Soft Idli | Idli Batter Recipe
Make soft and fluffy idli at home with fermented urad dal and rice batter—the most popular and healthy, protein-packed South Indian breakfast recipe.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Resting Time8 hours hrs
Total Time8 hours hrs 35 minutes mins
Course: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: South Indian
Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Low Fat, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 30 idlis
Calories: 88kcal
Bowl or Pot
Wet grinder, mixie, or blender
Idli stand with plates or Idli molds
- 1 cup Urad dal (Split black lentils)
- 3 cups Idli rava or Rice rava (can also use idli rice)
- 2 teaspoon Salt (approx)
- 2 ½ to 3 cups Water (approx) for batter
Soaking dal
Nicely wash the urad dal 3 to 4 times in water. Soak them in fresh water for atleast 6 hours.
1 cup Urad dal
(if using idli rice instead of rava, you will have to soak rice in a bowl separately here)
Make idli batter
Nicely wash the idly rava or rice rava in water. Nicely squeeze the rava and transfer them to a big bowl or pot.
3 cups Idli rava or Rice rava
Drain the water from the dal. Add the drained dal to the grinder and grind with little water in increments until it becomes fluffy, thick, and smooth.
2 ½ to 3 cups Water (approx)
Transfer this to a bowl with rice rava. Mix well using a spatula or hand.
Fermentation of idli batter
Steam idlis
You can steam the idlis in a pressure cooker without weight, an instant pot, a steamer, or a pot with an idli stand.
Add 2 cups of water to your pressure cooker or steamer and bring it to a boil. Grease your idli plates. Pour idli batter into each mold. Place the idli stand in a steamer or pressure cooker and steam for about 10 to 12 minutes on a medium flame.
Remove the idli stand and let it sit for 2 minutes. Now using a spoon, remove the idli from the idli plates.
Serve it hot with sambar or chutney, and enjoy.
- Dal plays a more vital role in fermentation than rice. So using lesser rice or rice rava will have more health benefits and also makes your idli softer and lighter.
- This is a traditional recipe from generation; no cooked rice is used to make idli.
- We like coarse idly and thus do not grind the rice rava, but if you like a smooth, spongy texture, grind the rice rava once with urad dal.
Calories: 88kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.03g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 157mg | Potassium: 21mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.02g | Vitamin A: 0.3IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg