on medium heat.
- We have cooked veggies for a min and a half on medium heat. Ensure we retain the crunch. Now, we will add sauces- Red Chili Sauce, Green Chili Sauce , soy sauce and tomato ketchup. Mix well.
- Stir fry for a min. Now, we will add fried Idlis and mix well. Add crushed peppercorns, salt to taste and mix well. Add Vinegar and give it a quick stir. Remove from heat.
- Chili Idli Fry must be served hot. Serve with Tomato Ketchup or Schezwan Chutney.

Click to watch recipe video
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