IDLIS

[Oldposts]

Topic started by Mandodari (@ 162.42.203.201) on Thu Jul 20 10:49:59 .


I would like to prepare nice soft idli's like the ones in tamilnadu. What Kind of rice is the most appropriate to use?? (IS it the enriched rice, parboiled rice, long grain rice.......which one?)
I live in the US and it will help me to know which rice I should get?

[Oldposts]

We are also in USa. The following formula gives rise to very good dlis:-
1 portion Basmati rice,
1/4 portion par boiled rice
1 portion black gram Dal.
Grind them well the previous day .Heat the oven for 200 degrees and switch it off. Keep the batter after 5 minutes in the oven for 12 hours. Take the batter out . It would have risen properly and gives Idli of very good quality.

[Oldposts]

I also live in USA But in California. I use royal basmati rice for making idlis.
1 portion of that rice and 1 portion of the same rice which should be washed well and should be kept in microwave for 3 to 4 min.(to get it as boiled rice) 1/4th portion of black gram dhal and little fenugreek(vendhayam) but that is optional. soak all these things for 5 to 6 hours grind well.you can use oven for the batter to rise or else you can use dry yeast also. but here in california the batter rises without doing all these things. next day if you want you can add baking with it. Now I think you can get very soft iddlies.

[Oldposts]

I also live in U.S.A A simpler way to make soft idlis is to use the following proportion:

RICE FLOUR (available in Indian Stores) - 2 1/2 cups

WHITE URAD DAL - 1 cup

Just grind urad dal and mix it with rice flour and salt and leave it overnight to ferment. You get very good Idlis.

[Oldposts]

Thangam Shankar,
Is it rice flour or idli rava ?
We tried with idli rava, it came out okay but we were told we should soak the idli rava and then add it to the ground urad dal.
Will try next time and get back.

[Oldposts]

Very interested in THANGAM SHANKAR's posting. However, no mention of water etc - excuse the ignorance of this Bengali Babu!! So - can you please give me a little more detail.

Also, do the idlis come really nice and fluffy like the 'REAL' idlis I've only had in Tamil homes in India & in some fine S. Indian restaurants in India?

Robin

[Oldposts]

Hi guys

I also live in USA - California and we get parboiled rice in Indian grocery stores.

I make idli's with a ratio of 2 rice: 1 urad dal, soak in the morning, grind in the evening, ferment it overnite and next morning you have steaming soft idli's :-) enjoy

[Oldposts]

Hi all,

Now we are getting "Ponni Puzhungal arisi" or better known as idli rice in most of the indian stores.....and the idlis come out quite good....The propotion which I follow is 3 cups of rice to 1 cup of urad dal. Try it out!!

[Oldposts]

I have observed a very strange (for me) thing.
After grinding the rice etc. we add salt and
mix with hand the dough, and is kept over-night
so that it raises. Well, the strange thing is
the amount of raising depends on the person who
is doing the mixing with hand. When I do it the
dough raises more, when my wife does it, the
dough does not raise much. Can anybody explain
the secret behind this. The better the raising
the tastier the idly, as everyone knows!

[Oldposts]

Hello Ramdas,
The reason is very simple.When you mix the ingredients in the dough with bare hands, what you actually are doing is adding Bacteria and other micro-organisms which are found on the human skin surface and the space in between nails of your fingers, to the dough.
Since you are going out more than your wife, or may be your wife trims her nails and keeps a very clean pair of hands, the dough does not rise more.
This is true of getting the dough ground at public maavu machines.Many in Madras and other places would have noted that when they get the Idly/dosai maavu ground at public grinding machines, the dough rises beautifully , where as, if the same is done at home, it does not rise similarly.The reason is that the cleanliness at the public machines takes a back seat so the grinder and the grinding man already have a lot of yeast and other bacterias in the system and they are added to your stuff. The result is predictable.
So simple !!!!

[Oldposts]

Hemant, are you serious?

[Oldposts]

Sushmitha,
I am more than serious.Please don't be alarmed by presence of Bacteria and yeast in the dough.Without that, there is no fermentation possible.
Whatever microbes that are there , get destroyed when you steam cook the Idlies or make Dosais.
You will be surprised to know that we and most of the Mammals have a permenent colony of Bacterias staying in our Gut , they help you to digest food by breaking down certain foods to fecilitate easier digestion.

[Oldposts]

Sush-

and, the whole yeast, fermentation, rising process of bread began with mixtures being kept outside and capturing "natural" bacteria in the air. That is how the american "sourdough starter" was born.

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Wow!
Thanks for the explanation, Hemant!

[Oldposts]

Kia ora, everyone.
Ggrrrreat!! Just asked about idlis in another thread. Had a very full rely, (thanks Sundar!) and then came across this thread accidentally, while looking for something else. Now I can really experiment a lot, with all this good advice. (Must stop washing my hands!)

[Oldposts]

This is just a recipe for making idlis.

Long Grain Rice - 4 cups or 2 cups
Urad Dal - 1 cup or 1/2 cup
meaning the ratioo 4:1

Soak rice and urad dal for 3-4 hours.
Grind the soaked urad dal nicely.
Do not add more water; just add only little for smooth grinding.
Grind the soaked rice somewhat coarsely but not to coarsely.
Mix both well adding salt to taste (1-11/2 tbsp)
Leave it for fermentation overnight. (Normally you should grind the stuff in the evening if you live in a hot country; If you are living in a country where the weather is usually cold, then you warm up the oven @ 200 degree F for five minutes and allow to cool for a minute then place your dough-container in the oven)

Note the ground batter should be well mixed with had when you add salt before you keep in the oven.

Next morning you will observe the level of the dough has increased due to fermentation.

Now you take an Idli Thattu and pour the batter a big spoonful to fill the idly mould and place it in the cooker with two glasses of water. Do not place ven weight. let the staem go out. After 5-7 minutes soft idlies are ready.

