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Showing posts with label IDLI VARIETIES. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IDLI VARIETIES. Show all posts

May 2, 2017

Instant Poha Idli Recipe - Aval Idli – Instant Idli Recipe Without Urad dal

Instant poha idli
Instant poha idli with idli rava or upma rava (Semolina, sooji) / aval idli without urad dal is a quick fix, instant recipe for my idli cravings. After a long time, I am sharing an instant Idli recipe in my blog. Being a South Indian, Idli dosa batter is a must in my home. So I grind the idli batter at least once in a week and use it for 3 to 4 days. I used to explore varieties of idli recipes as a result of which you could find 15+ idli varieties in my blog. Myself & Sendhil can manage food without idli dosa for one to two weeks. But Raksha can’t. As she is in Salem, I did not make idli,dosa batter for the past two weeks and managing our breakfast & dinner with upma, instant dosa varieties, paratha recipes etc.

 Yesterday all of a sudden I got the craving to have idli for our dinner. As I had bookmarked this Instant, no fermentation poha idli recipe from Smitha’s blog years ago, I thought of trying it. It came out really well. I relished it with easy tomato thokku. Yes, I made an easy tomato thokku recipe in pressure cooker. It was tasting great for this idli. Recipe posted HERE.

Even though this aval idli came out very soft, I won’t say it tastes equally well to our usual fermented, soft and spongy idli made with rice & urad dal.As this is an instant version, the natural sour taste & flavor from fermented idli batter would be missing in this idli. So I feel only a tangy side dish like tomato thokku or tomato chutney would be the best side dish for this idli. But this is sure a keeper recipe for people who wants to make quick yet healthy steamed food using poha (Flattened rice/Pressed rice in English, Aval in tamil, Avalakki in Kannada). Its ideal for bachelors and working women. Its good for our tummy as well because curd, poha and idli rava are the major ingredients for this idli recipe. 

Cooking soda is not essential for this recipe still I used meagre quantity. If you like this idli recipe, you can make many variations like adding grated vegetables, season it like rava idli.  Do try this easy, quick instant idli recipe if you run short of our usual idli batter. You will like it for sure. I have shared all the possible tips for making this idli perfect. So lets check out how to make super soft, instant poha idli with step by step pictures and a video !

UPDATE : THIS IDLI CAN BE MADE WITH RAVA/SOOJI/SEMOLINA ( COARSE VARIETY) INSTEAD OF IDLI RAVA. BUT ADD ROASTED SOOJI AT ROOM TEMPERATURE. IT SHOULD NOT BE HOT. ADD 1/2 TSP ENO JUST BEFORE MAKING IDLI.


Instant poha idli

Poha Idli - Instant Poha Idli Recipe - Easy Aval Idli


Poha Idli - Instant Poha Idli Recipe - Easy Aval Idli How to make instant idli recipe using poha & idli rava
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Breakfast
Serves: 15 to 20nos
Prep time: 20 Minutes
Cook time: 15 Minutes
Total time: 35 Minutes


INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
  • Thin Poha/ Paper Aval - 1 cup (Thin Pressed rice/ Flattened rice)
  • Idli Rava / Idli Sooji OR Roasted semolina/sooji - 1.5 cups
  • Sour Curd - 1 cup 
  • Water - 1.5 to 1.75 cups in total
  • Salt - as needed
  • Baking soda - 1/4 tsp . Add 1/2 tsp ENO if using semolina
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POHA IDLI - METHOD

