Idly

Idly using mixie (mixer)

My next recipe is how to make Idly (and Dosa too) batter in a mixie (mixer). This would be useful for those who do not have a grinder @ home. Most of us love idly - which is the staple food in most of South India; north Indians also love it. I have also tourists from abroad eating Idly with much enthusiasm :) Hope they too like this humble but very healthy and tasty breakfast dish.

So lets see how to make Idly batter in a mixie. The mixie that I am using is the good old Sumeet Mixie.

Usually I use grinder for preparing Idly/dosa batter. But, when urgent and when there is no time to use a grinder I use my mixie to make the batter. 

I like idly-sambar-chutney combination and my mothers special  ully chammanthi (shallots stir fried with red chilly powder). My mother makes this ully chammathi with the small onions (shallots) but i am so lazy to clean it and make this dish. Anyways lets come to the point.

Since Idly is a steamed dish, the batter quality is very important to make it soft and fluffy.

When I make idly in grinder I donot not add any thing - only the idly rice and urad dal. It  comes out well. 

But when I make the batter in mixie I add some cooked rice into it to make the idlis soft. 

However, the taste is greatly enhanced when the batter is made in grinder. 

Here  how i make in my mixie.

Ingredients for Idly batter

Boiled Rice (not raw rice) - 4 cups

Urad dal - 1 cup

Cooked rice - 1 cup

salt as required

Process for Idly batter

Clean and soak both rice and urad dal for 6-7 hrs separately. Drain the soak water completely and take the dal mixture in the mixie . Add 1/2 cup of water and grind for 3-4 minutes. Urad dal will grind easily. Open the lid and look it whether it has become a smooth paste. Other wise mix it for a minute or so. 

Then remove the batter in and keep it in a  big vessel.

Urud Dal Batter

If the mixie jar has got heated up, please allow it to rest for 5 min, else would have to take it soon to the repair shop :)

(I have had such bad experiences...)

Next, drain the water from the soaked rice and  put it into the jar. Add the cooked rice into the jar and pour 1/2 cup water and grind for 3-4 minutes. 

Now open the lid and check whether the rice is coarse or grainy. If its not very smooth, grind it till it becomes smooth. Add 1/4 cup of water if the batter is too hard. 
Add water only if required...Idly batter MUST NOT BE FREE FLOWING. It must be thick and viscous.

Rice Batter - before and after grinding

Remove the batter and mix it with the urad dal batter that you had prepared earlier and kept aside. Mix it well with your hands for easy fermentation. In the cold climates the batter will not ferment soon. Using your hands for mixing urad dal and rice batter aids in faster fermentation. 

Keep it for fermentation overnight.

final fermented batter ready for use

The next morning the batter will be fermented and raised. Add around 1.5 tablespoons of salt (you can add less or more as per your taste). Mix it thoroughly (the urud batter has a tendency to raise up and settle at the top and rice batter will settle at the bottom. Hence its important to mix the batter vigorously using a ladle. 
Now, apply oil using your hand on the idly plate. This is to ensure that the idly doesnot stick to the plate after steaming.
Once the batter is mixed thoroughly, take a ladle-full of batter and pour it into the idly plate as shown. Idly will bulge after steaming, so take the batter in small quantities to make small sized idlies. 

Steam it for 10 minutes. Allow to cool for around 5 min. Donot wait for the idlies to cool down. 

Take the idly plates one by one and sprinkle some water in all the idlies. Then take it out, one by one and it will come out very easily.

Hot Idlies are ready!! Can be served with Sambar, Chutney, Idli podi (spicy powder for idli prepared with lentils and spices)

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