Idlies go with cocnut chuttneys, sambars, onion chuttneys, chillie chuttny, Tomato chuttneys and with Idli Podi.
Try this recipe, you will be astonished to have softest idlies.

Doss

[Oldposts]

hai,

I tried the idillies here.. in this proportion..

ponni puzhungal rice- 2 cups
sonamasuri rice(comes in orange colored bags) not parboiled - 1 cup

urad dal - 1/2 cup

baking soda - a pinch

salt - 1 tbs

soak rice and urad dal seperately.....for 5 hrs.
gring urad dal first and then grind rice seperately... mix all the things together with hand... after 12 hr.. U will get good batter to make soft idllis.

if u wish u can try all these..

if anybody knows how to make good naan please tell me..

[Oldposts]

can any one please tell how to make a soft rava idli

[Oldposts]

hai nages,

For rava idli...

Fry 2 cups of rava with a little ghee..for 2 mins and add 1/2 cup of fresh curd to it and keep it for 3 mins.
Fry mustard,jeera,urad dal,curry leaves,ginder,chillies and some chashews seperately in some ghee.
Mix everything together before u make idillies .
Add a little water to it..

pour it in the idlli mould and heat it for sometime. Now u will get soft rava idillies.. have it with onion chutney or idli milagai podi.. its wonderful. try it.

[Oldposts]

Can anyone help with suggestions , I live in Ireland where it is cold 10C/50F and damp. When i made my batter it took 3 days to ferment! plus I have an electric oven. The market has a mix but I haven't tried it.
I would appreciate any ideas as I so love iddlys!

[Oldposts]

Can anyone help with suggestions , I live in Ireland where it is cold 10C/50F and damp. When i made my batter it took 3 days to ferment! plus I have an electric oven. The market has a mix but I haven't tried it.
I would appreciate any ideas as I so love iddlys!

[Oldposts]

hi,

just came across this page while looking for rava idlis.. good. lemme try it out and tell u all how it was..

[Oldposts]

FROM RAMA KRISHNA IN INDIA.

EARLIER I HAVE LIVED IN US FOR A LONG TIME.
SIMPLE INSTANT IDLIES CAN BE MADE AS UNDER.

RICE RAVA AND YOURHURT TO ME MIXED WELL IN 1:1 ratio. ADD SALT. PUT THE BATTER IN THE IDLY PLATE AND STEAM IT. GOOD FLUFFY CREAMY IDLIES IN NO TIME.

ENJOY.

[Oldposts]

I've read a lot and tried a bit. Idli rava, par boiled, rice rava et all. I haven't gotten close to the REAL thing. Nor have people who've fed me idlis, in the US, I mean.

So strongly recommend the dosa maavu sold in Taj Mahal store in Dallas. The dosas made out of this are like the ones Mom makes at home in channai

[Oldposts]

Hi,
I've gone through enough trial and error for the whole world put together for idlis. Finally, this has worked.
Goya Canilla Long Grained rice- 4 cups (This rice is available in most american grocery stores)
Urad Dal-1 1/4 cups
Methi seeds- 1 tsp

Toast 3 cups of rice in a dry kadhai till it's snow-white and opaque. Then soak along with the other 1 cup of rice. Soak dal and methi together in another vessel.
Grind dal+methi. Then grind rice, adding enough water to help it grind. Mix both, add enough salt. Add more water, if necessary, to get a batter-like consistency.
In colder climates, just turn on the oven for a couple minutes. Turn it off and let the batter rest in the oven. Every 3-4 hrs, turn on the oven for a couple minutes. This'll help maintain some heat, which also helps the batter rise. Make idlis as usual.

[Oldposts]

Can anyone help please. I used to live in south India until the early 1950's and I remember a drink made with milk, sugar and almonds, very rich and rather like a thick milk shake. What is it called and how is it made ?

[Oldposts]

Hi,

I found this topic while trying to find the name of the rice that I have at home for making Idlis. My Athi purchased it while she was here at the Indian shop. I believe the bag says Puni Rice, but it is parboiled rice. This is the recipe that she taught me while she was here. My husband raves that I make the softest idlis and best Sambar.

1. Rinse rice and dal. Soak urad dal (split black gram) and parboiled rice separately in water for at least 2 hours.

2. Poor off most the water (reserve) and grind dal in wet grinder or blender until smooth and thick. Add some of the water the dal was soaked in if needed. Transfer to large bowl. If using blender, allow it to cool for 5 minutes before grinding rice.

3. Poor most the water from the rice and grind in wet grinder or blender until texture is like fine grains of wet sand. Add ground dal to blender with salt and blend one more minute to mix. (If all the dal will not fit in blender, add as much as will fit comfortably leaving some space for mixture to rise during blending.)

4. Pour mixture into large bowl and cover. Allow to sit out on counter or in warm place like the oven undisturbed until fermented and volume has about doubled. This will take between 12-24 hours in a 78% house and between 6-12 hours in 82% house. If using the oven, prewarm to lowest temp and turn off before putting bowl into oven.

To cook:
1. Spray idli trays with Pam cooking spray. Add two cups of water to bottom of pressure cooker and turn temp to high to heat water.

2. Stir mixture gently and ladle idli trays. Fill to level with tray – do not over fill or the idli will rise and stick to the next tray. Stack trays with air vents staggered and place into pressure cooker. Cover with lid and close vent. When pot comes to full pressure, reduce heat slightly, open vent and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and allow pressure to go off. Remove lid and allow steam to completely go off. Move trays to counter and let rest another minute or two. Transfer idlis to warmer (tortilla warmer works fine).

Serve with Sambar and Chutney.

[Oldposts]

what is 72% house and 82% house?

[Oldposts]

78% house and 82% house is how hot the house was Ferenheight - sorry for mix up.

[Oldposts]

Hi again,

I have been asked to share my Sambar recipe.


