Soft and fluffy idlis

Tips and tricks to make spongy & soft idlis at home 

Ingredients: 

Idli rice – 4 cups 

Dosa rice – 1 cup 

Urad dal/ Split black gram – 1.5 cups 

Flattened rice/ Thick Poha – 1/2 cup 

Cooking soda – 1 tbsp 

Salt as per taste 

Oil for greasing 

Idli stand 

Instructions: 

Batter preparation: 

       Add idli rice, dosa rice and urad dal into a big container. Rinse them in water and wash thoroughly to get rid of any dust or dirt. After rinsing well, soak them in water for atleast 6 to 8 hours. Drain the water and add the soaked grains into a grinder/ blender and grind/ blend them into nearly fine paste or coarse paste depending upon your preference. While grinding, add little water whenever required but make sure that the batter is thick and not runny in texture. Dish out this batter into a large container with ample space for fermentation process.

       In a small bowl, add thick poha and wash thoroughly. Soak it for a while until it turns soft. Blend it using a blender into a fine paste and add it into the rice and urad dal batter. To this, add salt, cooking soda and mix well. Cover the container with a lid and leave it aside in warm and dry place for atleast 8 to 10 hours. During this time the fermentation process kicks in and the batter starts to puff up with tiny bubbles forming on the surface of the batter. Only when the batter is puffed up well, it is termed to be the most suitable/ perfect texture for preparing the idlis. 

TIP 1: If the weather is damp and cold, fermentation process takes a bit longer than 10 hours. Make sure that the batter is puffed up well before making the idlis. Otherwise, the idlis will be pale in color and not white. Also, these idlis wouldn’t taste as good as the idlis made from the well fermented batter.

TIP 2: In colder regions like America, during winters and snowy times, fermentation process gets bit tricky. I have successfully made plate idlis by following this tip. You may try and follow as well. Heat the oven for 10 to 12 minutes under 220 fahrenheit. Then, switch off the oven but keep the oven light ON for the entire night. Place the batter in the oven, close the oven door and leave it overnight. This way, i am alternatively creating a warm and dry environment to allow fermentation of the batter.

TIP 3: The batter should be thick for making idlis. It cannot be runny like dosa batter. With a runny batter, you can never make a successful, soft and puffy idli.

Idli preparation: 

       Pour some fresh water in an idli maker and let it heat over the medium flame. Meanwhile, take an idli stand and grease the wells evenly with oil or clarified butter. This is needed to avoid the idlis from sticking to the wells. Mix the fermented batter very well. Scoop out little idli batter and pour over the greased well. Fill it to the brim. Follow the same process until all the wells are filled up in the stand. When the water is heated, place the batter filled containers one over the other in the idli maker. Cover the lid and let the idlis steam for 15 to 20 minutes. During this process, the idlis puff up. Switch off the flame and allow them to cool down for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the lid. When you touch the idlis you should feel the soft texture and the batter shouldn’t stick to your finger. Only then, use a spoon or dip your hand in water and scoop out the idlis from the idli stand. They would easily separate out because of greasing. If the idlis are sticky, steam them for another 5 to 7 minutes before scooping out. Serve them hot with steamy and spicy onion sambar or variety of chutnies. 

      You may refer to my other videos for very easy and healthy chutney preparations. Try making this typical South Indian breakfast at home and relish.

TIP 4: When the idlis are left to steam for more than 15 to 20 minutes, they loose their puffiness and start to harden. For soft and puffy idlis, timing is very important along with the flame. Always use medium flame. If you are a first timer, please experiment the timings based on your preference. Ideal time for cooking idlis is 15 to 20 minutes in my case. I would suggest you to try this out first and then, adjust the timings according to your preference. Happy cooking!

Trick 1: After the steaming process is complete, use a tooth pick to insert into the idli and remove it. If the batter sticks to the tooth pick, steam the idlis for some more time and follow the same process until the batter doesn’t stick to the tooth pick. This means that the idlis are steamed well and are ready for scooping out & serving.