Finely chop onions. Peel and grate the carrots.

Grate the ginger and finely chop the chillies.

Fry the peanuts or cashewnuts, whichever you are using, in ghee and keep aside.

In a pan, take some oil. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and chanadal. Wait for the mustard seeds to crackle.

Add the onions, grated ginger, finely chopped chillies and curry leaves once they are fried.

Add the grated coconut and the grated carrot, salt, turmeric, asafoetida, red chilli powder and just stir-fry once, so that all the masalas mix well.

The carrot should not be cooked, it should be crunchy.

In case you add green peas, after frying the green chillies and ginger, add the peas and fry till you see the peas slightly change colour

Add this masala into the idli batter. Also add the fried cashewnuts or peanuts that you are using and mix well.

Add coriander leaves and mix well.

Check for salt. If you feel it is less, add at that point.

Now, coat the idli moulds with oil and pour the batter into the idli moulds and steam cook.

Serve hot with chutney, sambhar or molagapodi