  • Wash the poha once or twice in water. Drain it. It will be soft. Now add 1 cup of curd to it. Mix well and soak for 10 minutes.
    poha idli recipe - Instant idli recipe
  • Mash the poha after soaking. Add 1.5 cups of idli rava or roasted semolina (upma rava) and mix well. Idli rava absorbs all the water content. So add 1 cup water, mix well and let the mixture soak for 10 minutes. ( Update : You can also use roasted upma rava/sooji at room temperature instead of idli rava.)
    poha idli recipe - Instant idli recipe
    poha idli recipe - Instant idli recipe
  • After soaking, mix well and add 1/2 to 3/4 cup water. Mix well to bring thick idli batter consistency. Add water carefully, make thick, pourable batter. Thin batter makes flat, sticky idli. Add salt & baking soda, mix well. Make idli immediately. (Update: If using semolina, add 1/2 tsp ENO or 1/4 tsp baking soda. )
    poha idli recipe - Instant idli recipe
  • Grease idli plates with oil. Pour the batter. Roll boil water in an idli pot. Keep the idli plates only after the water starts to roll boil. Close & steam it for 12 to 15 minutes. You will get nice cooked smell of idli. It looks slightly flat after steaming. Don’t worry.
    poha idli recipe - Instant idli recipe
    poha idli recipe - Instant idli recipe
  • Remove the idli plate and rest it for 5 minutes. Unmold it with a small flat ladle or spoon.This idli may be sticky, very soft & breaks when removed hot. So remove it after the idli becomes warm to get the perfect shape.It stays soft for few hours.
    poha idli recipe - Instant idli recipe
  • Enjoy with some tangy side dishes. I personally liked with tangy tomato thokkku & tomato chutney more than coconut chutney or sambar. Choice is yours !
  • Note : If you make the batter in the morning, you can use the leftover batter for making idli in dinner. You can refrigerate the leftover batter or keep it outside which helps for fermentation.

Note
  • Most important point to note is idli batter consistency. It should not be thin. No problem even if its too thick. You can add little more water anytime, mix and make idli. So add water carefully while mixing.
  • Cooking soda is not essential if you leave the batter for 30 minutes to 1 hour resting time.
  • Unmold the idli only after 5 minutes of steaming. Idli may break when you unmold it immediately. Give a resting time of 5 minutes.
  • If you are using thick poha, grind to a coarse powder in a mixie. Then wash and soak it. I hope it works.
  • ENO can be used in place of soda but use only 1/8 tsp if making with idli rava. If you use upma rava, you should add 1/2 tsp of ENO or 1/4 tsp of cooking soda. 

Enjoy this instant poha idli with tangy side dish like tomato thokku or tomato chutney ! You will love it for sure !
Aval idli recipe
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January 21, 2016

Red Rice Idli Dosa Recipe – Kerala Matta Rice Idli dosa - Healthy Idli Recipes

Red rice idli recipe

We all know Red rice has amazing health benefits when compared with our usual white rice. So I always think to include it in my regular diet. Last week I made this healthy red rice (Kerala Rosematta) idli recipe for the first time. I have tried varieties of idli recipes using millets, brown rice, oats and even with barley. 

When I saw 1/2 kg of Kerala red rice in my pantry which I bought for my Onam sadya, red rice idli & dosa flashed in my mind. I browsed through many recipes and watched some youtube video recipes too. Finally I came up with this version. Idli came out super soft and dosa was very flavorful except the color was dull white. I was very happy with the result and including this in my Idli varieties collection.

Sorry, I am not able to post this recipe with stepwise pictures as they got deleted by mistake. Please find the picture of red rice I used in this recipe. Lets see how to make this healthy, soft idli recipe using Kerala Red rice. 

Check out my Idli varities collection HERE


Red rice

Red rice idli,dosa

Red rice idli,dosa recipe


Red rice idli,dosa recipe Red rice idli, dosa recipe - Healthy breakfast ideas
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Breakfast
Serves: 25 
Prep time: 18 Hours
Cook time: 15 Minutes
Total time: 18Hrs15Min


INGREDIENTS
1 cup = 200ml
  • Red rice - 2 cups ( I used Kerala Red Rice)
  • Salem Idli rice - 1/2 cup
  • White round urad dal - 1/2 cup
  • Thick Poha/Aval – 1 tbsp
  • Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp
  • Salt & water - as needed
METHOD
  • Wash and soak Red rice + Idli rice + poha together for 2-3 hours. Wash & soak urad dal + Methi seeds for 2 hours.
  • Grind the soaked urad dal first adding water little by little in regular intervals. I used nearly 1 to 1.25 cups of water. Make a smooth, fluffy batter. Remove in a bowl.
  • Grind the rice to a smooth paste adding required salt & water. Remove the batter and mix with urad dal batter. Use your hands and mix it well.  Allow the batter to ferment for 15 hours or overnight.
  • The next day morning,batter would have raised a bit with sour smell. Batter din’t double for me. Mix the batter well and make idlis. Heat idli pot with water. Grease the idli plate with little oil and pour the batter. Steam the idlis for 10 to 15 minutes till the back of spoon comes out clean. Remove the idlis and serve hot with chutney & sambar.
  • For making dosa, mix the batter well. Add little water if its very thick. Heat dosa pan, pour a ladleful of batter and spread it thin. Drizzle a tsp of oil around the dosa. Cook both the sides and remove. Enjoy !
I served it with  Chidambaram kathirikai gothsu and tomato chutney.