Ingredients:
1 cup Toor dal Kori or Mung dal
2 cups water
1 small head garlic, peeled and sliced (about 3 rounded tablespoons)
10 pearl onions, quartered or 1 small yellow onion, chopped
6 curry leaves
¼ tsp fenugreek seed
1 tsp urad dal
½ tsp black mustard seeds
2 tsp Sambar powder (MTR brand or homemade preferred)
1 Roma Tomato, chopped
6 drumsticks
1 carrot, chopped
1 small potato
3 TBL vegetable oil
1 TBL Cilantro, chopped
2 tsp Salt

Preparation:

1. Clean Dal and place in bowl with 2 cups water, half the onions, 6 cloves garlic, and 4 curry leaves. Place in pressure cooker with sufficient water, cover with lid and bring to full pressure. Reduce heat to med-high (enough to retain good pressure) and cook 15 minutes. Turn off heat and allow pan to cool gradually.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in pan on med-high. Fry urad dal, fenugreek seed, and mustard seed until mustard seeds pop. Add curry leaves and remaining onions. Sauté until onions begin to brown, about 4 minutes, stirring often. Add tomato and cook until tomato is mashed and dry, about 5 minutes. Add Sambar powder and stir well for one more minute. Add vegetables and 2 cups water. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 15 minutes or until veggies are tender.

3. Add dhal to frying pan when ready. If desired, rinse pressure cooker and save water for Rasam. Add salt and cilantro. Cook and stir gently for a few minutes. Check for salt. Serve with idli, dosa or basmati rice.

Note: vegetables can be varied - okra, eggplant, pumpkin, etc. A handful of greens can also be added. To reduce cooking time, veggies can be steamed prior to adding to masala.

[Oldposts]

Looking for grinders and mixie ?? to get your mouth watering idlis , vada ..dosa. ? By adding a grinder to your kitchen, it make your work as easy and simple.
Santha grinders Tilting model, Counter top model,Dry grinder and preethi Heavy duty mixie with 4 jars, all available in 110 volts for 1 year warranty to USA and Canada.
Vist us at www.perfectpeninsula.com for a more details and a very good receipe how to make soft idls & dosa.
email: info@perfectpeninsula.com .
If you have any questions feel free to call us at 972-691-0686.
A Rare collection Paniyarakal in Non-stick, a South Indian Dish for your kitchen is also available.

[Oldposts]

Want to make mouth watering idlis,vada ..dosa.???
By adding a grinder to your kitchen, it makes your work easy and simple.
Vist us at www.perfectpeninsula.com for a more details and a very good receipe how to make soft idlis & crispy dosa.Check it out !!
SANTHA grinders has, Tilting model, Counter top model,Dry grinder and preethi Heavy duty mixie with 4 jars, all available in 110 volts for 1 year warranty to USA and Canada.
email: info@perfectpeninsula.com .
If you have any questions feel free to call us at 972-691-0686.
A Rare collection Paniyarakal in Non-stick, a South Indian Dish for your kitchen is also available.

[Oldposts]

I think this is an ad.
If anyone wants to sell anything, they should request Forumhub admin for a free space for bulletin board where u can ask for a cook, or sell something.But using forum is not good.

[Oldposts]

hello Janet:

You have discusssed everything except the rice to dal propotions. I mean you missed out the most important thing I guess!!!

[Oldposts]

Soft Idlies:

Ingredients:
Long grain rice (Any brand) 3 cups
Parboiled rice (Can use Uncle Ben’s Parboiled rice) 1 cup
Urud dhal (Split Black Gram dhal without any black seed covering) 1 cup
Fenugreek seeds (Methi) 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Utensil:
Idli trays (You can buy this from Indian stores)
A sauce pan or a pressure cooker with lid, big enough to fit the idli trays inside. If you are using pressure cooker while making idlies do not use the weight on top of the lid.

Method:
Mix both rice together and wash them just once. Pour enough water to the washed rice and soak overnight. Clean Urud dhal with hand by removing small stones etc and wash it once. To this add 1 teaspoon Fenugreek seeds. (Don’t wash Fenugreek seeds before adding to Urud dhal.) This is to preserve as much wild yeast as possible in the rice and dhal mixture. Wild yeast helps to ferment the batter. Pour enough water to the dhal-Fenugreek and soak overnight.
Next morning, grind Urud dhal with Fenugreek seeds in a blender by adding water (use the water in which the dhal was soaked) little by little at a time until the Fenugreek seeds are finely blended. Make sure that you don’t add too much water. Remove the batter into a large stainless steel container, big enough to hold the fermented batter inside.
Now place half the amount of soaked rice in the blender and add just enough water (Use the water in which rice was soaked) and grind it to a sandy consistency. Add water little at a time to grind the rice to the desired consistency. To make Idlies the batter should not be too watery. Remove the rice batter and add it to the blended dhal. Repeat this process until all the soaked rice is grinded.
To the urud – rice batter add about 6 teaspoons of salt and mix the batter very well with hand. Cover the container with a lid and place it inside the oven. Heating up the oven to 100 degree F before placing the batter inside, hastens the fermentation process. In the evening check the batter to see whether it has risen well. If it has risen you can take it out and make Idlies or you can keep the fermented batter inside the refrigerator. Please do not stir the batter at this stage. You can store it for 2-3 days in the refrigerator and make Idlies later with the cold batter.
If the batter has not fermented well take out the batter and heat up the oven again to 100 degree F and then place the container with the batter inside the oven overnight until it rises up to the top. To be on the safe side you can place the container with the batter inside a tray or a basin and then keep it inside the oven. Sometimes the batter may overflow and if this happens you can catch the batter in the outer container.
After taking all these precautions the batter didn’t ferment, please don’t make idlies for they may be very hard. Instead make Dosas and surprise the family. ;)

