Fatima's Fabulous Kitchen

I don't eat to live. I live to eat.

Idli

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This week I wanted to do a more traditional South Indian recipe – something classic and comforting, healthy and wholesome and a homage my roots. Idli is all of these things and more and is served with a hot and spicy lentil soup called sambar or a tangy cilantro-coconut chutney. Check out my little home-video to see how I make it!

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Idli

A classic South Indian recipe – Idli is a soft and fluffy savory cake consisting of rice and lentils and accompanied with chutneys and sambar

Ingredients

  • 2 cups idli rice
  • 1 cup urad daal
  • 1 tsp methi (fenugreek) seeds
  • 3/4 tsp salt to taste
  • 3 cups water may need less or more, looking for the consistency of pancake batter

Instructions

  1. Wash and rinse the idli rice and daal separetely for a few minutes. Try to remove as much of the cloudy starch as possible. 

  2. Add the idli rice and daal to two separate bowls and soak with water overnight. 

  3. The next day, drain the water. Add lentill/daal and idli rice to a high-processing blender along with some water and blend until fine.  You will likely have to do this in a few batches.

  4. Empty mixture into a large bowl. Cover with clean lint cloth or plastic wrap and place in a warm area with no drafts. Let it sit for 12-24 hours. (Note – if it’s winter, the idli batter will take longer to ferment. If it’s summer, it will happen much faster.)

  5. The next day, check the batter for signs of fermentation. The  batter should have a certain odor and bubble formation. Now add in your salt. (The reason we add the salt now and not before is because salt can slow down the fermentation process). 

  6. Get out your idli maker and gently brush some oil over the molds. 

  7. Add your idli batter to each mold. Slide your idli plates one by one on to the pole/rod. Add an inch of water to the steaming pot that comes with your idli maker. Gently drop the pole of idli molds into the steamer. (Tip – leave the bottom plate empty so you don’t have to worry about water seeping in. If this doesn’t make sense, just watch the video).  Place the whistle on the steamer and place on 

  8. The steamer should start to whistle. The idle will take about 15 minutes or so. Remove from heat and remove molds out of the steamer. 

  9. Wait a few minutes for idli to cool down and then gently, using a pairing knife, remove idli from the molds. If you oil them well enough, they should come out gently. 

  10. Serve with hot sambar and cool chutney.