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.