Preparation time: 14 - 15 hrs
Cooking time: 20 min
Serves: 4 - 5

Ingredients: (measuring cup used = 240ml)

1. 3 cup idli rava / cream of rice
2. 1 cup urad dal
3. 1/4 - 1/2 tsp fenugreek / methi seeds
4. 0 - 1/2 cup Avalakki / beaten rice / poha
5. 16 - 20 jackfruit leaves
6. Salt as per your taste

Instructions for making kotte kadubu:

1. Rinse well and soak urad dal and fenugreek seeds in good drinking water for 4 - 5 hours. Use whole urad dal for better result. Look at the image.
2. If you are using beaten rice, rinse and soak it for about 30 minutes. I do not add beaten rice. Use beaten rice if the climate is cold and if you are using mixer grinder.
3. After 4 - 5 hours drain the water from dals and keep it aside. Use this drained water for grinding. It helps in better fermentation.
4. Now transfer soaked urad dal, fenugreek seeds and beaten rice (if using) in to wet grinder. I didn't use beaten rice.
5. Meanwhile add warm water to the idli rava or rice rava, drain the water completely and set it aside. If you are using upma rava, roast it for a while and keep it aside for cooling.
6. Grind the dals until fluffy by adding drained water from dals little by little. If using mixer grinder then try to add cold water because while grinding in mixer grinder the batter will become hot. If the batter is hot then it will not get fermented well.
7. When the urad dal batter is done, add in rinsed and drained idli rava and grind for 3 more minutes. Add in water if required. Remember the idli batter should be having thick dropping consistency. If you are using mixer grinder then pour the urad dal batter to the vessel, which has rinsed idli rava. And then mix it very well using hands.
8. Pour well mixed batter to a large vessel. The batter should be of dropping consistency.
9. Close the lid and rest it for 7 - 8 hours for fermentation.
10. After fermentation you can see the batter has raised up, indicating good fermentaion. Add in salt and mix well.
11. Now to make kotte or kottige to begin with clean the jackfruit leaves. Take 4 jackfruit leaves and place them together. Refer to the image.
12. Next pin them together using small stick from coconut leaves. Refer to the image.
13. Finally bring the edges together and pin them again to make a cup shape. Refer to the image.
14. Like this finish making all required kotte or jack fruit leaf cups. If you feel making cups like this are difficult, them simply put the leaves in a steel tumbler and then go ahead.
15. Fill them with the fermented batter. Don't over fill them, fill them until half.
16. Steam them for 15 - 20 minutes. Time depends on the size of the kadubu. But do not over cook the them. You can use a toothpick to confirm whether kadubu is cooked. If the toothpick comes out clean, then it is cooked. Serve it with coconut chutney and sambar.

Dear reader, We have a Kannada version of this recipe. Click here to read this recipe in Kannada.