• Take 3 cups of water in a kadai or pan. Add salt & 2 teaspoons of oil and when it boils, add rice powder and combine immediately. Saute for 2-3 minutes to form a sticky dough.
  3 + ¼ cups water, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, 2 cups rice flour
• Switch off the heat & keep covered for 2 minutes.
• Grease idiyappam press with oil and line a plate or tray with banana leaf or baking paper.
  2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons cooking oil
• Transfer the dough to a wide bowl. Grease your hand with oil, take out a cricket ball sized dough, knead each ball till they are soft & smooth. You may wet your hands with water while kneading if the dough is dry. Shape into a cylinder and fill into the idiyappam mould press. Rotate the handle to make idiyappams onto the plate lined with banana leaf.
  1 banana leaf or 10 inch long baking paper, 2-3 Banana leaves or 2-3 sheets baking paper
• Repeat this in batches for all the dough. Do not pile idiyappams on top of each other as they stick together. Cover the idiyappams immediately with a wet cloth as they dry out if exposed.
• Heat an idli steamer and bring the water to a boil.
• line the idli moulds with cut banana leaf or baking paper. Gently place the idiyappams on each mould

OR

• line a steamer plate with banana leaf, place the idiyappams with some gap in between and do not overcrowd the plate
• Place the idli mould or steamer plate inside the steamer and steam for 2-3 minutes, switch off the heat and rest for 5 minutes.
• Place a wet kitchen towel on a plate, transfer the steamed idiyappams on it and cover with the wet kitchen towel. Repeat the same for steaming all the idiyappams.