Idli

If you read my Sambar post, you probably heard me rave about this local business that I bought homemade idli and dosa batter from. Unfortunately that person has been MIA for a while and that left me with no choice but to get in experimentation mode and devise the perfect idli batter.

Idli batter that makes feather light cloud-y soft idlis – AND HERE IT IS!

Makes 40-45 medium-sized idlis

you will need:

1 cup ponni rice (parboiled rice – its important to use parboiled rice to get the light fluffy idlis of your dreams)

1/2 cup slit white urad dal

1/2 cup thick poha

2 tablespoons sabudana

Process:

This recipe makes Makes 40-45 medium-sized idlis

• Wash and Soak overnight 1 cup Ponni parboiled rice

• In a separate bowl wash and soak together overnight – 1/2 cup white urad dal, 1/2 cup thick poha and 2 tbsp sabudana.
• Grind the rice to a slightly grainy consistency (not too grainy – almost smooth but not very pasty)
• Grind the dal+poha+sabudana mix to a very fine paste, as fine as you can
• Add water as needed while grinding both the things
• Mix both batters in a large container (the batter will double in volume after fermentation)
• Add a little warm after to the batter – adjust the consistency to just slightly thicker than how you want the final idli batter (the idea is to not have to add water later when making idlis – as adding water later, disturbs the trapped gas during during fermentation and makes idlis dense)
• Keep in mind that the batter will thin out slightly as it ferments
• Beat the batter with hand in circular motions to make it fluffy – do this for a good minute or so, touching the batter with bare hands (clean of course!) is important to make sure the right kind of bacteria grow in it and aid fermentation – sounds gross but its a fact!
• Cover and keep in the oven with light on 6-8 hours. add a pot of steaming water inside the oven to create extra warmth if you live in cold climate.
• Once the batter double in size, its ready to use. when you stir it, it should look fluffy and spongy.
• Add salt to only the portion you will be using and mix gently
• Grease idli maker compartments with oil and spoon in batter to fill 1/2-2/3 of the space.
• Make sure the water in the steamer is at a rolling boil before you keep the idli stand and close the lid, you then let it cook for 20 minutes on low-medium heat. Turn off the heat, let stand for 5 more minutes and open
• enjoy steaming hot with some chutney and sambar – Don’t forget to check out my Sambar recipe, its what made me fall in love with eating idlis, without frying it first

which reminds me, to put your leftover idlis to best use, check out my Idli fry recipe here.