Note
  • Here I have used 5:1 ratio of rice & dal. You can use 4:1 if you use red rice alone.
  • I used a small portion of white rice just for the taste. You can skip it if you wish.

Enjoy this healthy, super soft red rice idli recipe for your breakfast & dinner !!

I served it with  Chidambaram kathirikai gothsu and tomato chutney.

Red rice idli,dosa
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February 23, 2015

Varagu Idli Recipe/Kodo Millet Idli Dosa-Millet Recipes

Varagu idli recipe

Varagu idli is a healthy millet idli recipe. Each and every millet has its own taste and health benefits. But I love varagu/Kodo millet(Kodra/Koden in Hindi, Harka in Kannada,Koovaragu in Malayalam and Arikelu in Telugu) among all because it helps to lose weight, controls diabetes,reduces joint pains and much more. So I keep trying one or the other varagu recipes in my kitchen at least once in a week.

After making thinai idli& Ragi idli successfully, I wanted to try some more idli,dosa recipes using millets. I tried kuthiravali idli but it was an utter flop. Idli was flat, sticky and too soft. I should make some improvements in the recipe and try again. So this time I prepared Varagu idli following my mixie idli recipe. It came out very well. This varagu idli is prepared without rice. Still my idlis were firm, soft, spongy and dosas were crispy as well. So this is completely a rice-free idli. The flavor of dosas were awesome. I just loved it. My in-laws are here with me. They too liked this varagarisi idli, dosa very much and my MIL told that she will be making it very often after going to salem. I was very happy to hear this feedback from them.

Friends,try this healthy millet idli and include it in your routine breakfast/dinner. Its sure a very healthy replacement for our regular rice idli.Very soon,i will share easy varagu upma recipe.

Check out my collection of 12 idli recipes and enjoy making varieties of idli for breakfast/dinner !

Varagu dosa

Varagu arisi idli,dosa recipe


Varagu arisi idli,dosa recipe Idli,dosa recipe using varagu/Kodo millet- Healthy breakfast/dinner recipe
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Millet recipes
Serves: 15-20 nos
Prep time: 4 Hours
Cook time: 10 Minutes
Total time: 4H10Min


INGREDIENTS
1 cup = 250ml
  • Varagu/Kodo millet - 1 cup
  • Round urad dal - 1/4 cup
  • Aval/thick Poha - 2 tbsp
  • Methi seeds/Venthayam - 1/4 tsp
  • Salt and water - as needed
HOW TO MAKE VARAGU IDLI DOSA - METHOD
  • Take all the ingredients given above except salt and wash them twice in water to remove the debris. Soak it together for 4 hours.

  • Take a big mixie jar and grind them in two batches adding enough salt & water. Please do not add more water because they can be easily ground in less water. So use water only when needed. The consistency of batter should be like our regular idli batter.If the batter is too watery, you cannot make idlis. Idli will be flat n sticky. If you add very less water, idli will be hard. So take care while adding water.
Varagarisi idli
  • Ferment it overnight or minimum 16 hours ( if it is winter). The next morning, batter would have raised in volume but not doubled.
  • Stir the batter well with a ladle and make idlis. Steam it in an idli pot for 10 minutes. Check with a back of spoon or using fingers dipped in water. If it comes out clean, idli is cooked. Remove with a spoon and serve hot with chutney !
Varagu idli

    Enjoy !
Note
  • No need to add rice in this recipe.
  • Do not add more water while grinding.
  • Idlis come out soft for varagu and dal in 5 :1 ratio. If you want even more softness, use 4:1 ratio based on the quality of dal.
  • Adding methi seeds & aval/poha is for softness. Don’t skip it.
  • Ferment the batter for minimum 12 hours. During summer 8 hours is enough.
  • Use same cup for measuring all the ingredients.