Steaming the Idlies:
Pour water in a big container with a lid in which the idli trays will fit perfectly. Heat up the water in medium flame. Meanwhile grease the idli trays with ghee or non stick spray like Pam. You should not stir the fermented batter to such an extend to break all the bubbles that are formed inside the batter. The softness of the steamed idlies depends upon the number of bubbles that are caught inside each of them. Try to scoop enough batter from the edge of the vessel by gently mixing the batter at this area only and by not disturbing the entire batter. If you follow this procedure even the last batch of the idlies will be very soft. If you stir the entire batter at the beginning the idlies that are steamed last will be very hard for by then all the bubbles in the batter are broken.
Now fill the depressions in each idly tray with the batter and stack the idly trays one on top of the other in such a way that the filled idly depressions are not on top of each other. If they are placed directly on top of each other when the idlies are cooked they may rise and touch the bottom of the depression and the idlies may lose their shapes.
When all the trays are filled with batter place them inside the vessel in which water is heating up. Place the lid on top and cover the trays. It may take about 10- 15 minutes for the idlies to cook. Open the lid and test with a toothpick the doneness of the idlies. When the inserted toothpick is pulled out from the idly the surface of the toothpick should be clean. If the watery batter is seen on it, the idlies are not cooked. Steam it a few more minutes.
When done take out the trays and separate each of them from the other and sprinkle a little bit of cold water over them. Wait a minute or two and take out the idlies from the tray with a flat utensil like the handle of a teaspoon or a small knife blade. Keep them warm inside a wide thermos vessel (casserole) and place a paper towel on top and close the lid.
Serve Idlies with Sambar, coconut chutney and Idli powder.

[Oldposts]

Hi Chitra,

Thanks for such a detailed recipe. Can you please give your sambhar recipe and coconut chutney recipe in the same manner ? Thanks

[Oldposts]

Hello Archana,
Here is the Sambar recipe and hope that you like it.

Sambar (For a family of 4)

Ingredients:

Sambar Powder:

Fenugreek seeds 1 teaspoon
Coriander seeds 4 tablespoon
Dried red chillies 5 -6 ( can add few more if you like it very hot)
Asafetida 1 teaspoon

Heat up a small saucepan at medium heat and pour 2 teaspoon oil in it. Add Fenugreek seeds to it and stir it with a wooden spoon. When the color of the seeds turns to light brown color add the Coriander seeds to it. Stir the contents until the Coriander seeds acquire a golden brown color and a nice aroma is perceived. To this add the dried red chillies and then the asafetida powder and mix all together for a minute and remove the pan from the stovetop. When the contents cool down grind them to a fine powder. Let it cool and then store it in a clean glass bottle.
If you prefer you can buy the ready made Sambar powder from the store and use it instead. Read the name of the ingredients written on the packet and make sure that all these spices are included in the mix.


Vegetables:
Small onion (Shallots) 6
Or you can use 1 big onion
Ladies finger or Okra 8
Drum stick 8 pieces 1 ½ inches long
Tomato 1
Green chilly pepper 1 or 2 sliced
(you can add Bringal or eggplant, Potato and carrot to the Sambar if you like them)
Coriander leaves 2 -3 sprigs
Curry leaves 2-3 sprigs

Tamarind paste ½ to ¾ teaspoon

Asafetida 3 pinches
Sambar powder 2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder 1/4 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Ingredients for Seasoning:

Corn oil 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds 1 teaspoon
Dried red chillies 2 or 3 broken into pieces
Asafetida 1 pinch
Curry leaves 2 sprigs
Coriander leaves 1 sprig

Method:
Cook the Thoor dhal in a pressure cooker.
Take 2 cups of Thoor dhal and wash until it is clean. Place this in a pressure cooker and pour about 4 cups of water to it. Close the lid and place the weight on top of the lid and cook the dhal until the whistle blows once. Switch of the flame and let it stand there for 5 minutes. Now place the pressure cooker under running cold tap water until the pressure inside subsides so that you can open the lid safely. Keep aside the cooked dhal.

(You can cook 3-4 cups of dhal at a time and store the cooked dhal in small containers or zip lock plastic bags and place them in the freezer for future use. It will retain the flavor for almost 3 months.)

Peel and cut the onion in long slices about ½ inches thick. Clean and slice the Okra as long 1 ½ inch pieces. Peel and slice the Drum stick about 1 ½ inch long pieces. Cut tomato also as long slices.

Heat up a saucepan big enough to hold the prepared sambar over medium flame. Pour about 3 teaspoon Corn oil or any oil of your choice in the pan and sauté the Okra pieces for about 5 minutes until they lose the slimy nature and become a bit light brown in color. Take them out with a slotted spoon and keep aside. Add to the same pan the cut onion slices, green chilly pepper, Drum stick, ¼ teaspoon Turmeric and a pinch of Asafetida and sauté them for 2-3 minutes. Now add a cup of water, chopped coriander sprig





and salt and let them cook. When the vegetables are ½ done add the cooked dhal with water ( 2 cups), the okra pieces and tomato slices to the saucepan and continue heating for another 5 minutes.
Add to the above, ½- ¾ teaspoon tamarind paste dissolved in ¼ cup of water and let it cook until the raw smell of tamarind disappears. ( about 5 minutes) To this add 2 teaspoon Sambar powder soaked in a small amount of water to make it as a paste and continue cooking for a few more minutes. Taste the Sambar and add salt or Tamarind if you feel that it needs more. Let it boil for a couple of minutes and turn of the stove.

Seasoning:

Heat a small saucepan on the stove top and turn on the heat to medium. When it is warm add 1 tablespoon Corn oil to the pan and let it warm. To the heated oil add 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds and cover the pan with a dry lid to keep the seeds in the pan when it start to splutter. Now add Fenugreek seeds, dry red chillies, a pinch of Asafetida powder and curry leaves to the oil and immediately pour the oil with the contents into the Sambar. Add a long sprig of Coriander to the Sambar and push it down with a spoon. Close the lid and let the flavor soak into the Sambar.

