Idli

Idlis… just like dosa rank among the favourites throughout India.  There are many versions of idli especially with instant quick fix ingredients 😉  Although it was my husband who introduced me to idilis but full recipe credit goes to my mom in law who taught me this during my stay in India.  It has been adjusted since then because I found that the rice and quality of urad dhal differs somewhat…for some reason.  This is my foolproof authentic idli recipe 🙂

Traditional South Indian Idli

Recipe as follow:

3 cups par boiled rice

1 cup white rice

1/2 tsp fenugreek seed

2 cups white urad dhal

4 tsp salt

Method:

Soak rice and fenugreek seeds separately in water for 5 hours or over night

Soak Dhal separately in water for 5 hours over night

• Use a food processor and grind dhal first. Add water to form a thick consistency.  Remove and keep in a big container.
• Secondly grind rice. Add water to form a thick consistency.  Don’t grind to fine it should resemble the texture of semolina.  Mix with ground dhal.
• Add salt
• Leave to rise in a warm place and double in quantity (preferably overnight)
• Once batter has risen, mix well. It’s best to make idli with the first batch.
• Should the batter not rise sufficiently 1 tsp baking powder to 1 litre of batter when you are ready to make the idlis.
• Oil idli plates – pour mixture and steam for 30 minutes in a pressure cooker without the weight.
• Serve with sambhar & coconut chutney,

For Dosa

• Heat tawa or non stick pan. temperature should be medium to hot. .oil tawa and wipe off with a paper towel.
• Spoon batter with a ladle – spread in a circular motion from the centre outwards.
• Spoon a tsp of oil or ghee on dosa and cook until crispy. Approx 1-2 mins.
• Use a spatula to turn dosa.
  Serve with sambhar & coconut chutney