Steaming hot Varagu Idli !
Varagu idli

Enjoy this varagarisi idli, dosa with your favourite chutney or sambar. Stay healthy !
Varagu idli dosa recipe

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February 15, 2015

How to ferment Idli batter in Winter in Cold Countries

Idli batter fermentation in cold countries

Hi Friends,
Today’s post is a very basic post about fermentation of idli,dosa batter in winter season especially in cold countries like Canada,US etc. I have got few requests from my readers to post some tips for fermentation in cold countries and a video to make idlis. Very soon i will make a detailed video post on how to make soft idlis. My younger sister Radha is in Canada.As u all know, Canada is one of the coldest countries in the world.My sis always makes the best  & super soft idlis in spite of the cold weather. So i thought she is the best person to clear all my doubts.When i asked her to make a post,she happily accepted my request & helped me a lot by taking step by step pictures and mailed everything clearly. Thank u so much my dear.Luv u!
I hope this post will help the people who is feeling bad & worried about making non-fermented,hard idlis. The tips i have shared here will solve the fermentation problems i feel. Friends,please mail me or leave a comment here if u have any tips to share.It will help everyone. Thanks for visiting this page.

My sister grinds the batter once in a week.The quantity she had mentioned below comes for 5 days.She makes idli for the first two days for both breakfast & dinner and dosa for 3 days.She uses Thanjore idli rice & plain packet of urad dal,not any particular brand.My sister’s friend Sukanya in US also follows the same method to make idli.

One more tip from my friend Shalini : When she was in US for two years,she used to keep the batter vessel near room heater and she told the batter gets fermented like the same in India.Try this tip too.

Ok,Here is the idli batter procedure along with the quantity of ingredients mailed by my sister.

ldi batter procedure
  • Soak 9 cups idli rice + 1 tsp methi seeds.Soak 2.5 cups of urad dal separately for 3 to 6 hrs. ( Half this quantity if you are doing for first time)
  • After soaking,drain the water and grind urad dal first adding enough water.Remove in a big container.Then grind the rice,add salt and mix it thoroughly with the urad dal batter using your hands.
  • Here is the picture of batter i got before fermentation by 4pm.Keep it inside the oven and switch on the oven light. Leave the batter for one full day(24 hrs).
Idli batter fermentation in cold countries-3
  • The batter is fully fermented the next day by 4pm.
    During this process the outside temperature was -23c and the heater temperature at home was 23c.
Idli batter fermentation in cold countries-2
Check out my idli,dosa batter post for grinding with stepwise pictures.My sis does the same way.You might also like

Soft Idli,crispy dosa batter using mixie


Soft idli using idli Rava


15+ Idli varieties collection



Some general tips for fermentation of idli batter

TIPS FOR FERMENTATION

After going through some websites ,  i am giving some additional tips for batter fermentation. Hope it will work for you .
  • First recommended thing for batter fermentation is to mix the batter using ur hands..Mix the dal and rice batter thoroughly.. Uneven mixing causes failures. Mixing them by hand works best!
  • Don't forget to add the grinder washed water to the batter before'mixing it with your hands. But add very little. 
  • You can also add a handful of Poha or cooked rice while grinding the rice. It helps for quick fermentation.
  • A warm temperature is essential for fermentation. 25 to 28 °C (77 - 82.4 °F) will be ideal. If the weather is cold, keep some warm water in a large bowl and immerse the vessel containing the dough. To help maintain the temperature of the warm water bath, cover it with a blanket, or better, use a regulated heater, like a heating pad or aquarium heater. Even easier, turn on the light in the oven, and use that to keep the batter warm.
  • When u grind the batter, pre heat the oven in 90c for 10 minutes and switch off the oven.Now keep the batter covered inside the oven and turn the oven lights on.. It helps ..
  • Add 1/4 tsp of baking soda or baking powder to the ground batter and then ferment. It will help the batter to raise well in harsh cold conditions..Adding poha or cooked rice while grinding also helps for quick fermentation.
  • Allow at least 24 hours to ferment. If you don't see tiny bubbles the next morning, the dough will not rise and you have to start all over again.
  • If nothing works for u , try adding a fermentation starter like a spoonful of commercially prepared idli batter as they have live culture, it helps for fermentation..
  • Use chlorine-free water when grinding, as this will be the water that the batter will have in it when fermenting. Tap water will work, but will inhibit the ferment a little. Most modern water filters remove both chlorine and chloramine. Use non-iodized salt such as ‘Kosher salt’ and Use spring water, boiled or filtered tap water to avoid Chlorine/Fluorine.
  • I also read from Indus ladies that adding 1/2 tsp of ENO plain fruit salt for 1 cups of idli batter makes the idli soft even if its not fermented well.Please try this too but iam not sure how it works.
I hope u find this post useful . Thank you.Have a nice day !