[Oldposts]

For the above Sambar recipe you need 1 ½ cup of cooked Thoor dhal. Add water to this to make 2 cups while adding to the vegetables that are half done. I forgot to write this among the ingredients.

[Oldposts]

Hi Chitra,

Thanks for your prompt response and the sambar recipe. I am going to make it this weekend. Thanks once again.

[Oldposts]

Hello Archana,
Here is the recipe for the coconut chutney. Hope you enjoy it.

Coconut Chutney:

Coconut freshly grated or frozen 1 cup
Green chilly 1
Ginger ¼ size peeled
Thayir or Yoghurt 2 teaspoon
Salt to taste

For tempering:

Oil, Corn oil or according to your preference, any oil 2-3 teaspoon
Mustard seeds ½ teaspoon
Urud dhal ½ teaspoon
Dried red chilly 1
Curry leaves 1 sprig

Method:

If you are using frozen grated coconut, place it a microwavable dish and microwave for 30-45 secs, just to warm it. If you grind the frozen coconut as such it will get separated into oil and the color will also be not that white. Place the coconut, sliced chilly and ginger in the blender and pour just enough warn water and blend it to a fine consistency. Now add 2 teaspoon yoghurt and salt and mix well.
Heat a small saucepan to medium heat and add 3 teaspoon oil in it. When the oil is warm add the mustard seeds and cover the pan with a dry lid. When it starts to splutter add the broken red chillies, urud dhal and curry leaves. The urud dhal will turn its color to light golden brown. Now switch of the flame and remove the saucepan from the stove and let it cool for a minute. To this add the blended coconut chutney and stir well. Test the salt and adjust if desired. Transfer the contents to a serving dish.

For a variation, while blending the coconut you can add either 1 teaspoon roasted peanut or roasted channa dhal to it. It will give a different taste to the chutney.

[Oldposts]

Hi Chitra,
Thanks again for the chutney recipe. May I ask you to please also give your recipe for Paper dosa. Am I asking too much? Please forgive me. No hurry, post whenever you have time.

[Oldposts]

Hello Archana,
Here is the recipe for crisp, paper thin dosas. Ingredients and proportions are the same as for idlies. While grinding them you can add a little more water to get them blended to the correct consistency.

Paper thin or Crispy dosas:

Ingredients:
Long grain rice (Any brand) 3 cups
Parboiled rice (Can use Uncle Ben’s Parboiled rice) 1 cup
Urud dhal (Split Black Gram dhal without any black seed covering) 1 cup
Fenugreek seeds (Methi) 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
(The ingredients and proportion are the same as for idlies.)

Utensil:
Cast Iron dosa tawa or a non stick shallow pan.

Method:
Mix both rice together and wash them just once. Pour enough water to the washed rice and soak overnight. Clean Urud dhal with hand by removing small stones etc and wash it once. To this add 1 teaspoon Fenugreek seeds. (Don’t wash Fenugreek seeds before adding to Urud dhal.) This is to preserve as much wild yeast as possible in the rice and dhal mixture. Wild yeast helps to ferment the batter. Pour enough water to the dhal-Fenugreek and soak overnight.
Next morning, grind Urud dhal with Fenugreek seeds in a blender by adding water (use the water in which the dhal was soaked) little by little at a time until the Fenugreek seeds are finely blended. Unlike idli, you can pour enough water to get it blended finely. Remove the batter into a large stainless steel container, big enough to hold the fermented batter inside.
Now place half the amount of soaked rice in the blender and add enough water (Use the water in which rice was soaked) and grind it to a sandy consistency. The batter can be a little more watery than that of idly batter. Remove the rice batter and add it to the blended dhal. Repeat this process until all the soaked rice is grinded.
To the urud – rice batter add about 6 teaspoons of salt and mix the batter very well with hand. Cover the container with a lid and place it inside the oven. Heating up the oven to 100 degree F before placing the batter inside, hastens the fermentation process. In the evening check the batter to see whether it has risen well. If it has risen you can take it out and make dosas or you can keep the fermented batter inside the refrigerator. Please do not stir the batter at this stage. You can store it for 2-3 days in the refrigerator and make dosas later with the cold batter.
If the batter has not fermented well take out the batter and heat up the oven to 100 degree F and then place the container with the batter inside the oven overnight until it rises up to the top. To be on the safe side you can place the container with the batter inside a tray or a basin and then keep it inside the oven. Sometimes the batter may overflow and if this happens you can catch the batter in the outer container.

Method of making paper or crispy dosas:

Take out the fermented batter and mix it well. You can break some air bubbles in the process of mixing the batter. This will not affect the crispiness of the dosas.

Place the dosa tawa or non stick pan on the stove and spray Pam (non stick spray) on it and wipe it well with a paper towel. This you need to do just once at the beginning.

(Alternative method to season the pan before spreading the batter:
If you have a well seasoned dosa tawa or a non stick pan, before making the dosa you can also season it by rubbing it with one half of a big onion sliced in the middle to equal parts and dipped in sesame seed oil or any oil of your choice. Before making each dosa you must rub the pan with the cut onion dipped in oil. This method will give the under surface of the dosa a smooth glistening appearance. If the pan gets heated up during the process of making dosas and you have difficulty spreading the batter, wipe it with a paper towel dipped in ice cold water and then spread the batter. Experiment with these techniques and adopt the one you like the best. )

Turn on the heat to medium and let the pan get heated up. Now spray some water on the pan and see whether the water sizzles. If it does the pan is ready to make dosas. Take a small bowl and place a few ice cubes in it and then pour some cold water in the bowl. Take a paper towel and wet it in the cold water and squeeze it well. Wipe the tawa or pan with this wet paper towel. This is to lower the heat of the pan a little so that the dosa will stick to the pan uniformly while you spread it on with a ladle. If the pan is very hot the batter won’t stick uniformly and there will be empty spaces in the dosas.

