My name is Id_Lee but not from China…!!!
Idli is one of the most healthiest and popular South Indian breakfast dish. These are soft, light, fluffy steamed round cakes made with a ground, fermented rice and lentil batter. This Idli recipe is one of the easiest recipe which has been tried and tested with great results by many of our readers.
What is Idli?
Idli is a soft, pillowy steamed savory cake made from fermented rice and lentil batter. The lentils used in making the idli batter are urad dal (hulled black gram).
Black gram is also known as matpe beans, urad beans. To make idli the off white colored husked/hulled black gram is used – it can be split or whole. The lentils and rice are soaked first and then later ground separately. The batters are mixed together and seasoned with salt. The batter is allowed to ferment until it increases in volume. Later the batter is steamed in a special and unique cookware traditionally used for making idli.
Idli is a traditional breakfast made in every South Indian household including mine. Idli is popular not only in the whole of India but outside India too. It is naturally vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and makes for one of the healthiest breakfast options served with Sambar and Coconut Chutney.
Firstly there are two basic ways you can make idli with the traditional method of soaking the ingredients, grinding them to a batter and fermenting.
Of course there are many variations you can do with the basic batter like adding spices, herbs, veggies etc but the basic, simple fermented batter is made with rice or idli rava and urad dal.
With Idli Rice: Traditionally Idli Rice and Urad Dal are used to make the idli batter. Idli rice is parboiled rice and used specifically for making idli and dosa. This recipe post shares the method of making idli with idli rice and regular white rice.
You can even make idli with short-grained rice.
The urad dal that is used is the husked whole urad dal preferably unpolished. You can even use husked split urad dal.
With Idli Rava: A second easier way is to use Idli Rava with Urad Dal. Idli rava is coarsely ground idli rice and is easily available in shops and online.
Ingredients for Perfect Soft Idli
Steps for Perfect Soft Idli
Perfect Soft Idli
Ingredients
1 and a half cup Boiled Rice (ukhda chawal)
Half cup Urad Dal
1 teaspoon Fenugreek Seeds
Salt to taste
2 tablespoon Water
1/4th teaspoon Baking Soda
Steps
Take 1 and a half cup ukhda rice, wash and soak it in water for 6 hours.
Then take half cup urad dal, wash and soak in water for 6 hours by adding 1 tsp fenugreek seeds.
After 6 hours drain the water from the soaked dal and rice, then grind them separately into a fine paste by adding very little water.
Then mix them together after grinding in a big vessel and mix it well with the help of a spoon.
Cover and keep it to ferment for at least 10 to 12 hours in a warm place.
By using a big vessel the batter of Idli will get much space to ferment as the volume of the batter will increase, so by using a big vessel it will get enough space to rise.
After 12 hours check it. The batter should be doubled, fluffy and Bubbly, mix it with a spoon, add salt to taste, quarter tsp baking soda mix it well, cover and keep aside for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile grease the Idli stand with oil with cotton.
Now pour the batter on each Idli stand one by one.
The batter should be of thick pouring consistency.
Heat 2 glass of water in a huge pressure cooker in which you can place the Idli stand. When the water starts boiling place the stand in the pressure cooker and cover the pressure cooker lid, but do not put the whistle on it.
Now steam the Idli on high flame for 10 to 12 minutes.
When done open the pressure cooker lid and check the Idli, remove them and serve hot with Sambar and Coconut Chutney.
Idli is dunked in sambar and eaten. There are quite a number of both sambar and coconut chutney varieties that one can make to go with idli. You can also idli with onion chutney, tomato chutney, peanut chutney and ginger chutney.
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Tips *Quality of rice and urad dal: Make sure to use both rice and urad dal within their shelf-period. Always use urad dal which is fresh and within its shelf-life. Aged urad dal does not ferment well and makes the idli dense. *Grinding: Then the lentils (urad dal) are ground to a soft, fluffy batter and the rice to a semi-fine consistency. *Steaming time: The steaming time varies from 12 to 15 minutes. Idli should never be over steamed as then they become dry and dense.
