Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Idli - Sambar

Idli/Dosa is a favorite and popular not just in India, but the rest of the world too. Dosa might be the favoite of most people, but for me Idli is just as much my favorite as Dosa :-) My parents used to tell that "Idli is the safest food to have when you are travelling to another State in India as it doesnt contain any oil which can cause stomach trouble" .


After coming to US I didnt have the luxury of having good Idli's except once in a blue moon when we visit an Indian restaurant. When I see Idli's once in a while (or for that matter any favorite food), I cant stop myself from hogging, I just ignore the stares I might get from doing this :-D So we usually go for buffets where the serving is unlimited :-D

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

Urad dal : 1 cup
Idli rice: 2 cups
Methi seeds or Methi powder : 1/2 teaspoon
Water to soak the dal and rice
Salt as per taste
Idli stand
Pressure cooker or steamer for steaming the idlis

Method:

Make the fermented batter as described here in my dosa recipe. The batter for idli should be thicker than dosa. So reduce the amount of water you add to the batter the day you plan to make idli's.

Apply a little oil on each of the idli mould of the idli stand to make it easier to scoop out the idlis from the edges when it is done cooking. Pour idli batter in each of the mould so that its not completly filled as the batter would start overflowing if it is completly filled. Steam the idli's without using the whistle in a steamer or pressure cooker for around 5-10 minutes during which a steady steam of water passes through the vent. Lower the heat to medium and let it cook for another two-three minutes. Remove the lid and scoop out the idlis on plates. Serve along with chutney, sambar, potato curry, or pickle :) I also roast left over idli's , its yummy too :)

Update: Dear friends, I felt that I had to write this after I saw your comments. The idli's look very soft, but let me tell you, they were quiet hard in the middle when they cooled down. Any idea why? If its my proportion, I welcome all suggestion based on the fact that I am using a US blender and not Indian mixie or wet grinder. I would also love to know what proportion you use while using a wet grinder and mixie. The dosas come out well though. I use the batter here for both Idli/Dosa batter. I make the batter, let it ferment and on the day I plan to make idli/dosa, I keep away some batter for making Idli's , add a little water to make the batter a little less thick than the original batter. For dosas, I make it less thicker than idli batter. I appreciate your suggestions, so please do write back more of it :)

16 comments:

Sagari said...

thats a delecious and comforting food roopa

Cham said...

The ratio is little new to me . I use 1 cup of urad dhal and 4 cups of idli rice for idlis. Well i have a wet grinder! Ur idlis looks like a pillow :)

Madhavi said...

This is my first time here, very nice recipes roopa :)

Plz do visit @
http://vegetarianmedley.blogspot.com/

EC said...

Thats a different proportion and the idlis looks fluffy

Unknown said...

Sagari, yes Idli is a very good comforting food:) I have it whenver I get a chance which is rare though :(

Cham, Easycrafts...I am sorry the photo gives a wrong impression, I have posted an update , The idlis were a bit hard in the middle when it cooled down. Is it because of my proportion ? or because I grind it with a US blender? Anyways I am planning to purchase a Indian mixie soon. Thanks for stopping by :)

Madhavi, thanks for coming by:) Its nice to see you here:) I visited your lovely blog, posted a comment too, Will be coming back soon:) Hope to see you around too :)

Rupa said...

Roopa,
The proportion i use for idlis-1 cup of urad dal,2 cups of Rice and 2 tbsp of poha(soaked).You can also use 2 tbsp of leftover rice if you have(idlis will turn out very soft)
I ferment idli and dosa batter in the oven and turn on the oven light overnight.By next day it would have fermented..try this it will ferment for sure..U can also visit my blog
for idli recipe
http://simplyaroma.blogspot.com/2008/02/thatte-idlisplate-idli.html

Suganya said...

Hi Roopa....
First time to ur blog....Got u from ur fellow bloggers.... U have a excellent set of recipe.....Idli is looking perfect...

Unknown said...

Rupa, you have a really nice blog:) I will try it your way:) Thanks for the tips and leaving a comment:) Hope to see u around:)

Sukanya, Thank you for your kind comments :) Hope to see you around. I liked your blog too, very creative and artistic :) The cakes look very good :)

Anonymous said...

Nice idlis....they look real soft and delicious!

FH said...

Hi Roopa,how are you? Just came here to say hi, still enjoying my break!:)

Idli looks white and yummy.I use 1 1/2 cup half boiled rice, 1 cup long grain rice, 1 cup Urad dal, 2 tsp Methi seeds. works well for me.

See you in few weeks, enjoy!:)

Srivalli said...

check out
my idli post. I use Parboiled Rice - 4 cups, Urud dal - 1 cup, Fenugreek seeds - 5 nos (opt).
the secret is to add water constantly as it grinds. I add about 5 and 1/2 cups of water. Infact little more. Let it cook in sim for 10 mins. and let it rest for 5 mins, before removing.

Anonymous said...

I known with this food .Its very tasty.

Anonymous said...

Yummy..I am unable to forget its taste..

Unknown said...

Homecooked:Thank you dear:)

Asha: Hey iam glad to see you here :) thank you for dropping by dear:) I hope you have a fun spring break:) Its always good to take a break as we have a life bigger than this blog:)

Srivalli: Thanks a lot srivalli:) I will try your proportions for idli when I get my new indian mixie:) Now i dont have any grinding equipment here:(

Schufafrei, Luxusimmobilien:Thank you for dropping by and for your comments !

Cooking: Thank you for dropping by, I will surely visit you site :)

Deepa said...

Wow! You have a great blog. I am soooo jealous of your culinary skills :-)
I'm still new to the kitchen. But for my parents, the very fact that I can make rice exceeds their expectations of me :-)

Thanks for dropping by and commenting.

Unknown said...

Hi deepa, thanks for dropping by :) You know before marriage, I too never used to cook. Infact I didnt know how the proportions for water and rice. It was only the salt addition which I was good at. I didnt have much of a choice after marriage :))

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