With a ladle scoop the batter and place it in the center of the pan. Immediately spread the batter, starting from the center of the batter to the edge of the pan in concentric circles with the back of the ladle. Make smooth, continuous and uniform circles. Extend the circles from the edge of the circle you already made. By this continuous concentric movement you can spread the batter up to the edge of the pan depending on the amount of the batter you first placed in the center of the pan. With a little practice you will be able to do this with ease. Take a teaspoon of oil ( sesameseed oil, ghee, corn oil or peanut oil) and drizzle it on top of the dosa. Cover the pan with a lid for 30-45 seconds. With this process the dosa will get fried at the bottom and the steam will cook the top surface. Remove the lid and fry it to a golden color for a minute or two. No need to turn over the dosa since the top is already cooked with the steam created by closing the lid. You can use a spatula and slowly remove one side from the pan and fold it over the dosa. Now insert the spatula under the folded dosa and take it out.

Wipe the pan with the paper towel dipped in cold water (squeeze out the excess water before wiping the pan) and repeat the process until you make enough dosas.

You can store the left over batter in the refrigerator for later use. It will remain fresh for 3-4 days. You can also make dosas using the left over idli batter. Mix well the idli batter before you make dosas with it.
I hope this helps you to make paper thin crisp dosas.

[Oldposts]

Hi Chitra,

Thank you very much for taking so much trouble for giving such a detailed recipe. If I use Iodized salt, will that have any effect on the fermentation of the dough ?

[Oldposts]

Hello Archana,
I use Iodized salt and it hasn't affected the fermentation or taste of either Idly or Dosa. I wish you success and hope it turns out great!!!

[Oldposts]

Hi Chitra,

Thanks Chitra for your response. Chitra I have a question for you, While making basic masala for gravy, for one medium size onion what should be the proportion for ginger paste and garlic paste? When a recipe states 1inch piece ginger does that mean one tsp ginger paste and 5 garlic flakes means one tsp garlic paste? I am asking this because the size of garlic pods which I get locally are vary large and thick ginger roots, therefore when I take 5 garlic flakes and 1 inch piece ginger then everything goes wrong. What should I do ?

[Oldposts]

Hello Archana,
Regarding your question about Masala gravy, this is my suggestion. If the recipe calls for 1 medium size onion, use ¼ inch piece of fresh ginger root (or paste made with it) and 3 cloves of garlic or paste made with it. Make sure that you buy real Garlic. There is another product called Elephant Garlic with huge pods. They are not real garlic and they won’t give you the taste or aroma of garlic. Make gravy using this proportion of ingredients and see whether the taste suits you. Next time when you make this gravy you can increase or decrease the ingredients to adjust the taste. I hope I have answered your question. If not please let me know.

[Oldposts]

Hi Chitra,

Thanks for your suggestion. Tomorrow I will use the proportions you have given and let you know the results. Thanks again.
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[shivapriya]

hi,

I am in US too. I make idlies with this proportion and it came out very soft.

1 cup idly rawa
3/4 cup urad dhal

Wash and soak uradh dhal for 2hrs.
soak idly rawa by poring water till the rawa gets wet. Don't pour more water. you can keep this till you grind the dhal.

Grind the urad dhal to fine paste.

When mixing drain any excess water from the idly rawa and mix with the dhal paste. Add salt and mix well. Allow to ferment and make idlies.

Tips:

1. "swad" brand rawa is coarse. So grind it along with the dhal at final stage.
2. "nirav" brand is very fine and no need for grinding. This brand rawa is more white in colour. So you get very bright idlies.
3.Don't add water to the dough after fermentation. If we add water to make the dough of pouring consistency, idlies won't come out fluffy and soft. So make the batter to desired consistency at the time of mixing itself.

[Andal Balu]

Recipe for Idlies - with Idli Rice
Ingredients:
parboiled rice (Puzhungalarisi or idli rice) - five cups
Urad dhal - 1 cup

Procedure (quantities are approximate):
Soak 5 cups of Idli rice in water for at least 6 hours after washing it thoughly two to three times. Wash 1 cup of the urad dhal three times and then soak it in cold water for 1-2 hours. Start the Ultra grinder with 1/3 cup of water and when the stones are rotating slowly add the urad. Grind the urad for approximately 20 minutes. Remove the dough. Start the grinder with 2 cups of water and slowly add the soaked rice. Grind the rice for approximately 20 minutes using the water that was used for soaking the rice. Remove the dough. Add the left over water from soaking the rice and urad to the grinder and let is run for 30 seconds. This will clean the dough attached to the stones. Mix both the doughs, the water from the grinder vessel and salt (approximately 3 1/5 table spoon). The dough consistency should be in such a way that it falls freely from your hand. Ferment the dough overnight (desired at 80 to 90 deg F - keeping the storage vessel in warm water may help during the winter). Steam idlies as usual - cooking time approximately 15 minutes.
We have tried Ponni, Ravi and Ganesh brands. All the three brands work well but personally, we prefer Ganesh brand (available only in the west coast).
For five cups rice you get about 80 idlies.

If you want recipes using the Uncle Ben's rice, please refer to http://innoconcepts.com/recipes.htm

[Andal Balu]

For a healthy coconut chutney try this recipe - ( taken from http://innoconcepts.com/recipes.htm)
Recipe for Tofu Chutney:
Ingredients:
Coconut - 5 pieces of coconut each about 1" by 1/2"
Roasted Channa dhal - 6 teaspoons
Jalopeno pepper - 1
Hing - a small piece
Ginger - 1/2" piece
Tamarind paste - 1/2 teaspoon
Onion - small piece (optional)
Tofu - Extra firm style - 1" thick slab
Salt to taste

Procedure: Grind all the ingredients except tofu in the Wet grinder jar of InnoMix. Once the coconut is ground wel,l add tofu and 1 tbsp. water and grind until the tofu is blended well into a paste. Season with mustard, urad, curry leaves and serve with idli or dosa or vada.
If you want, you can blend the curry leaves with the other ingredients.