Last but not the least,check out my
 15 Idli varieties here if interested.

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August 4, 2014

Thinai Idli Recipe | Foxtail Millet Idli - Millet Recipes

Foxtail millet idli recipe

Last week I tried thinai idli recipe for the first time using fermentation method. Earlier I tried an Instant Foxtail millet idli which was a super flop. But this recipe worked out very well. Idli came out soft and spongy. I made idli as well as dosa with this batter. Its taste & texture was more like our usual idli, dosa. Only its color was not pure white.

We were very happy to have a healthy breakfast recipe & I was even more happy as i have got yet another interesting idli recipe to include in my idli varieties. In other languages, Thinai is called as ”Foxtail millet” in English,”Navane” in Kannada,”Kakum”in Hindi,”Korra” in Telugu,”Thina” in Malayalam,”Kaon” in Bengali,”Kang” in Marathi & Gujarati and ”Kanghu” in Oriya.

Last year few readers told me to post some quinoa recipes & I was thinking that quinoa in called as Thinai in Tamil.

But when I googled, I found quinoa & thinai (foxtail millet) are different. I will try to buy quinoa in Bangalore and try to post some healthy recipes with it. But before that, I wanted to share this easy and healthy millets recipe which is a great replacement for our rice idli. 

Please check this link to know more details about “Thinai & its health benefits” with pictures. Lets see how to make thinai arisi idli recipe . Soon I will share some more interesting recipes with other millets too. Don’t forget to check out my Mixed millet laddo recipe & other millet recipes .


Thinai

Thinai idli/Foxtail millet idli recipe


Thinai idli/Foxtail millet idli recipe Idli recipe using Foxtail millet - Healthy breakfast recipe !
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Breakfast
Serves: 30
Prep time: 4 Hours
Cook time: 15 Minutes
Total time: 4H15M Minutes


INGREDIENTS
 1 cup = 250ml
  • Foxtail millet/Thinai - 2.5 cups
  • Idli rice/Salem rice - 1/2 cup
  • Urad dal - 1/2 cup
  • Aval/Poha - 1/4 cup
  • Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Salt & water - as needed
HOW TO MAKE THINAI IDLI - METHOD

  • Measure & take all the ingredients together and wash it carefully . Its better if you wash it using a strainer. Soak for 3-4 hours.
  • Grind them to a smooth paste adding required water and salt. Remove mix well and allow it to ferment overnight or minimum 8 hours.
  • The  next day, batter would have raised well (Not doubled). Now mix the batter very well and pour in a idli plate.
Thinai idli recipe
  • Boil water in a idli pan and keep the plates. Steam it for 10-15 minutes. Check with the back of a spoon for doneness. If the spoon comes out clean, idli is ready.
  • Remove  the idli plate and rest it for 2-3 minutes before removing them else it will be sticky.
  • Refrigerate the batter & make dosas the next day.
Enjoy !
Note

  • This batter becomes sour very quickly so refrigerate it after 8 hours till you use it.
  • Do not use more urad dal than the mentioned quantity because idli will become sticky.
  • Do not remove the idlis if its very hot. It may be sticky. Give a standing time of 2-3 minutes before u remove.
  • If the quality of urad dal is too bad,use little more than 1/2 cup. Similarly if the quality of dal is too good, use 1/3 cup. It varies.
  • U can also make dosas using the above batter.

Do Check out my Mixed Millet laddu recipe & other millet recipes if interested !

Thinai Dosai 
Thinai dosai

Enjoy this healthy foxtail millet/thinai idli for breakfast with your favourite chutney and sambar !

Thinai idli recipe
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July 14, 2014

Thatte Idli / Tatte Idli Recipe - Karnataka Recipes

Thatte idli recipe

Karnataka special thatte idli(plate idli) is the first breakfast recipe that attracted me towards Karnataka delicacies. Next comes mysore masala dosa, Davangere benne dosa & akki roti. I have tasted this idli in small food joints here. When I was working, my colleagues used to have this idli along with a vada for their breakfast.

