Idli/Dosa Batter

Idli is a traditional South Indian breakfast dish and plays a major role in South Indian cuisine. Idlis are considered one of the healthiest foods and a very popular dish in India. It is easily digestible, contains very fewer calories and rich in protein. And, since idlis require no oil to prepare and are completely cooked in steam, it is a better option over a dose for people who are on a diet. Dosas at the same time are a healthy option too but require oil or sometimes ghee (clarified butter) to prepare.

There are many varieties of idlis or dosas. The recipe that I have provided today is the basic one. Let’s get started!

 

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups – Urad Dal
• 4 Cups – Idli Rice
• 1 tbsp. – Fenugreek seeds (Methi)
• Salt

Usually, the measurement is 4 parts of rice and 1 part of urad dal.  But I like to add more urad dal to make the batter because it is rich in protein.

Method:

1. Soak rice, urad dal with fenugreek seeds (methi) in water overnight or for 4-6 hours.
2. Next day rinse the rice and dal twice and drain the water completely.
3. Grind the rice and dal separately. For best results use a stone grinder or a regular blender will work as well.
4. Urad dal should be ground to a very fine paste, grind it for a minimum of 20 -30 minutes until the batter is light and fluffy.
5. Transfer it to a big bowl, because you will have to add the rice batter to it later and also it has to have the space to ferment.
6. Now, start grinding the rice. It can be ground coarsely.
7. (While adding the dal/rice to the grinder, add them little by little and water at regular intervals.)
8. Pour the rice batter into the same bowl containing the dal batter.
9. Mix both the batters together. Add salt and mix it well again.
10. Cover it and leave it overnight for a better fermentation.
11. If the climate is cold, then put it in the oven and turn on the light overnight.

To make Idlis:

 

 

1. Use idli cooker (Amazon) to make idlis or use an idli stand and steam in a pressure cooker. But do not put weight if you are making it in a pressure cooker. Grease the idli plates with a tiny bit of ghee or sesame oil before pouring the batter on the idli them.
2. The total cooking time will usually be 15 minutes.
3. You can serve the idlis hot or warm with Sambar, Coconut chutney, Peanut chutney or Mint chutney.

Recipes for all the Chutneys and Sambar will be available on my site soon.

To make dosas:

 

 

1. The same Idli batter can be used to make dosas/uthappams.
2. The batter has to be diluted a bit by adding some water before making dosas so that it is easier to spread the batter on the tawa.
3. Or use a Crepe maker like CucinaPro Crepe Maker (on Amazon) to make dosa, which is very easy as it maintains the same heat throughout the whole process.
4. You can serve the dosas hot with any Chutneys or Sambars or with a gunpowder.