Idli/Idly

      

This recipe has been long overdue.... I have been receiving a lot of e-mails from Mane Adige readers, asking me why I still haven't posted the recipe for idli and dosa.

"Mane Adige is such an authentic South Indian blog, but you haven't posted the recipe for idli and dosa.... Looking forward to your way of making them!!"..... One of the readers said. Well, there are two reasons why I kept postponing it. Firstly, I always felt that idli and dosa are such common dishes that almost everyone would have the recipe for it... I don't have to really put it up, I thought!! Secondly, it took me quite a while to get myself to make soft and fluffy idlis!!! :D While crisp, golden brown dosas happened easily, idlis were a little difficult for me. I tried making idlis with a zillion variations... I tried adding poha, cooked rice, methi seeds, yeast.... but nothing worked :(. Both, my mom and MIL make the softest of idlis, but their tips dint work either. And finally one day, I decided to try out the most basic version again, with just dal, rice and some water. And, Ta-da.... It worked!!! We have been having soft and fluffy idlis ever since!!! :) And now I know what had gone wrong in all the previous times.... Everyone insisted so much on adding very little water while grinding, that I used to add too little water :D. So little water, that my blender used to get heated up and I could see fumes coming out when I opened the lid!!! :D Less is more, no doubt, but not so less that the dal does not even grind well...... My stupidity, I know!! :P Anyway, will head straight to the recipe now, enjoi!

Ingredients:

1 cup Urad Dal, soaked in water for about 4-5 hours or overnight

2 cups White Rice (I use sona masoori), soaked in water for about 4-5 hours or overnight

Salt as per taste

1-2 tsp Oil

Method:

1. Grind the Urad dal to a smooth paste using a blender; Add enough water to make a fine paste, but also keep in mind not to make it too watery. Blend well, for at least 5-7 minutes.... Fluffier the batter, the better!
2. Add rice to the blender and grind further with some water.
3. Pour into a separate container and ferment overnight or, for about 8-9 hours; Make sure the container has enough room for the batter to rise.
4. Add salt to the fermented batter and mix well; Smear a couple of drops of oil on each depression of the idli stand and pour 2-3 spoons of the batter into each one of them.
5. Steam cook the idlis in a pressure cooker for about 14-15 minutes; Make sure you remove the weight.
6. Remove stand from cooker and let cool for a minute or two; Use the back of a spoon or a knife to remove the idlis; Relish hot with coconut chutney or sambhar or any other gravy of your choice.

Prep Time: About 20-25 mins for grinding; and 15 mins for cooking;

Serves: Makes about 20 - 25 idlis;

Tip:

1. If your feel the batter isn't fermenting well, you could try placing it in a warm place, like, the MW or inside the conventional oven.
2. You could even use idli rava instead of sona masoori rice, to give a different texture to your idlis.