[muralee]

Hi,
I also live in US.
Thanks for the recipe of preparing the idlis.. I tried it and was successful in cooking the idlis.
But unfortunately my roommate refuses to accept it as an Idli.
Can we not prepare Idli using "Puzhungal Rice" ?

[pinku]

Hi,

Can anybody please clarify all the different types of rice used like long grain,par boiled,basmati,jasmine ,sona mansoori etc.Which one should I use for dosa and idlis and even if you can please specify the brand names available in USA

Thanks
Pinku

[Kz]

Hi Pinku,
Sona masoori is raw rice type and it is good for cooking rice for everyday meals.
basmati , long grain will be good for biryani, pulao etc. and they are more aromatic than the normal rice.

for idly u should use parboiled rice( pulungal arisi in tamil).
in shops u have to look for idly rice or par boiled rice, the brand names would be raja, shiva. these brands are common but i am sure there are some other brands too. i have tired raja and shiva and idly comes out good.
the proportion would be rice 4 cups and urad dhal 1 cup. idlies will turn out soft.
good luck,Kz

[rajsand]

Can anyone help?
When I grind Urad dal in wet grinder, it doesnt puff up. I soak it for 1/2 hr. I used to do this for a long time and I always used to get good idlis. But suddenly I am seeing the urad dal mixture doesnt increase in volume when ground. I tried cleaning my grinder and even tried soaking for a long time .. but didnt help.
Any suggestions?
Thankyou

[Kz]

Hi Rajsand,

It depends on the urad dhal quality. may be u can try soaking it for more than 1/2 hr, i usually soak for 4 hrs. u can try the whole urad dhal instead of the split ones. moreover for me so long it doesn't puff but now it is puffing well due to weather. but here it usually depends on the dhal.
kz

[deepali128]

Can i make dosa or idli with sona masoori. i don't want to buy a bag of boiled rice but i don't make dosa idli frequently. can anyone help.

[Kz]

Sona masoori rice is raw rice and for idly we use par boiled rice, so u wont get the same softness and taste if u use sona masoori.

i haven't tried so am not sure. idly wont be good but u can try for dosa.
kz

[deepali128]

thanx Kz,

would u tell me the proportion for dosa.

deepali

[Kz]

Hi Deepali,
I usually use the idly batter for dosa, so i can give u the idly proportion, 4 cups of par boiled rice an 1 cup of urad dhal and 1 tsp of methi seeds.
another proportion is 2 cups par boiled rice, 2 cups soma masoori rice and 1 cup urad dhal with methi seeds. this batter u can use for making kuli panniyaram too. it comes out too good.
kz

[rajsand]

Thankyou KZ
I tried using the whole urad dal also. Maybe I should soak a little longer/ maybe the weather.. Will keep trying
Thanx again

[tomato]

Hello Rajsand,
By any chance have u reduced the quantity of urad dal that u soak and grind? Sometimes if we try to grind too less of dal it won't rise much.(especially with grinders).

[khushi]

Hi,
I have the same problem too. My Idlis come out soft but somehow it doesn't rise much. Do you think adding soda would make a difference? I have seen some people add soda but don't know why they add it. Also, what should be the batter consistency? Please let me know.

-Thanks,
Khushi.

[gvb]

Hi All,
i make dosas and idlis only with boiled rice..
For dosa i soak 2 cups of boiled rice and 1/2 cup of urad dhal
For idli same 2 cups and slightly more than 1/2 cup of urad dhal (so as to get soft idlis).

Khushi,
the batter consistency has to be thick..Be careful while adding the water..Grind for some time,add little water..Like that...The consistency is very important for it to rise..Have u tried warming up the oven?It helps a lot in fermentation.I usually ,make uthappams the 3rd day with Idli batter and it just tastes awesome..

GVB

[khushi]

Hi gvb,
Thanks for the reply !!!
I don't have problem with the fermentation, I'm talking about the idlis rising after we cook it. When it is getting cooked, I can see that it is rising, but after I switch off the stove, the idli will have a small crack and it will flat it out. Please help.

-Regards,
Khushi.

[gvb]

Hi Khushi,
Whats the proportion and the rice u use?I make only with boiled rice..why do u try the proportions i mentioned?Am sure u will get very good results..U have to grind it thick though.

GVB

[khushi]

I use ponni boiled rice, urad dhal and methi seeds.
Idli rice - 4 cups
urad dhal - 1/2 cup
methi seeds - 1 spoon.

This is the proportion I'm using. I have tried several different proportions. Idlis when made are soft but it is almost flat at the top. I will try the consistency little thick this time if that makes any difference. I'm scared to try this thinking that idlis might be hard.
Please do let me know your thoughts on this. Do you know why people use soda for the idli/dosa batter?

-Regards,
Khushi.

[Kz]

Hi Kushi,
Do not add soda, with out adding soda u can get good soft idlys.
try the proportion gvb has said, for 4 cups of rice u should put 1 cup of urad dhal. ur dhal is less so it might be cracking more with this proportion u wont get soft idlys.
the consistency should not be very thick or too thin like dosa. u might also be cooking for long time so that it cracks. it will just take 5 to 7 min for each batch.
if it doesn't come out well still try changing rice to idly rice,( boiled rice only) ponni boiled rice is good for meals.
kz

[gvb]

Khushi
The amount of urad dhal is really v less..Try 3:1...urad dhal is always the culprit..I steam my idlies for 20 mins in medium..Anyways u can check by inserting a spoon if its done..Please do try this proportion and let me know.Am sure it'll come out well..
since there is only me and my husband i usually soak 1: 1/2.
Increase the urad dhal and u'll see the difference.

