Soft idlis and perfect crispy dosa is synonymous with South Indian restaurant. It is a signature dish from Indian food which is both vegan and gluten-free. Fluffy idli is fermented lentil rice cakes. You can make dosa as a thin crepe or as a thick pancake. This snack has gained popularity all over thanks to Udupi restaurants. It is that tiffin recipe which has gain cult status. While the west goes with pancake we get our proteins thanks to the lentils in it. It is as versatile as your pita bread a wrap. Add any filling to it and make it your own special recipe. Serve it with a large bowl of sambar and peanut chutney / coconut chutney or just idli podi.
Nowadays, Indian food is very popular even in the western world. Thanks to eateries like Saravana Bhavan, Dosa Plaza and Dosa hut, Indian cooking has come to the forefront.
Traditionally, we use wet grinder to make perfect idli dosa batter. consistency of the batter should be thick but flowing. Fermented batter generally rises to twice the volume of the original mixture used to make smooth paste. Most common brand used in southern India is Ultra stone grinder which I used in India. However, abroad Vitamix high speed blender does a good job. Dry jar especially is very effective to make this batter.
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How to make idli batter?
Idli ingredients are simple. We soak rice and black split gram overnight in different bowls. Add rice flakes/poha to rice and fenugreek seeds/methi dana to dal, to make it extra crispy. We then grind rice first. Then the dal (after removing the water used for soaking)to make a good batter. Mix rice and lentil batter together. Let it ferment for few hours, until it rises. For step by step pictures, click on instructions
If you reside in a cold country, preheat the oven for few minutes. Switch it off. Put the batter in a steel/oven friendly vessel and leave it for few hours. It surely rises and doubles. I use the same trick for fermenting yogurt. Nowadays people even use instant pot to ferment dosa batter.Crispy rava dosa recipe also comes to rescue if you forget to soak this batter. Make thin crepes or pancakes as per your choice.
Equipment
- Vitamix 2300i or you can choose any model , i prefer the ascent series
Ingredients
For Idli, I use a ratio of 1:3 i.e. 1 portion of lentil(primarily urad dal) with 3 portions of rice.
For dosa, I use a ratio of 1:4 i.e. 1 portion of lentil(primarily urad dal) with 4 portions of rice.
- Lentils (urad dal - black lentil without skin), you can also add spoonfull of tuvar dal(pegion pea lentil)
- Rice (mix of parboiled rice and regular rice), you can also optionally add poha.
- Methi dana - fenugreek seeds (optional)
- Salt
- water (the amount of water used is approximately double the volume of dry ingredients i.e. lentils and rice) . If you are using ½ cup lentils with 1.5 cup rice, i.e. 2 cups of dry ingredient, use little less than 4 cups of water.
Refer to recipe card for ratio of ingredients
Related recipes
- South Indian breakfast recipes
- Rava idli
- Uttapam - Mix Veg pancake
- Pesarattu- moong dal dosa
- Urad dal vada | Medu Vada ( Air fry / Fry )
- Air fryer fried idli
- Tomato upma
How to soak rice and lentils for idli batter ?
- Take the quantity of rice and poha separately in a bowl. Add some tuvar dal & methi dana to urad dal in another bowl
2. Wash the rice twice and soak it in enough water to cover it. Similarly wash and soak the lentils.
How to grind the batter in vitamix blender?
Depending on the amount of rice and lentils, grind the batter in multiple batches.
- Grind rice along with water in a mixer grinder and add some salt to it. This takes less than 30 seconds.
2. Once its done, add lentils to it (without any water)
3. Grind it again until you get a smooth batter.This takes less than 20 seconds. Repeat until all soaked rice and lentils are done.If you find the batter is still quite thick for you, then add little more water and grind for 5 seconds.
How to ferment idli batter ?
Traditional method
- Place the pot at spot in your kitchen is not cold. Cover the pot with a lid and leave it for 8 hours/overnight. If you are not consuming the batter at the same time, then store it in the fridge.
How to ferment in cold/winter days
- Cover the pot with a lid and then cover it up with a warm sweater.
- You can also preheat your oven for 4-5 minutes ,turn off the oven and place the batter in the oven to let it rise in the next 6-8 hours.
- Some of the ovens provide an option to keeep the light ON, this also keeps the oven lightly warm and then allow the batter to rise..
- To make soft idli, Just grease the idli plates with some oil or butter before adding the batter. Steam it in idli moulds for 15-20 mins.
- Top tip: Let it cool before you scoop it out with a spoon or by hand for a clean sweep.
