Name: Idli (Steamed Rice and Black Gram Bread)
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 4 cup parboiled short-grain rice; 1 cup white urad dal; 2 tsp non-iodised salt; 1 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi); 2 cup chlorine-free water; as needed fermentation starter; as needed ghee; as needed vegetable oil

Breakfast

6 servings

583 cal/serving

Instructions

Step 1

Wash rice and urad dal thoroughly.

Parboiled short-grain riceWhite urad dal

Step 2

Soak rice and urad dal separately (soak methi with urad dal) in water for up to 2 hours.

Parboiled short-grain riceWhite urad dalFenugreek seeds (methi)Chlorine-free water

Step 3

Drain rice and urad dal; retain urad dal soaking water and discard rice soaking water.

Parboiled short-grain riceWhite urad dalChlorine-free water

Step 4

Grind urad dal to a fine paste, adding reserved dal soaking water if needed.

White urad dalChlorine-free water

Step 5

Grind rice to a paste using about 1 cup of chlorine-free water (coarse for idli, fine for dosa).

Parboiled short-grain riceChlorine-free water

Step 6

Combine rice and urad dal pastes and season with salt.

Parboiled short-grain riceWhite urad dalNon-iodised salt

Step 7

Stir in fermentation starter if using.

Fermentation starter

Step 8

Allow batter to ferment in a warm place for about 8 hours.

Step 9

Grease idli pans well with ghee or vegetable oil.

GheeVegetable oil

Step 10

Spoon batter into idli pan indentations without stirring to preserve air bubbles.

Parboiled short-grain riceWhite urad dal

Step 11

Steam idlis for 12 minutes (16 minutes for brown rice).

Step 12

Remove idlis from pans with a knife or spatula.

This recipe is adapted from Wikibooks. It is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International.