GVB

[khushi]

Thanks Kz and gvb for your replies.

There's a typo in the proportion, it should be 1 cup not 1/2 cup. Sorry about that. Didn't realize when I typed that. So I use 4 cups idli rice and 1 cup urad dhal. I have a 5 plate idli stand, I steam it for 12 -13 minutes in a almost high flame.

gvb, I have tried 3:1 ratio too before but again I will try. Let me know my steaming minutes and flame are right or not.

-Regards,
Khushi.

[gvb]

Okay Khushi i'll tell u what i do..I soak the rice and dhal from 8-5 b4 grinding... i take them out only in the morning..I cook in medium flame for 20 mins..i have not tried the 3:1 proportion myself since there is only 2 of us at home..But am sure one cup of urad dhal (heaped) shud be fine..Its not that big a deal..u just have to increase or decrease stuff with experience... :) Good luck..Let me know

GVB

[apujittu]

Hi all,
With Idli rice it came out well for me, by mistake I bought 20lb ponni Boiled rice ,it is not coming so soft. But my friend she does with ponni rice only she gets soft ones.
So for the past few days I have been trying to get tips from her. This is for Mixie:
1) when grinding urad dhal(use whole urad) pour water little by little so that you get nice fluffy grinded urad ,it should be like a ball and cold water helps.
2)Don't use the batter directly from fridge,(if you have kept it in fridge) keep it out for 1 to 2 hours before your pour Idli.
Since it is mixie when I use ratio like 21/2 :1 It turns out well!.
So it is basically trial & error till you find the right method that fits or suits you! :)

[R]

A simple tip for urad batter-if it floats on the water or after full grinding, you can see a small small holes in the batter itself. That means, grinding urad dal is enough.

I heard this tip: try soaked sago (a couple of tbsp) while grinding idly in order to get a soft batter.

[indu]

Hi khushi,
If you are using the pressure cooker to steam idlies, they may be flat due to high flame, try keeping on low - med. flame for only 12mins. Plus, once the stove is off, open the lid as soon as the hissing sound [remaining steam escaping] stops. If you leave it closed for longer time, the steam condensed inside the lid will make the idlis flatter. You can also try adding a little less batter than usual, in each mould, so that there is place for idli to rise. Good luck.

[tastemakers]

Hi

Can any body recommend a good idli cooker to be bought in US

Thanks

Priya

[riceandbeans]

Sorry my ignorance but can someone explain the difference between boiled rice and parboiled rice?? Can we find them in American stores and if so can you give some brand names to look for???

[Kz]

I am not sure abt the diff betw parboiled and boiled, but for good brands boiled ponni rice Lakshmi brand is good.
for parboiled idly rice Raja and shiva brands are good.

What brand basmati rice is good? i have so far tried only tilda and liked it, is there any other good brand? which give good flavour for biryani and pulao?

Kz

[tastemakers]

Hi Kz

As far as I have tried I find Royal and Himalaya brands good

Priya

[Kz]

Hi Priya,

Thankyou, i will try those.

kz

[rsankar]

Hi,

The following recipe is by Kamala Swaminathan from ammas.com.

Malligai poovu Idly

2 cups parboiled rice
2 cups raw rice
half cup poha
half cup cooked rice
2 cups coconut gratings
half teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt


Cooking procedure :
Soak parboiled rice, raw rice, poha in the water for about four to five hours. Wash and drain the water. Add half cup cooked rice and grind to a smooth batter. Grate the coconut and take out milk. Add this milk to the batter, salt, baking soda and mix well. Keep it for four to five hours. Mix well and make idlies..

Enjoy!

rsankar.

[rsankar]

I read this from one book....... If Idly didn't come soft, you can add 1 kuzhi karandi gingelly oil (nallennai) to this batter, it'll bring the Idlys soft.

rsankar.

[riceandbeans]

Hey, guys!!
Thank you for the replies. I will try once again and let you know how the idlis came out.

[riceandbeans]

OK. Idly batter is ready and fermenting. I had so much doubt as to how much water to add to the grinder when grinding the dal and the rice separately. It seemed both batters were getting too thick and heavy so I added more water to make it smoother but I really didn't know how much is too much or just enough. Anyway, I will only be able to tell tomorrow. I did try putting a little bit of the dal batter in water and it floated. what should be the consistency of the batter when ready and how much water should be used to grind??? Can anybody tell??

[pinku]

Hi KZ,

Thanks for your help.I really appreciate it.Sorry could not reply early as I was out of town.

Thanks once again

Pinku







Hi Pinku,
Sona masoori is raw rice type and it is good for cooking rice for everyday meals.
basmati , long grain will be good for biryani, pulao etc. and they are more aromatic than the normal rice.

for idly u should use parboiled rice( pulungal arisi in tamil).
in shops u have to look for idly rice or par boiled rice, the brand names would be raja, shiva. these brands are common but i am sure there are some other brands too. i have tired raja and shiva and idly comes out good.
the proportion would be rice 4 cups and urad dhal 1 cup. idlies will turn out soft.
good luck,Kz

[shreya23]

hi
for really soft idlis ,the best brand of rice is nandhi parboiled rice .for this rice has what they say in tamil 'nalla kannum'.it is especially very good to use when you grind in a table top wet grinder.even laksmi parboiled rice is good.
.bye

[smangai]

hi guys,
what is poha?
Smg.

[Pooh]

poha is aval (puffed rice)

[dev]

Puffed rice is pori...aval is pressed rice...am I right???...

[Badri]

Puffed rice is pori...aval is pressed rice...am I right???...

Yes...Aval is also called beaten rice and poha. (Hindi)..

Puffed rice is Bhel (Hindi) or Pori in tamil

[napolims445]

sbadri-
puffed rice by itself is not bhel.
puffed rice is just one of the ingredient in bhel.

puffed rice is mamra or murmura in hindi.