Name: Idli
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 20 h 42 min
Yield: 20 idli
Ingredients: 1 cup urad dal; 1 tsp fenugreek seeds; 2 cups idli rice; 2 tsp salt; for greasing oil

1 cup

1 Soak 6 hours 6h

2 Grind to a light, fluffy batter 12m Urad dal should whip up almost like meringue. Add water slowly and keep it cold.

5 Combine gently by hand with the salt 5m

6 Ferment 8–12 hours somewhere warm 10h It should double and look visibly bubbly.

7 Ladle into greased moulds, filling three-quarters 5m Do not stir the fermented batter down. You want the gas kept in.

8 Steam 10–12 minutes, then rest 5 before unmoulding 15m A skewer comes out clean. Unmould too early and they tear.

1 tsp

2 cups

3 Soak 6 hours 6h

4 Grind to a coarse semolina texture 10m

2 tsp

for greasing

Thicker batter, and do not knock it back

Idli batter is ground thicker than dosa batter and is not thinned before steaming — the carbon dioxide trapped during fermentation is what makes the cakes light. Stirring vigorously after fermentation knocks that gas out and gives you dense pucks. Fold gently, and only if you must.

Notes

Grind the urad dal cold, with ice water if your blender runs hot. Heat kills the aeration.
Fill moulds three-quarters full; they rise considerably.
Leftover idli, torn and fried with mustard seeds and curry leaves, is arguably better than the original.

Method

Soak 6 hours

Grind to a light, fluffy batter

Soak 6 hours

Grind to a coarse semolina texture

Combine gently by hand with the salt

Ferment 8–12 hours somewhere warm

Ladle into greased moulds, filling three-quarters

Steam 10–12 minutes, then rest 5 before unmoulding

Thicker batter, and do not knock it back

Notes