Even Sendhil had told me lot about Tumkur & Bidadi special thatte idlis. He had also promised to take me there to taste this idli. It was my long time wish to prepare this at home as I love to make different types of idli recipes for breakfast.

When I was telling this to my school momsfriends, Priya told that her mom makes this idli very well. She shared her mom’s recipe & also the thatte idli stand . Thanks a lot priya. I have tried this idli thrice so far and every time it came out very well. So I wanted to record this recipe in Chitra's food book. It tastes super soft when eaten hot. I recently tried Karnataka style  hotel idli sambar. With hot thatte idli, coconut chutney & sambar, it tasted heavenly!.

Thatte idli
Here is a picture of thatte idli stand..
thatte idli stand

Thatte idli recipe - Karnataka special


Thatte idli recipe - Karnataka special Karnataka special thatte idli recipe - Delicious breakfast recipe
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Breakfast
Serves: 12
Prep time: 12 HRS
Cook time: 15 Minutes
Total time: 12h15m


INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
  • Idli rice/Salem rice - 2 cups
  • Raw rice - 1 cup ( use dosa rice)
  • Urad dal - 3/4 cup (white  round or split urad dal)
  • Thick poha OR Cooked rice - 1/2 cup 
  • Salt & water - as needed
  • Cooking soda / Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
                                                 HOW TO MAKE THATTE IDLI -METHOD
  • Wash and soak all the ingredients together for 4 hours. Do not drain the water after it is soaked. Grind it well to a smooth paste using the water you used for soaking. Add more water if necessary.(U can use cooked rice while grinding too. No need to soak it. If using poha, soak it with rice.)
  • It takes nearly 30 minutes to grind in a grinder. Add salt if summer season, mix the batter well and allow it to ferment overnight. U should leave it for at least 12 hours. Proper fermentation is needed to get soft idlis.
  • Next morning, add salt and cooking soda. Mix well and rest for 15 minutes before you make idlis. Mix well.
Thatte idli recipe
  • Add water in a cooker base & allow it to boil. Take the thatte idli stand and grease all plates with oil generously. You can use some white cotton cloth or banana leaf too. Pour the batter and keep the stand in cooker. Cook for 12-15 minutes. ( Stepwise pictures Updated)
Thatte idli recipe

Thatte idli recipe

  • If you don’t have thatte idli stand, take a small round plate with rim.I used the lid of steel storage containers. Grease with oil generously or line with the cloth & pour the batter.
  • Take the idli pot with water & boil. Keep the round plate over the idli plate and cook for 10-15 minutes. Check with the back of spoon. If it comes out clean,idli is cooked. Allow the idlis to cool for few seconds before u remove them else it may break. If you have thatte idli stand, keep it inside the idli steamer and cook for 10 minutes. Let it cool for a minute and then remove the idlis using a wide ladle as shown in the picture below. Serve with chutney & sambar !
Thatte idli recipe

Thatte idli recipe

Enjoy !


Note

  • Proper fermentation & consistency of batter is very important to get super soft idli.
  • Wash the ingredients twice before soaking to get white colored idli.
  • Adding baking soda is very important here to get softness.
  • The batter should be smooth like our normal batter. Do not grind it coarse. Consistency should be of normal idli batter.
  • U can replace cooked rice with sago & poha. In that case use 1/4 cup sago & 1/2 cup poha.
  • Do not remove the idli quickly when its hot as it may break. Let the idli cool down for a minute before you remove them.

Thatte idli recipe

Serve & enjoy this idli with ur favourite chutney & sambar !!

Karnataka special thatte idli recipe

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January 25, 2014

How To Make Soft Idli Batter Using Wet Grinder - Homemade Idli Dosa Recipe Using Parboiled Rice

Idli recipe

Idli Recipe - How to make soft idli and crispy dosa recipe using parboiled rice in a wet grinder with step by step photos and video.

