Soft Idli Recipe to prepare Idli, a South-Indian traditional breakfast delicacy, which is made with raw rice and lentils, ground, left to ferment and steamed to cook spongy idli.
Idli is a South-Indian traditional breakfast delicacy, which is made with par boiled rice and lentils, ground, left to ferment and steamed to cook. There are many factors that dictate the quality. It is a healthy comfort breakfast rich in carbohydrates and proteins when eaten moderately since it is a steamed dish.
I still remember as a kid how I used to hate them as my mom used to mostly make idli for breakfast. But now, it’s my favourite for which I take all hardships to prepare. As I live in a cold place, it is very difficult to get the right fermentation. They never came out soft and fluffy. I had done everything perfect but ended up with hard ones. I could never manage to get the slightly sour aroma of the fermented batter. Finally I have succeeded in creating the perfect spongy idli.
Step-by-Step process to follow for
Soft Idli Recipe:
Please refer to my post on Idli and Dosa batter and then continue. You can also watch me make the idli batter HERE.
- I usually try not to stir the batter after fermentation so that the batter is airy which yields idli that are fluffy and soft. If you want to stir, use a ladle and gently stir the fermented batter.
- Grease the plates with a drop of oil. Take a scoop of batter and fill it in each mould.
- Boil 2 cups of water water over high heat in a pressure cooker/steamer/any vessel which could hold the idli moulds and place the mould with batter in it and cover it with a lid.
- Steam for 5 min over high heat and 5 to 8 minutes over medium heat. Remove the plates and allow it to cool.
- Scoop them from the plates using a spoon and serve with peanut chutney , onion chutney , carrot chutney , tomato chutney along sambar or with any podi.
Idli
Ingredients
- Sufficient Idli batter to make 16 idlis
- Idli moulds
- Few drops of oil to grease the moulds
- Pressure cooker/idli steamer
- 2 cups water for steaming
Instructions
- You can use the idli batter as such without mixing or mixing.
- Grease the moulds. Take a scoop of batter and fill it in each mould.
- You can use pressure cooker (without weight) or idli steamer or any vessel to steam cook, but ensure water is heated before placing the mould.
- Boil 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker/idli stand/any vessel which could hold the moulds and place the idli mould with batter in it and cover it with a lid.
- Steam cook on high heat for 5 minutes and then on medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes.
- Prick a toothpick or fork inside the idli, if it comes out clean then it is ready.
- Serve hot with any chutney of your choice, sambar or podi.
Recipe Video
Notes
- The quality of rice and dal is important to make the perfect batter.
Grind rice and dal separately to get best results. - Knowing the right texture of ground rice and urad dal is always important.
- Always bring the batter to room temperature before making idli or dosa. Cold batter would yield hard idli.
- If the idli is hard then the consistency of the batter could be thick or the quality of urad dal is poor or the batter may not be fermented properly.
- If the idli is thin and flat, then the consistency of the batter could be runny or the quality of urad dal must be excellent (so reduce ¼ cup next time) or could also be due to insufficient fermentation.
Check out other Breakfast Recipes and Chutney Recipes from blog!!
Many more to come!!…..STAY TUNED!!
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Editor’s note: This post was originally published in January 2015 and has been updated with Video and replaced with better pictures for comprehensiveness and freshness.
Happy Cooking
Cheers!!
Padma.
Anindita
Thanks for the tips
Padma Veeranki
My pleasure…Ty 🙂
marudhuskitchen
Spongy idlis….delicate ly…delicious
Padma Veeranki
Thank u!!
Ritu ahuja
Perfect idlis dear. Soft and spongy. Very tempting idlis. 🙂
Padma Veeranki
Thanks dear:)
kimberly
Those are some useful tips. They will surely be handy if I ever dare to make idlis!
Padma Veeranki
It looks to be tedious but in reality it’s not…why don’t you try once:)
amrita
soft and spongy
Padma Veeranki
Thank u…
Anupama
a die hard fan of idlis ! lovely fluffy, soft idlis. loved your version to prepare the batter 🙂
Padma Veeranki
Thanks Anu:)