Soft Idli recipe

IDLI IS A WHOLESOME MEAL FOR THE BREAKFAST. Nothing is better than a soft idli with a bit spicy , loads of coconut, tempered along chana dal & garlic. to die for. By this u can say I am the die heart fan of Idli and extra coconut chutney.

I would see the way my mom would soak the rice, dal and then grind it and then leave it to ferment. She used to put damp muslin cloth on idli mould and used to steam idli. this was a regular festive ritual in my house and i knew that we would get steaming hot soft idlis or dosa with chutney for breakfast.

I was thinking that time its very easy to prepare idli...when i actually started preparing the batter and then idly...then i came to know its easy to make batter but not so easy to make soft and fluffy idlis

As far i know fomentation is important to get best results for idlis and dosa...so definitely temperature and favourable environment for wild yeast to ferment is really needed

After so much of research on this, i got some ideas to make idli soft and fluffy

1. Add handful poha/cooked rice

2. Methi seeds with urad dal and poha

I went for 2nd option. Finally i got the desired textures for idli and even dosa became crisp and got beautiful golden color

INGREDIENTS:

Basmati rice or sona masoori rice or regular rice 2 cup 

Urad dal/black gram( skinned whole or skinned spilt) ½ cup 

poha/flattened rice ¼ cup 

fenugreek seeds ¼ tsp 

water as required

salt

oil to apply to the idli moulds

METHODS:

1. Take both the rice and urad dal in different bowl and wash them.
2. Soak the rice and poha in water for 6 hours.
3. Soak the urad dal with methi seeds separately for 6 hours.
4. Drain the soaked urad dal. reserve the water.
5. Grind the urad dal, methi seed with some of the reserved water till you get a smooth and fluffy batter.
6. Grind the rice to make a smooth batter.
7. Mix both the batters in a large bowl. Add salt and mix well.
8. Cover and let the batter ferment for 8 hours. In cold temperatures you can easily keep the batter for about 12-16 hours or more. (The batter will become double in size and rise after the fermentation process is over.)
9. Mix the batter gently.
10. Grease with oil the idli moulds and pour the batter in the moulds.
11. Steam the idlis in a steamer for 10-12 mins or until the idlis are done.

Serve the steaming hot idlis with coconut chutney and sambar.

Note:  You can store the batter for 2-3 days.