I thought there is need for this post as many viewers feel I use too little Urad dal. See recipe for idli batter here.
First proportion with Methiseeds gives the softest idlies. I got this recipe from our family friend who makes idlies every day. Its the staple breakfast for most families that hail from Chettinad.
The second one is for those who use a mixer or a food processor to grind.
The real magic needed to get super soft idlis is the technique used while grinding. A grinder is not used to forget about the batter till the grinding is done.
In a grinder:
When using a grinder soak the rice, methi and urad dal together. Soak for 6 hours. While grinding keep adding 1 table spoon water at regular intervals – about once in every 5 minutes. This is very crucial to get the best batter. You know the batter has turned out correct when its very fine and the consistency of the final batter is like cake batter ( for those who prepare cakes).
To be exact I would suggest that it is better to measure the amount of water also. If you soak 4 cups boiled rice (idli rice) and 3/4 cup urad dal and drain water completely before grinding, then you can add 2 and 1/2 cups water. First add 1 cup and the remaining keep adding as the batter absorbs.
This will definitely give you the right consistency. Mix with salt and leave for fermenting.
When you prepare the idlis, take out the required amount of batter in another container and mix with 1 or 2 table spoons water and make the idlies. This way the left over batter will remain fresh for more than a week.
In a mixie:
In the second proportion raw rice is added to make it easier to grind in a mixer. The same procedure as for first method has to be followed for grinding.
Hope these tips will help visitors to get their idli right.
nice tip…I normally grind Urud dal first to a fine paste and then add rest….
will try this way and see
Srivalli
http://www.cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com
I usually add a tsp of methiseeds, as my mom does.
I use mixie, but grind everything together and have never used raw rice.
Thanks for the useful tip. Will try it next time.
Latha I use a mixie for grinding the batter. Even I can soak rice dal togther?
methi seeds help in fermentation – i remember reading somewhere (really long ago) that it works like yeast.
archana, amma’s kinda busy today, so she wont be coming online. for mixie, she used to grind separately and would use proportion 2 mentioned in the link below.
check this link for details:
https://theyumblog.wordpress.com/2007/07/15/idli/
Archana, when you grind in a mixer you can grind only small portions. so just for convenience I have mentioned grind separately. Does’nt really make any difference.
In olden days they used to grind large quantities as they lived in joint families. so they ground separately. While I like to stick to the traditional methods, It should also be practical. 3/4 cup of urad dal is too small for my large grinder.
Most important is the consistency and smoothness of the batter that gives softness to idlies. I use the same batter for dosa also.
You can use both proportions whichever is convenient.
latha.
First time here…you have a nice collection of recipes and tips…Keep posting more such useful tips! Thanks!
Hi Latha!
I have a question – do you stir the batter before you take out the amount you are going to use? Should you stir it before you put it back in the fridge? My idli batter is good for just two days, after that I use it to make dosas.
Good question shyamala. If you want the batter to stay for longer,store in 2 containers.First day we need to mix well.Later take only the top portion.I never add water to the batter that I want to store for longer no of days.
Some people in hot climate store half the batter in the fridge right after grinding. Take out and ferment for a few hours as and when they need.
latha.
Hmm those are some nice tips…I always grind urad dal first and then add the idli rava.. or when i am using rice(rosematta) i grind them together …
will follow your method, esp the water proportion which is so well explained.
-mythili
Hi are you mythili Narayan, my somaya colledge friend? and
Karthika school too.
[…] Wash and soak the dal and rice for 6 hours and grind to a smooth paste. For detailed instructions click here. […]
Hello akka,
I can’t find whole urad in the grocery shop here. Can I use split urad dal in the same proportion?
Yes latha, you can use the broken variety also. latha.
thanks for the detailed explanation…i have tried doing this batter in both ways(grinding dal and rice together and seperately)and in both mixie and grinder….the batter looks good but the idlis doesn’t look white its like slight creamish or whatever,,,,is it the problem with urad dal?any tips for buying urad dal?the idlis stay soft just for 5 mins and then they are hard…can u help?
HI,
Can you lease suggest some tis for best fermentation in cold countries like US especially in winter.Please suggest an easy way to make the batter for bachelors.
Regards,
Syed.
u can keep the batter in the oven and keep the light on…..so that batter will ferment easily….
Thanks for the tip.I have never tried methi for making idlis.
