Saturday, April 25, 2009

Rice Idli - Debut attempt


Idlis are popular breakfast dishes in India, specially in South India. Everything from taTTe idli (plate idli) to rava idli is served in every restaurant across the southern peninsula of the country. That said, given the connections of my ethnic roots there, it took me a decade to actually try and make idlis. I am not really sure why but I never got around to making them. Maybe it was because they are not as easy to make as say corn flakes or toast, for instance. But nevertheless I did buy an idli plate setting a few days ago and this seemed like the perfect weekend to try it out. Here is the result of my debut attempt. Special thanks to my friend Pratibha for teaching me how to make the batter for this dhideer idli recipe!







Method

1) Soak a mixture of 3/4 cup Urad daal + 2 Tablespoons Chana daal + 1 teaspoon Methi seeds in water for about 3-4 hours.

2) Grind the contents of 1) in a blender and gradually add to it 1 cup worth of rice flour. Grind again so that they all mix well together.

3) Now keep this batter in a warm place overnight. The idea is that it ferments properly.

4) In the morning, just before breakfast that is, smear oil/ghee on the idli plate holders and pour in the batter depending on how many you wish. I went with 2 plates (small ones) so I ended up with 8 idlis.

5) Steam cook them in a cooker or a vessel with boiling water and cover it. After about 15 minutes of proper steaming, your idlis are ready!

6) Scrape them out carefully with a spoon and have them with maybe a chutney or as I did, with my favorite hagalkai gojju. :)


Cheers,
ShaKri

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