Idli

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Idli, also spelled Idly or Iddly, is a food native to southern India, common in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. It is most often eaten at breakfast or as a snack. The traditional idli is a small, round patty of batter made of rice and lentils (specifically urad dal) and steamed. The 2″-3″ diameter idli is usually served in pairs with chutney, sambar, or other condiments such as dry, crushed spice mixtures. The latter, Milagai Podi, may contain ground chilies, spices, seeds and lentils, and is useful if the idlis are to be eaten later away from home. Dipping in oil can prevent more souring of the idlis in the day’s heat, and helps the dry seasonings to stick. Plain idlis may have little more than salt as seasoning, but there are many variations in ingredients. Some contemporary versions contain neither rice nor urad dal, but the finished product is still recognizably an idli.

Ingredients

Boiled (or idli) rice :Urad dal : Sago in the ratio 2:1:1

Salt

Get Cooking!

1. Soak the rice separately. Soak the urad dal and Sago together.
2. Grind the rice to not so soft and not so coarse a consistency.
3. Grind the urad dal -sago to a very soft consistency. Mix with the rice that had been ground.
4. Add salt.
5. Set aside in a large container for the batter to forment.
6. Pour the batter on idli plates and steam them in an idli cooker.

Tips
You can add 1 measure of aval (tamil) instead of Sago, a tsp or 2 of fenugreek seeds along with the urad dal while soaking. The Sago/aval and/or fenugreek seeds make the idlis softer. One tip to find if the urad dal has been ground properly is to see if the batter bubbles up and increases in volume. Be sure to use a container that can hold twice the batter when setting aside to forment as the batter will rise. Add a drop of oil on the idli plates and then pour the batter. While removing the idlis, use a flat ladle, rinsing it in water. These would ease the idlis out of the plates If using a regular pressure cooker to steam the idlis, do not put the weight on….I did that the first time and got a porridge-like serving of idlis :-D!
Some say to experiment with the ratio of rice and urad dal. Try 4:1 or 6:1…find out which is the best ratio to get soft, fluffy idlis and use that ratio.
Just read in a magazine that you should soak the rice first for say an hour or hour and half, grind it then soak the urad dal-methi for half an hour and then grind that - not soak both together!

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