A savory steamed lentil and rice cake famous in south India is a very nutritious and healthy dish. Serve it hot with chutney or sambar for breakfast or snack or any time meal. Can be served to children over the age of 8 months. Can be a great snack for school smeared with some sugar or tomato onion chutney.

Makes: about 25 idli’s

Cooking time: 20 minutes Preparation Time: 24 hours

Ingredients for batter

• 2 cups of parboiled rice/idli rice/dosa rice
• 1 cup whole black gram dal/urad dal
• Water for soaking

Method

Soak the rice in water, such that the all the rice is completely immersed in water. Let it soak for about 6 hours.

Soak the urad dal in water such that all of the dal is completely immersed in water. Let it soak for about 6 hours.

Grind the soaked urad dal until smooth and fluffy, adding just the required amount of water to grind into a smooth paste. Adding too much water will make the mixture too watery.

Grind the rice into a smooth paste, adding just the required amount of water to grind into a smooth paste. Adding too much water will make the mixture too watery.

Combine the urad and rice batter, add salt to taste and set aside for at least 12 hours, until the batter ferments. Place the batter in a large container, as the better will increase in its volume.

Note on Fermenting

Fermenting has to take place where the weather is warm. So ideally summer’s the batter ferments very well and doubles or triples its quantity. But in cold places, the batter has to be kept in an oven. If your oven has light, then turn on the light for a few hours with the batter in the oven. Once the oven is warm, turn off the light and let the batter ferment. If your oven does not have a light, then preheat the oven to warm, turn off oven then keep the batter in the oven to ferment.  This process can be mastered with experience.

Using oiled idli moulds, add the batter into the moulds and steam the idli moulds in a steamer/idli cooker/pressure cooker without the weight for about 15 minutes.

When you insert a tooth pick/clean knife into the steamed idli’s it should come out clean.

Allow it to sit for about 5 minutes before removing them out of the moulds.

Serve hot with coconut chutney/ sambar/idli-doas powder

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