How to make the fluffiest idlis of your dreams

This post tackles the subject of South India’s carb staple. The humble Idli. There are several supporting actors in this cast but Idlis are the focus today. These steamed rice cakes are not made easily or on a whim. Time, preparation and dedication are all mandatory to get to perfectly soft, pillowy idlis. I will take up space at the end to tout the goodness of this foundational South Indian dish but, as always, recipe first. Story next. Standard procedure around these parts 🙂

Ingredients List:

Main Ingredients:

Urad Dal – 1 cup
Rice (Uncooked) – 4-5 cups
Salt – 4 tbsps
Whole Fenugreek Seeds – 1 tbsp

Appliances & Utensils Needed:

Wet grinder
Large oven-safe bowl
Spatula

Method:

Soaking the ingredients:

Measure out 1 cup of the urad dal (Both split and whole work for this recipe). Wash twice and drain. Then soak in lukewarm water.
Measure out the rice. I do 1 cup idli rice, 1.5 cups basmati rice, 1.5 cups ponni rice. This is a total of 5 cups of rice for 1 cup of Urad. Check chef notes below for additional tips and variations.
Wash the rice twice and drain. Soak in lukewarm water.
Add the fenugreek seeds to the rice bowl.
Set aside both the rice and urad dal to soak. 4 hours to overnight.

The Grinding Process:

Step 1: Load the urad dal into the grinder

Step 2: A fluffy, smooth Urad dal batter.

Step 4. Grind the rice to a coarse consistency.

Step 5. Set aside the runny, coarse rice batter.

Step 6: Combine the rice and urad batter with salt and mix well

Step 7: Store covered in the oven with the light on for atleast 8 hours/overnight.

Set up the wet grinder.
Drain the water from the urad dal. Fill up with a cup of water and load into the wet grinder. Tip: Start the grinder first and then load the dal to avoid the stone from getting stuck. Add just enough water to get the grinder going.
Grind the urad dal for a total of 45 minutes. You can set a timer and check a couple of times during this 45minute period to scrape down the sides of the grinder and to add water as needed.
The urad dal batter is supposed to be thick and not runny. It also needs to be very smooth i.e. no unground dal particles at the end of the grinding period.
When done, remove the batter from the grinder into an oven safe container large enough to hold both the urad and the rice batters when they are done and with enough room for the batter to rise while fermenting. I use a stainless steel bowl for this.
Once the batter has been fully transferred to the bowl, restart the grinder (no need to wash). Add the rice and just enough water to get the grinder going.
Grind the rice for a total of 15-20minutes. The batter consistency we are going for is coarse and a little runny. So some rice particles can remain unground while others get pulverized.
Check a few times during the 20minute period to scrape down the sides of the grinder and to add water as needed.
When done, transfer the rice batter to the bowl with the urad dal batter.
Add 4 Tablespoons of salt to this bowl. Mix the urad batter, rice batter and the salt well (this takes atleast 20 turns of the spatula in the bowl).
Cover the bowl with an oven-safe lid.
Place the covered bowl in an empty oven.
Turn on the oven light. Do not heat up the oven.
Leave the batter in the lit oven overnight. This is the period where the batter gets to ferment. The oven light offers enough warmth to slowly aid the fermentation process. This can take anywhere from 8 – 15 hours. The longer it ferments, the softer the idlis.
Once done, give the batter a thorough mix. It should have ‘risen’ indicating fermentation process. A slight sour smell should accompany the risen batter. This is also a positive sign of adequate fermentation.

Cooking the Idlis:

Prepare the idli cooker by filling the pot with about 2 inches of water and place on the stove to come up to a boil.
Meanwhile, spray the idli trays with some oil to prevent the batter from sticking while it steams.
Scoop out the batter into the prepared trays. Place the trays into the cooker. Cover and let it steam for 15minutes on medium heat.
The idlis should now be ready to eat!

