Idli (Steamed Rice Cake)

Basic Idli recipe for beginners. Idli plate is required to make Idli.

Ingredients

• Idli rawa (or parboiled idli rice) - 4 cups
• Urad dal - 1 cup
• Salt to taste

Method

• Soak idli rawa and urad dal separately for 4 hours
• Grind urad dal smoothly by adding water
• Grind the soaked idli rawa coarsely
• Mix grounded idli rawa, urad dal and salt together as a thick batter
• Ferment over night and the batter will raise in 8 to 10 hours
• If you live in a colder place, you can pre-heat the conventional oven for 10 minutes and turn it off and keep the batter inside
• Boil water in the idli / regular cooker (just steam and do not whistle in regular cooker)
• Grease idli plate with oil and pour batter in the idli plate
• Steam it for 7 to 10 minutes
• Take the plates out from the cooker and wait for 2 to 3 minutes to cool down
• Using spoon remove the idlies from the plate
• Serve hot with chutney

Tips - If you use idli rice, soak it for 4 hours and grind separately into a coarse paste and mix it with grounded urad dal.

Nutritional Information

• Fermented idli batter has pro-biotic bacteria, which is not destroyed by the acids in the stomach
• Pro-biotic bacteria is known to improve colon health
• 1 Idli = 75 calories approximately