Idli Dosa batter recipe
Ingredients
For Idli/dosa batter
- ½ cup black lentils without skin urad dal, soaked .
- 11/2 cups rice a mix of parboiled and regular rice.
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds methi dana (optional)
- 1 tablespoon Salt or as per taste
- 3.5 - 4 cups water depends on how thick/thin batter you like
Instructions
- Wash and soak 1 cup urad dal(with methi dana) in a bowl with enough amount of water overnight or 4-6 hours
- Wash and soak rice and all the other ingredients except salt in enough water overnight or 4-6 hours
- Blend rice,water and salt in a mixer with little water,(this takes around 30 seconds in a vitamix blender) once its nearly done, add the urad dal without any water and blend again (takes around 20 seconds)
- You may blend the above in 2 or more batches depending on the capacity of the mixer.
- To make idli,keep the batter aside to ferment overnight in a warm place.
To make dosa
- To make dosa, I prefer to use this batter fresh or keep it in the fridge straighway.
- In a bowl take some amount of batter and add some water to get a thin pouring consistency.You may add salt if required
- Once its medium hot,add a ladle of batter and spread it evenly.Cover it with a lid
- Let it cook for few minutes ,until rawness dissapear.Flip it and cook on the other side for few mins.
- Using a spatula,take out the dosa.
To make idli
- Grease idli pans with butter/ghee/oil, poul a ladle of batter in the pan
- move the idli rack into a steamer and steam for atleast 12-15 minutes.
Nutrition
Variations and substitutions
You can also make tricolor idli to celebrate Independence day. Add a pinch of tumeric for orangish hue and spinach puree for green. Afterall, India lives in us, where ever we may be.
How to make a perfect dosa?
In my opnion,for dosa you need to the batter fresh,if it ferments, then the dosa does not come out well. Also, you can use to make a perfect dosai, ensure your cast iron pan is hot. If it is too hot, sprinkle some water on the pan. Always put the batter first. Once, you spread the batter with a ladle. Pour few drops of oil and cover it with a glass lid. Flip once it stops sticking to the pan. If the batter sticks at one end, it still needs few minutes of cooking. So do not rush just wait. Else, the dosa will break. Good seasoned cast iron pan is great for making crisp dosai. My Lodge cast iron pan gives me good results for dosas everytime!
how to make idli fry??
Generally we end up making many more idlis than required. While you can always steam them again and eat it. There is another good recipe you can make using the left over idlis. Make fried idli masala. It is super tasty. Here is an easy way to do it in an air fryer.
- Preheat the air fryer to 200 deg C for 10 mins.
- Cut the idli in desired shapes and oil spray on it. Place it in the basket. Spray once again in middle 8-9 mins at 200 deg C.
- Sprinkle a tablespoon of masala as per your choice( red chilli powder, turmeric powder and amchur )or chutney podi on top and mix well.
Read the detailed recipe here.
FAQs
Yes this dish is rich in Iron and protein. It is also great for your bones and gut as it is fermented. Also, low on fat. Serve it with coconut chutney. Coconut gives you enough fiber to help digest the dal. Instant tomato chutney also goes great with it.
If you do not follow the batter ingredient ratio correctly, it will not come out perfectly. Also, use a cast iron pan for them. Perfection guaranteed! If your dosa is sticking to the pan, its either too hot or not seasoned properly.
Yes you can easily do that. For so many years we have been using 1 batter for both dosa and idli. However if you want to make your idli more fluffier then you can use idli rava . To use idli rava, take 1 ratio of uri dal, 1.5 ratio of boiled rice and 1.5 ratio of idli rava. You need to squeeze of the excess water from the idli rava else the dough will be too water.
Also, you can add little more Urad dal when using with rice to make more soft idli. For example you can use 1.5 ratio of urad dal with 3 ratio of rice.
Yes, the dosa batter is gluten free . However you need to take care of ingredients that you are adding to them. If you are just adding the rice and lentils , then it's 100% gluten free. If you are adding additional items like oats etc., then its not gluten-free.
Once you have grinded the batter, it should be kept in a warm place. There are number of ways you can do that if you live in a cold location
1. Pre heat your air fryer / oven for 5-7 minutes at 160C. Turn off the appliance, keep your batter in a pot(with lid) in the oven / airfryer. Some people also use the yogurt option in an instant pot or electric pressure cooker and keep it overnight.
2. In your kitchen shelf, use an old sweater/shawl/warm clothing to cover the batter pot (that has a lid on top) from all direction.
Conclusion: Once you get the batter right ,making softest idlis and masala dosas is as easy as it gets. Budget friendly too!
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