Additional Chef Notes:

Ratio & Proportions: Classic method calls for 1 Urad: 4 Rice (cups). There are multiple variations I’ve tried but my standard recipe is what I’ve laid out here. Follow this for foolproof soft idlis every time. So my recipe involves 1 Urad: 5 Rice. And I do this primarily to make enough batter for two weeks for a family of 5. Key Note: It does not impact the outcome i.e. the fluffiness of the idlis. So go with what makes sense for you quantity wise.
Types of Rice: Classic recipe uses a single variety of rice – the short grain version specifically labeled idli rice that is typically only used to make idlis. Everyday rice consumption does not happen with this variety except in the form of idli batter. I’ve tried and tested multiple versions and iterations before I settled on this recipe that I’m sharing here today. A mix of rice varieties adds to the flavor of the idlis and dosas you make from this batter.
Additionally, you also have the opportunity to introduce healthier versions i.e. brown basmati, red rice etc into this to pump up the goodness of this batter! Some ardent idli lovers would say the fluffiness of the idlis carries significantly more weight than the appearance (which isn’t snow white if you add brown or red rice varieties). Other idli aficionados may say that we eat with our eyes first and a idli that isn’t pure white wouldn’t make the cut to the next level. I happen to be Camp fluffy. Pick your rice based on whichever camp you fall into. My goal with the idli experimentation was to get the softest idlis I could sink my teeth into. The addition of the fenugreek also affects final appearance (adds a tan tint). Skip this if you want pure white idlis.
Optional Ingredient (Fenugreek): Now the idli batter also becomes dosa batter after day 2. So, to further extract the goodness out of this batter, we add things that will yield perfectly brown, crispy dosas once the soft fluffy idlis have been made. Enter Mr. Fenugreek. No bitterness but perfect browning when we do turn out dosas!
Fermentation: Irrespective of which things you choose to follow from this recipe, ensuring you pay attention and respect the fermentation process is pivotal to a successful outcome. Do not short change the duration. This will ensure that the batter has enough time to rise naturally. The oven light being on during this time may seem trivial but no. For those living in cold countries, this ensures that the batter has just enough warmth to aid the fermentation without cooking the batter. Those in tropical climates can get away with leaving the batter out at room temperature. This step will also take a little bit of experimenting to find the ideal balance of warmth for the right duration to get to the best risen batter. Be patient and allow a few tries to perfect this step.

The Backstory

I find it hard to put into words how strong a grip idlis hold in my life 🙂 For as long as I can remember, idlis have graced the dining scene in my household. A childhood staple. A comforting presence every week. Frequently for breakfast and sometimes for lunch or dinner. And not just at home. We would eat them at hotels and restaurants. A quick stop or takeout at Gowri Shankar across the street from where we lived in Chennai or Saravana Bhavan if we were out and about in the city. Sometimes we would even order idlis to go from Hotel Kuppusamy. This time it would come with some dark, peppery chicken gravy. We would scoop up these delicious steamed wonders with whatever accompaniment showed up. Chutneys of all kinds, the sweetest most delicious sambar and of course chicken or mutton curries and kormas. The list was endless.

When I moved to the US, I craved idlis and just could not get easy access to them like I used to back home. Over time, this started my quest to master the art of idli-making at home. Not for the light-hearted cook looking for easy, quick recipes. This one demands expertise, patience and a certain length of time. There is no rushing the authentic process. There are several ‘quick’ and ‘instant’ idli options that never truly come close to the real thing. They are OK substitutes when in a pinch but never there to stay permanently.

Everything from choice of ingredients to the right wet grinder was looked at. I settled on the process above and these days it turns out almost exactly the same way every single time! I hope and wish the same for anyone who wishes to try these out 🙂

The exact grinder I have can be purchased on Amazon here: Ultra Grind Wet Grinder. But there are newer models since. So check those out and pick one that fits your need.

And then of course, I do have recipes for accompaniments to this star of a carb. Do check those out if you want to recreate the magic of a south Indian holiday breakfast tradition.

Happy Cooking!

Idli & Chicken Korma — Idli + Chicken Korma

Idli + Egg + Tomato Chutney + Coconut Chutney

To explore more of my recipes with some interesting backstories, checkout my blog series here: Food Blogs.

And of course to learn more about me, my blog origin and what my posts are about, read this post I wrote on the subject: Blog Intro.