IdliIdli is a traditional breakfast in South Indian households. Idli is a savoury cake that is popular throughout India and neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka.idli recipe, learn to make soft idli batter with step by step photos. softidli can be made in 2 ways, one is using rice and the other using idlirava. Making idli usingrava is a breeze, we don’t need to grind the rice to make the batter. The texture of the idly made using rava also turn out very soft and nice. Idly rava is also called as rice rava in some parts of India.

Idly is one of the healthiest protein packed breakfasts of south India. They are served with a chutney and or with a tiffin sambar. They are easily digestible as they are prepared with a fermented batter. Fermentation enhances the nutrients and they are still preserved as idly are steam cooked for a short time. This is what makes idly suitable to all including babies to folks on diet and even to the aged, who generally have poor digestion. urad dal is high in protein and calcium and it is absorbed by the body better in the form of idly as it is made from fermented batter. Restaurants /Hotels use a ratio of almost 1:4 (dal :rava or rice, as rice is cheaper for them). So I suppose we must favour more dal and less rice or rava specially for home cooking, as the cost doesn’t matter for home cooked foods as long as they are healthy and nutritious. This idli recipe does not need too much of rice or rava as it is not a healthy choice and the carbs we need for our body comes even from the urad dal. When it comes to fermenting, urad dal contributes more towards the fermentation rather than the rice. So using lesser rice or rava too you can make super soft idly. My idli batter recipe doesn’t call for using cooked rice as it is not a healthy idea to ferment cooked rice. The traditional recipe which has been followed for generations in South India is to soak the grains, blend, then ferment the batter and steam cook for health benefits. But using already cooked rice to make the idli batter is using stale food and this no more remains healthy. Ayurveda links eating stale rice to many metabolic disorders like thyroid and diabetes. I truly believe this hence sharing this point. To retain the health benefits of idly, it is better not to use cooked rice but use poha/ beaten rice if needed. This recipe yields super white, soft, light and fluffy idlis.

 

step by step photos to make soft idli recipe1. Wash and soak dal for about 5 to 6 hours. If using poha or fenugreek seeds , soak them

with dal. Wash rice or rava and soak it separately. If using rava, nicely squeeze the rava

and wash to get rid of the unwanted stuff.

2. Drain off the water from the dal and add it to the blender along with salt. Add cold

water just enough to blend it to smooth. Using cold water prevents the mixer or grinder

from turning hot. If the batter turns up hot, idli may turn hard.

3. Add more water as needed and blend till you

get frothy thick smooth batter. Transfer this to

a large utensil. Do not make it very thin.

4. Transfer this to a large pot.

5. If using rice refer method 2 with detailed step by step photos below. A short

description is here as well. Add rice and

very little water to the rice and grind

coarsely. Pour it to the batter and mix well.

Follow from step.

6.If using idly rava: Squeeze off the water by taking rava in between your palms and

with pressure try to remove excess water. Transfer this to a plate. Squeeze again any

excess water.

Mix well with your hands. Keep it aside for fermenting in a warm place for 6 to 12 hours,

depending on the climate. It may take up to 18 to 20 hours too sometimes. Do not use air

tight jars or containers for fermentation.

7. After fermentation. This time when i made this i

had to ferment for about 18 hours as the climate was

windy and cold.

8. . Gently mix the batter, very lightly for the batter

to make uniform. Sometimes batter may be thick at

some places and thin in other places. So to get a

uniform consistency, i prefer to stir gently only a

couple of times. The batter may shrink when we do

this.

9. Bring water to boil in a steamer or pressure

cooker without weight on a medium high

flame. Grease the idly plates. If needed sprinkle

little water, the batter should be of thick pouring

consistency. Pour batter in the molds.

10. When the water begins to bubble up rapidly,

place the idly stand in the steamer. Steam it for 10

minutes. Remember you need to be a bit tricky to

adjust the flame. If the flame is very high, the water

may bounce to the idly plates. If it is to low, they

may not get steamed enough. So the flame should

be on a medium high. Off the stove after 10

minutes. Leave it for 2 minutes. Remove the plates

from the steamer and allow them to cool for2to3

Min..

11. Loosen the idly from the plates with the help of

a spoon and remove them to a plate. Add some ghee

and serve with coriander coconut chutney or peanut

chutney.

You can also find a collection of 33 South Indian Style chutney recipes.

method 2 – soft idli recipe using rice step by step photosIf making in wet grinder you can use 3:1 proportion of rice : dal, But it also works with 2:1 prop. Urad dal that is ground in wet grinder turns very fluffy if the dal is from current harvest, hence you can use 3:1 proportion. If making in mixer or blender i suggest using only 2:1 proportion. The step by step photos shown below were made with half cup urad dal and 1 cup rice with 2 tbsppoha.

1. Blend soaked dal,salt and poha adding

water as needed until

thickandfrothy.

2. Blend rice until smooth or coarse to suit your liking. Add water as needed. Batter must be neither too thick nor too thin.

3. Transfer to a pot. Set aside until fermented. The time it takes depends on the climate.

4. After 6 hours, the batter fermented and had a bubbly texture.

5. I greased the plates and poured the batter in the plates. Steamed for exactly 6 to 7 minutes in the bubbling steamer. Since i made mini idli steamed for just 6 to 7 minutes else they has to be steamed for 10 minutes. Mini idly go well with idlisambar

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