Some of the frequently asked questions regarding idli,dosa batter
- Why idlis look yellow in color?
The reasons might be due to improper washing of rice and dal.Rinse the rice well while washing.Discard the water and use fresh water for soaking.Adding more methi seeds may also give yellow idlis.Normally my mom doesn’t add methi seeds for idli,dosa batter.My mom’s idli always look super white.
If the grinder or mixie u used to grind is too hot,batter may become slightly yellow.To avoid this,switch off the grinder for sometime or add ice cold water to grind the rice.
2. Tips for batter fermentation
Always use ur hands for mixing urad dal and rice batter.Spread ur fingers and beat the batter well.For more tips,please refer my mixie idli post.If u are in Abroad/Cold countries and looking for Idli batter fermentation tips,Check out this post .
3. Reasons for hard idli,how to avoid?
The most important reason for hard idlis is the due to insufficient amount of urad dal and inadequate water used for grinding.If u find ur idlis are hard,add more the next time and use more water while grinding the batter. Even if u add water while mixing the batter,it won’t work.So add enough water while grinding itself.
The second reason might be,batter needs more fermentation.Sometimes if u make idlis in the morning,it may come out hard.With the same batter,if u make idlis for dinner,it will come out soft.If it happens so,next time give more time for fermentation.
4. Why dosas look dry ?
I faced this problem for the past few months and rectified it. So I can give u some tips based on my own experience. Usually I make idlis for first two days and for the third day, I use the same batter for making dosa by diluting it slightly. In that case, use few tbsps of water at a time. Batter should not be too thick or too thin.Consistency should be very important to avoid dry dosas.
Insufficient amount of urad dal may also result in dry dosas.So use 4:1 rice n dal ratio to get a golden brown colored crispy dosas.
If the dosa pan is not in correct temperature,dosas may turn dry.Also drizzle a tsp of oil al over the dosas especially in the concentric circles not only in corners.
The last possible reason might be the quality of rice.Add 1/2 cup – 1 cup more water while grinding if the quality of rice is bad.Even then if u feel,it is not good,its better change the rice.
For me,the problem was with the rice.I made all the above changes and still i found the dosas were dry.Finally i changed the rice.Though it is the same boiled rice/salem rice,there are different qualities which i couldn’t guess.My MIL told me to change the rice and go for a trial.Now my dosas come out very well.So if u are buying a rice for the first time,buy 1 kg , go for a trial and then buy in large quantities.
5. How to make roast dosa?
For roast dosa,take the required idli batter in a bowl.Add few tbsp of water,Mix well.Heat the dosa pan,sprinkle few drops of water to check the temperature of the pan.Take a ladleful of batter and spread it as thin as possible.Keep the flame high.Add a tsp of oil/ghee all over the dosa.The oil will sizzle.After a minute, dosa turns golden brown,cooked and corners will rise.The upper portion should be cooked by this time if u spread the batter very thinly.Else flip the dosa, reduce the flame to low,keep it for few seconds and remove the dosa. My mom makes roast dosa very well.She makes it by spreading the batter very thin,add a tsp of ghee and cover the pan with a lid.After few seconds,she removes the dosa.She don’t flip it.
6.General tips
Use more dal based on trail anr error.U can also use 1/4 cup of aval for more softness.Skip methi seeds if u don't like that flavor. |
. I used shallow fried tofu and spring onions as per the magazine recipe.For variations and make it more healthy,u can also add thinly sliced vegetables.Do try this recipe with ur variations this weekend.Have a happy meal
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