Try this Idli recipe recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 0 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 0 g
- Saturated Fat 0 g
- Serving Size 1 1 to 18 (0g)
- Sodium 0 mg
- Sugar 0 g
- Trans Fat 0 g
- Calories 0 calories
Step-by-step
- Wash dal and rava separately multiple times.
- Soak them in lot of water for at least 5 to 6 hrs.
- Soak poha for about 2 hrs, if using.
- If using fenugreek seeds, add them to the dal. Soak well.
- After 5 to 6 hours, drain the water.
- Add dal, salt and enough cold water to grinding jar or a wet grinder. If you live in a hot climate then skip adding salt now and add it just before making idli.
- If using poha or methi seeds add them as well to the jar.
- Grind till smooth and frothy. Occasionally scraping off the batter from the sides of the utensil.
- Add very little water when ever needed. If you are using aged dal, it doesn’t get frothy even if it is grinded smooth.
- Transfer this to a large utensil.
- Add rice to the blender with little water and grind little coarsely.
- Drain off the water thoroughly from the rava. Squeeze excess water from the rava with the help of both your palms. Rava must not look soggy. It must absolutely have no water in it, else the batter will become runny.
- Transfer this to the urad dal batter and mix well.
- Now mix everything well. Use your hand to mix as it helps to ferment faster and better. If needed can add little water, if the batter is too thick.
- Set this aside in a warm place for at least 6 to 12 hrs. Sometimes it may take up to 18 hours depending on the weather and temperature. People living in high altitudes and cold climate can keep this in preheated oven. Or oven with the light bulb on.
- On a high flame, bring enough water to boil in an idly steamer or a pressure cooker. Grease your idly plates.
- Mix the batter well, do not over do. Fill the molds with batter.
- When the water begins to bubble and steam up, place the stand in the steamer.
- Cover and steam for exactly 10 mins on a medium high flame.
- After 2 mins, remove the idly stand. Set aside to cool down for 2 to 3 mins.
- With the help of a spoon remove them to a plate.
- Serve idli with a chutney or sambar.
Swapping idly rava for regular long-grain white rice changes the structural integrity of the steamed cake entirely, yielding a dense, compact disc rather than a spongy, aerated pillow. Fermentation relies on wild yeasts and lactic acid bacteria clinging to the urad dal and rice grains, which multiply rapidly when kept at a stable ambient temperature between 80 degrees Fahrenheit and 90 degrees Fahrenheit for at least twelve hours. Hand-mixing introduces beneficial microorganisms from the skin, accelerating this microbial activity far more efficiently than using a wooden spoon. Squeezing every last drop of moisture out of the soaked rava before incorporation prevents the starch matrix from becoming waterlogged and collapsing under its own weight during steaming. Protein molecules in the urad dal trap carbon dioxide gas released during the metabolic processes of fermentation, creating the characteristic rise when subjected to direct steam heat for exactly ten minutes in a covered vessel. Doubling this batch requires doubling the fermentation vessel capacity proportionally, because crowding the batter restricts the expansion of gas pockets and results in flat cakes. Ambient humidity and altitude heavily dictate how much cold water to add during the initial grinding phase, meaning adjustments must be made by eye rather than strict adherence to volume measurements.