I have already posted homemade idli, dosa batter using grindermixie and idli ravaThis is my recent recipe for making soft idlis and crispy dosas in a wet grinder even if  the quality of rice and dal is bad. One of my readers asked me to post my recent idli batter recipe for low quality urad dal. Also I have planned to post some dosa varieties in near future. So I wanted to have this detailed post in my blog. In this post I would like to share some tips and tricks which I did not mention in my previous posts. As per my reader’s request, I hope these tips would be useful for beginners and newly wedded girls. This batter yields soft idlis as well as super crispy dosas. Without further delay, let me move on to the recipe with video.

If you are in Abroad/Cold countries and looking for Idli batter fermentation tips, Check out this post .

Check out the full cooking video below ( It includes grinding and draining the batter in a grinder)






Soft idli recipe


Soft idli recipe How to make soft idli,crispy dosa using home made idli,dosa batter
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Breakfast
Serves: 30   
Prep time: 2 hrs + 12hrs
Cook time: 10 Min
Total time: 2hrs 10 Min


INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
To soak in water
  • Idli rice/Salem rice / Parboiled rice - 4 cups
  • White round urad dal - 1 cup (use 1 cup for low quality dal & 3/4 cup for super quality dal)
  • Methi seeds - 1 tsp
  • Salt - as needed
  • Water - around 6 cups
HOW TO GRIND IDLI BATTER IN WET GRINDER

  • Wash the rice twice by rinsing well with ur hands well.During the first wash, the water color will be slightly yellow.For second wash,it will be white.Color of the rice would become super white.Now soak the rice in enough water for minimum 2 hours.
  • Wash once and soak the urad dal and methi seeds together for minimum 2 hours because methi seeds take 2 hours to soak well..
  • After 2 hours,grind the urad dal,methi first adding 1/2 cup of water initially.The dal will grind and the quantity of batter would rise and becomes fluffy.Add 1/4 cup of water for every 5 minutes.Please do not add all the water in the beginning.Stand nearby for the first 10 minutes and wipe the sides of the grinder.It take nearly 20-25 minutes taking 2 to 2.25 cups of water.
idli batter recipe
  • Remove the urad dal batter and keep in a wide vessel. Choose a big vessel such that there is  enough room for the batter to rise well. Next add the rice while the grinder is running. Add 1 cup of  water immediately to avoid the jamming.
  • Add 1/2 cup of water for every 10 minutes.Add 1 handful of  crystal salt(kallu uppu) while it runs. Totally rice takes 25-30 minutes in table top grinder to grind. It consumes nearly 2.5 cups of water. It varies as per the quality of rice.
idli batter recipe
  • If the quality of rice and dal is bad,add little more water while grinding. No problem even if the batter becomes slightly watery. The next day, after fermentation, it would become thick.
  • Remove the rice and mix with urad dal batter.Mix well using  your hands. It is the most important point for fermentation. Close the vessel tightly with a lid and keep in a warm place (i.e near fridge or gas stove or inside microwave with lights on in cold countries). Leave for a minimum of 12 hours. I grind the batter in the early evening around 4 pm and make idlis the next day around 7 am.
idli batter recipe
  • The next day, batter would have raised very well (sometimes doubled). U could see minute pores in the batter. Do not mix the batter. Remove a ladle ful of batter from one corner and pour in idli mould. Steam for 10 minutes. Remove and rest for a minute. Remove the idli with a broad spoon and serve hot with chutney or sambar. 
idli batter recipe


idli batter recipe


TIPS & TRICKS FOR PERFECT IDLI DOSA BATTER

I have given these tips learning from my mom, mil and from my own experience.

Some of the frequently asked questions regarding idli,dosa batter
  1. 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 you 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 your fingers and beat the batter well. For more tips, please refer my mixie idli post. If you 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 you find your idlis are hard, add more the next time and use more water while grinding the batter. Even if you 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 you make idlis in the morning, it may come out hard. With the same batter, if you 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 you 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 you 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 you 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 you 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, fold and serve it. She doesn’t flip and cook the dosa.

   6.General tips
Use more dal based on trail anr error. U can also use 1/4 cup of aval/ poha/ pressed rice for more softness.Skip methi seeds if you don't like that flavor.

With one batter, we can make so many yummy breakfast recipes. Its cool rite !!
Breakfast recipes

In the above picture,u can see soft idlis,crispy dosa,Paniyaram using idli,dosa batter, Idli upma and mini idli with coconut chutney,tiffin sambar,idli podi.
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