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.
Servings: 30 idlis
Calories: 88kcal
Equipment
- Bowl or Pot
- Wet grinder, mixie, or blender
- Idli stand with plates or Idli molds
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
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
- Place the batter in a warm place and ferment for atleast 8 hours or overnight until the batter doubles. It becomes bubbly and fluffy at this stage.
- Add salt and gently stir the batter once or twice.2 tsp Salt (approx)
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.
Video
Notes
- 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.