Idli/Dosa Batter

A perfect South Indian breakfast is not complete without idlis / dosas. Idlis are lentils and rice pancakes - that are made by grinding together lentils and rice to make a smooth batter. This batter is let to ferment overnight / 6 to 7 hours and then steamed to make idlis. They are eaten mostly with chutneys (dips) and sambhar (lentil stew).

Each idli is just about 39 calories and has 2g of protein and 2g of fiber. (source : http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/nutrition-idli-2667.html) So, this is a very healthy breakfast and if eaten with the lentil stew made with veggies, it makes a perfect nutritious

breakfast. The convenience of making these idlis (making the batter needs some skill and patience though) has made it our staple breakfast most of the days, since it takes just 5 mts of our time to make a batch.If we get the proportions of the lentils and rice correct, there is nothing easier and better than idli for a busy morning breakfast, especially if you are a vegetarian.

So here is my recipe, this is from my mom, who has been making this for ages now , still managing to bring that same smile on us everytime she makes this for us.

The same batter can be used for making dosas (rice-lentil crepes) as well. It has to be diluted a bit and also let to ferment a bit more for making those perfect dosas.

Recipe : (Makes 64 idlis / 64 dosas)

Idli rice - 5 Cups (easily available in Indian store)

White Whole Urad Dal - 1 3/4 Cup

Fenugreek seeds - 7-8 (Optional but highly recommended)

Salt - atleast 4-5 Tbsp.

Preparation : Time taken - 5 mts.

Soaking Time - Rice - 5 hours.

Urad dal - 1 hour

1. Wash the rice thoroughly and soak it for five hours minimum.

2. Add the fenugreek seeds to the rice.

3. Wash the urad dal and soak it just for an hour before starting the grinding process.

Method :

Time Taken for GRinding batter - 1 hour.

1. In a wet-grinder , add the urad dal first, sprinkle little water and start grinding.

2. Keep checking it every 3-4 mts to see if the grinding process is going smooth, otherwise sprinkle some water.

3. When all the dal is ground in to a smooth paste, and the batter seems fluffy, it is done. (this will take about 20 min.)

4. Make sure there are no lumps in the batter and its not coarse.

5. Transfer the batter to a large vessel and keep it aside.

6. Now add the soaked rice and fenugreek to the grinder and start grinding again. Add sufficient water to this. Keep adding little water to this every five mts until all of the rice is ground to a smooth batter.

7. This will take about 35-40 mts, but make sure its not a coarse batter and its a very smooth batter, since this is directly proportional to the softness of the idli/dosa.

8. Once its done transfer the contents to the same vessel where you transferred the ground urad dal.

9. Add the salt and mix it well with a ladle.

10. Let it ferment overnight in a warm place. (I place it in my oven with the lights on.)

11. The batter the next morning will rise well in the vessel. Mix it well again. This can be stored in the refrigerator for upto a week.

To make idlis - Transfer the batter to the idli mould and steam it for 10-12 mts. Enjoy hot idlis with chutney and sambhar.

To make dosas - Take a scoop of batter and spread it on a hot pan drizzled with oil, it mostly takes a circular shape as

you spread. Cover it with a lid and wait for two min. Take it out of the pan carefully and dosa is ready.

Notes :

1. Traditionally, idlis are made from black urad dal, I have made it using white due to its availability and ease of use.

2. Fenugreek seeds gives that nice softness to the batter.

3. Not sure how significant the order of grinding is and the science behind it, but its always urad dal first

followed by the rice.

4. This can also be done in several batches in a mixer, but best results are achieved with a wet-grinder.

5. If whole urad dal is not available, substitute it with split white urad dal.