Will try this method next time when i make idlis.
http://simplyaroma.blogspot.com
Hi Latha akka and Lakshmi,
Came here through Srivalli’s blog.You’ve got an amazing blog here and the tips for making idli and dosa batter is superb.I use a mixie and grind urad dal and rice seperately.Even my batter looks slightly yellowish in colour..:-( any tips on that?
Divya.
Hi I work in Indonesia and I bought some Rice Flour and Udad Flour from the US. But now I dont know how to proceed….what is the proportions, how long do I soak it, inside the fridge or outside?
So many questions! Anyone has tried using rice and udad flour before?
Any help will be good help!
Thanks,
Gita
Wow.. Very useful tips.. I used to grind urad dal first and then rice.. Next time shall try ur way.. and thanks for the proportion of water to be added 🙂 !!
hi, i just read your tips on storing batter for longer time.
i have made a huge quantity of batter . i have put in 3 diff containers. the container tht i will be using tomorow i have allowed to ferment today night. i wud like to know what to do with other 2 containers. should i freeze or simply refrigerate them ? or should i allow them to ferment And THEN freeze them ? Also , how long will these 2 batters stay fresh? can i allow them to ferment next week?
pls tell me as this is my first attempt at making idlies but we are a small family n we dont need this much batter .
i need all the help i can get .so pls help everyone !!!!!!!
thankss
HI…
i’ve never made a dosa before.i tried once with rice and urad dal but i don,t know where was the fault…it was sticking to the tava..can u tell some facts and tips..
Hi Mami ,
My idls are not good ! 😦 its alwys so sticky and it looks like a stone ! god ! i make teh batter as ! 4 cups of boiled rice , with 1 1/4 cup of ulad dhal ! and methi seeds 1 spoon ! help required ! thanx in advance .
Hi
I use idli Rava to make idlis and the texture is never consistent. Either my proportion is wrong or i shouldnt use idli rava.
The proportion i use to make idli wth rava is 2 cups rava to 3/4th of urad dal and some methi seeds.
Any suggestions on the proportion and if idli rava is the best method?
Regards
Vidya
hi,
can you clear me wich type of rice is sutable for soft and spongy idlis
seba
Hi,
I am staying in a country were i get only raw rice and par boiled rice, every time make idli it does not turn out in good, its sticky, we don’t have grinder only mixi is available, can you please giude me regarding the rice measurement and how much water to be used
rani
Does the cup mentioned in the recipe represent US cup (236/240 ml)? The resulting consistency was too thick when I tried 2-1/2 cups of water for 4 cups of rice and 3/4 cup of urad dhal. I used a 240 ml cup for measuring.
Thank You so much for sharing the recepies.My idlies cudn’t
have turned out more perfect .:)
Hi,
We have tried to make the dosa batter for more than 4 times now. And every time it turns out awful.
First of all we use 2 cups of uncooked (8 minute) white rice, we add one cup of urud black splitted dal, one teaspoon of methi seeds and a few tbsp of yellow dal. This we soak for about 7-8 hours and than mix it well with 1.5 cup of water, up to a smooth batter. We warm the oven up to 180c and turn it off and store the batter in an iron pan for at least 12 hours.
Than we heat a frying pan with a little bit of oil and prepare the dosa as suggested. The result is a dosa that doesn’t taste properly cooked.
What are we doing wrong, we really love dosa, so please give us some suggestions.
Thanks,
Thijs en Laura
The rice:dhal ratio is either 3:1 or 4:1 depending on the rice quality. Good dosa or idli needs good rice both raw and parboiled. You may have to experiment couple of times to get the right consistency.
Hi
Good tip. we tried it is nice&soft.
Thanks,
Dhananjay
hello!
you have a very nice blog here and i rather stumbled upon it when i was searching for the ‘maavu’ proportion.
since my husband is highly into eating idli and dosa, i am trying out all kinds of proportions. right from my mum to mum-in-law.
idli seems to work out for me but not dosa…. so i will try out ur recipe today and let u know how it comes out.
one more Q: do u know for how long to cook idli in the microwave? coz each time i try it comes out like rocks and sometimes not cooked properly inside.
would love to hear on that coz my sis-in-law also finds the same problem!
glad to see recipes coming…
thanks a lot too.
regards
poornima
Hi
i just want to know can i use any rice for idli. The place where i live i cannot find idli rice or idli rawa very easily.
so what should be used? please let me know
thanks
priya
If you r having problem with the batter try freshly made fermented batter, in La area we have Alka’s batter it is the BEST…..i think is also available in Arizona,Las vegas and Seattle.
