Video guide for making soft and fluffy idlis at home

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Fermentation time: 8-10 hours

Cooking time: 8 Minutes

Serves: 5

Ingredients

2 cups of raw rice

1 cup of boiled rice

1 cup of urad dal

½ teaspoon of fenugreek seeds

½ cup of white aval or poha (flattened rice)

Salt to taste

½ tsp cooking oil

Method

Step: 1

In a bowl take boiled rice and raw rice together. Rinse the rice in fresh water a few times till the water runs clear. Soak the rice in water, in the same bowl, for at least 4 to 5 hours.

Step: 2

In another bowl take the urad dal and fenugreek together and rinse once or twice in fresh water. Then soak it in water for 4 to 5 hours.

Step: 3

Also, take flattened rice in a bowl, rinse once and soak it in water for 10 minutes.

Step: 4

Next, grind the soaked rice and lentils. Then grind the urad dal. For better fermentation, use the same water used for soaking the dal. Initially add ¼ cup of water. Grind for a few seconds and then add some more water and continue grinding till the batter becomes thick, fluffy and light. Make sure not to add too much water.

Step: 5

Transfer the urad dal batter into a deep-bottomed bowl.

Step: 6

Mix the rice and poha together and grind it. Add water in parts while grinding. You may grind it in batches. Make sure the jar is not getting hot. If it becomes hot, then stop and let it cool. Continue grinding till it reaches a semi-fine consistency. Rice batter should not be too thick or too watery.

Step: 7

Pour the rice batter into the bowl containing the urad dal batter. Mix the batter well with a spoon or spatula for a couple of minutes. Cover the bowl with its lid and keep for 8 to 10 hours or keep overnight to ferment. A well-fermented batter will have a nice sour aroma with many tiny air pockets in the batter.

Steaming the idli

Step: 8

Just before starting the process of steaming the idli, add salt and gently swirl the batter. Make sure not to overdo it. 

Step: 9

Bring 1/4 cup of water to boil in an idli steamer. Grease the idli mould with oil. Place the mould into the steamer. Pour the batter into the mould. Close and steam it for about 8 minutes.

Step: 10

After 8 minutes, remove the mould from the steamer and leave it out for two minutes to cool. Sprinkling a little water on the idli will also help to remove the idli easily. Loosen the idli with the help of a spoon and transfer it to a plate.

Soft and fluffy idlis are ready, and it can be eaten with chutney or sambar.

Notes

·      Make sure to buy rice and dal within their shelf life period.

·      The water which is used for soaking the rice and dal can be used while grinding.

·      Before grinding the rice and lentils, it's better to keep them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to one hour in order to avoid the batter getting warm while grinding.

Recipe courtesy: Sobha Varghese is a homemaker based in Mumbai, India. Sobha runs a popular YouTube blog called ‘Sobha's Kitchenette’ that focuses on authentic and traditional Kerala recipes.

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