Idli/Savory Fermented Steamed Rice-Lentil Cake

Idli/Idly is a steamed Savory Fermented Steamed Rice-Lentil Cake served as breakfast. These beautiful soft fluffy Idlis are made with the same Dosa batter. It's a pure bliss to savor freshly steamed soft idlis with a bowl of Sambar and some chutnys.

Perfect Idli/Dosa batter needs the certain type of rice, the proportion of the lentil and rice, proper fermentation and batter consistency. I use Idli rice but any non aromatic rice except sticky rice would be fine too. Soaking rice and white lentil for 6-8 hours prior to grinding in hot summer days helps fermenting the batter very well. During hot summer days it takes much faster to ferment. Adding little fenugreek seeds helps the batter ferment too and adds flavor to the batter. The consistency of the batter must be thick to ferment. There are different ratios and I am happy with 3:1 rice and white lentil with the addition of some beaten rice.

Sambar

Tomato Garlic Chutney:

1/2 lb. chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp minced ginger
5-6 red hot fresh chilies

1/4  tsp lemon juice or to taste
1/4 tsp salt or to taste
1/8 tsp turmeric

2 tsp + 1 1/2 tsp oil
1 pinch hing
1/8 tsp black mustard
1 dry red chili
2 curry leaves

Method~Heat 2 tsp. oil on high flame in a medium pan. Saute tomato, onion, garlic, ginger,  chilies, lemon juice with salt and turmeric for 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook for 6-8 minutes covering the pan. Tomato mixture will be mushy and thick. Turn off the heat and let it cool for awhile. Blend it to a smooth paste. Taste and adjust salt, spice and sourness. Heat remaining oil on high flame. temper mustard seeds, let mustard seeds splutter , then add  hing, dry chili and curry leaves. After a few seconds pour over the chutney. 

Coconut Peanut Chutney:

1/2 cup grated coconut
1/4 cup roasted peanut
1/4 cup dry roasted hulled black chickpeas
1 fresh chili

1/4 tsp salt or to taste

1 1/4  tsp lemon juice or to taste
1 1/2 tsp oil
1 pinch hing
1/8 tsp black mustard
1 dry red chili
2 curry leaves

Method~Place first four ingredients in a blender and blend it to a smooth paste. Add water as needed. Add lemon juice and salt at the end. Mix well. Taste and adjust salt ,sour and spiciness as required. Heat oil on high flame. Temper mustard seeds,  let mustard seeds splutter, then add  hing, dry chili and curry leaves. After a few seconds pour over the chutney. 

For the idli battter~

1 1/2 cups Idli rice

1 cup Urad dal/white lentil  

1/4 cup beaten rice/poha-

1/4 tsp methi seeds 

1/3 tsp pink salt      

Method~

Wash all the ingredients separately 3-4 times. Soak rice, urad dal and poha mixed with fenugreek seeds separately with just enough water for 6-8 hours(longer is better). Drain water and reserve it. First grind urad dal and poha to a fine paste adding little by little soaked waterTransfer it to a bowl that is bigger than the quantity of batter because it will rise during fermentation, then grind rice to little course consistency. Mix the batter with a spatula. Do not add extra water and refrigerate reserved water. Keep the bowl in a warm place to ferment well for 10-12 hours. After nice fermentation add little reserved water to make pourable consistency but not too thin, thicker than Dosa batter and give it a good stir.

Brush oil inside the Idli mold. Place green coriander leaves(optional) in the mold and fill the mold with 3/4 full batter. Fill the Idli steamer with 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Place the molds in the Idli steamer, close with the lid and cook for 8 minutes until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean. If using pressure cooker remove the whistle. Do not overcook, or else Ildils are gonna be hard. Wait for a few minutes and gently scoop out with a spoon. Serve with Sambar and Chutney. Store left over Idlis and reheat in the microwave with sprinkling some water. 

Happy Cooking!