Try it, no need to bother with soaking grinding and fermenting
better use EATWELL instant Rice idli Mix to get the consistancy in your idlis everytime.
i want make best idli and dosa for my south indian restaurant, then please suggest me how i make best idli and dosa.
send me the recepies of idli and best bosa
i am a tamil iyer girl i want to know the dharmapuri side of varalakshmi virtham i don’t know that i don’t have my mamiyar
thanks akkas please mail me
Hi this is kolam, rangoli, rangoli design,rangoli pattern, rangoli kolam, diwali rangoli,flower rangoli,muggulu, rangavalli,Tamil Kolam, Indian Kolam, Kolams for festivals, Kolams for various occasions,pongal kolam designs,pongal kolam, history of kolam, kolam significance,design, dots, lines, curves, powder, lime, chalk, stone, rock, rice, turmeric, flowers, floral, birds, animals, idols, gods, swan, peacock, sparrow, crow, ducks, butterfly, butterflies, bird, animal, elephant, cow, deer, lotus, rose, sunflower, daisies, lamp, lamps, diyas, agals, flame, conch, conches, shells, star, stars, sun, moon, geometri.
Hi,
I tried to make dosa batter a couple of times but unfortunately, the dosa is good in the process, the fermented batter stinks so bad that I am at the verge of giving up preparing dosa !! Can you help…iv tried to use different rice in the process and have experimented with basmathi, boiled as well as sona masoori raw rice !! My entire kitchen stinks bad ! please help.
Thanks in advance
Divya,
My dosa batter had an awful smell when I added methi seeds. That was the only time that the batter smelled. So I now use on plain Urad daal and idili rice
Hey,
I wanted to know if I can use idli rava instead of boiled rice in the portion 2 idli batter recepie. I cant find the boiled rice in the indian grocery store … please help.
First wash Rice & urad dal seperately. We are 3 members at home so I take 2 glass of rice & half a glass of urad dal. Put some methi seeds in the rice. Soak for 6/7 hrs. The I grind the urad dal first then the rice & 1 handful of cooked rice. Don”t add to much of water. Let it be thick. Add salt to taste & keep overnight to ferment.
I thought of sharing this with you all .
I live in Florida . Fed up with lack of time and tediousness of grinding fresh dosa batter , I was pleasantly surprised to find stone ground and fresh homestyle dosa batter named Avighna on the Indian store shelf . I tried one tub and the dosas came out to be the most perfect ones I have ever tried !! My husband went to the extent of saying it was far superior fermented than my own !!
The batter comes packed very thick and I could add water and easily get more than fifteen perfect crisp dosas from one reasonably priced tub .
I have decided to treat myself to this easiest form of joy every week and store the grinder for good in the garage !!
hi,i am making dosas for the first time…but i think my batter is too watery,could u plz tell me what should i do to make it thicken…i just hope they turn out well…
If the weather is cold & the batter doesn”t ferment easily, I boil drinking water at night & keep the batter vessel above the water vessel. In the morning the batter rises beautifully. And always the rice urad dal should be washed properly so the batter doesn”t smell.
hai i want details about company to take dealer ship
Is Rice: Urad dal ratio same for Dosa & Idly?! OR they are different?
What if I dont have Rice Rava can I use jasmin rice or basmati rice?
Hi, a very imporant query! Is it ok to add the same water in which the urad daal has been soaked?? I have been getting mixed review bout this one.!
Regards
Natha
Hi, i heard that it takes an hour in wet grinder to grind odli batter but can someone advise me how long to grind it in mixie? Thxs
i made dosa batter with 3 cups raw rice and 1 cup split udal and half tsf of methi.But after doing dosa after overnight it turs to be hard after leaving some time.I have added ater also .How to rectify
Thank you for sharing and I want to share information about Madras Bistro which offers a wide range of delicious North and South Indian vegetarian dishes. Situated in the heart of Bergen County, Madras Bistro is located in Hackensack, NJ.
My dosa batter smells awful. I had soaked urad dal mixed with. yellow moong dal ( siru paruppu). It had. Got. Mixed by mistake. Is there any trick to. reduce the smell . I dont like to. throw off so much of my hardwork… Pl help !