Idli

Idli is our permanent Sunday breakfast. Or else we prepare similar breakfast from idli family like Khotto,Mudo etc.Yes, 90% of the GSB's prepare it as Sunday breakfast I can say.I follow my Amma's recipe which she prepares with Idli rawa which gives a very good result. Idli is very easy to prepare provided you have idli moulds,high quality Black gram dal(urad) and an electric grinder. Definitely you may substitute idli moulds to a thali or a medium sized baking tray where the product is known as  "ramdan",usually we do it with leftover batter,secondly you may grind the batter in a blender or a mixer too.But yes,the result will vary, texture wise and the quantity.In our language we say idli as our "kuldevu" after dhali thoy
                           The best accompaniment with idli is chutney,sambhar or even Dhali thoy. Remember, I had posted Dhali thoy long back.My favourite combo is  sambhar onion Sambhar. Nobody can beat my Amma's sambhar. I just love her sambhar...With the same idli  batter you may prepare bullet idli, but for that again you need a special stand with small depressions.I got mine from Kerala but it is easily available in South India.
                            As a kid I disliked idli as it sounded boring but now I can gorge it for my breakfast,lunch and dinner.It makes the best and healthy travel food too.   Goes well with chutney pudi or pickle.Idli vada sambhar also make s a great combo.During travel my Papa used to let us eat only idli as it was better than other items but I used to dislike it so much then...Kids relish it with homemade butter and sugar too.
                         There is so much to write on this topic but I wont bore you'll anymore.But yes,with leftover idlis  we can prepare many dishes which I will post as and when I prepare.Coming up next Idli roast prepared with leftover idli.Until then stay tuned  :)
Ingredients:
Black gram dal(urad dal)-1 cup
Idli rawa-2 cups(I use Nilgiris)
Salt- to taste
Water-as much needed to grind the batter

Method:

  1. Soak urad dal for 5-6 hours or overnight.
  2. Next day wash it thoroughly and grind it in an electric grinder or blender until fluffy.
  3. Wash the idli rawa,drain the water if any and mix it with the ground urad dal and mix it well with a ladle and ferment it overnight or 7-8 hours.
  4. Next morning add salt to taste,water if needed and beat the batter well.
  5. Keep the batter medium thick,don't make it too thin nor thick.
  6. Grease the idli moulds and add a ladle of batter and steam it for 20 minutes.
  7. After 20 minutes switch off the flame,open the lid and take out the cooked idli.
  8. Wait for 5-6 minutes before you unmould the idli.
  9. Take a butter knife or a normal knife and unmould it carefully from the sides without breaking it,
  10. If the idlis are cooked perfect it wont break.
  11. Serve it hot with chutney or sambhar.



My notes:
If you have a idli stand you may steam it in a pressure cooker too by adding little water inside the cooker directly and keeping the stand on it,but do not put the whistle,steam it high  for 20 minutes.
I have tried the above  method but I avoid adding the batter in the bottom plate since there is a tendency of water bubbling over the batter and idli's turn watery.

 I didn't learn to prepare idli overnight,it took a lot of time to master with the trial and error.
At times I use traditional idli moulds which comes in separate cups in different sizes.




Labels: ,