Soft Steamed Idli from Fermented Rice and Urad Dal Batter

What you need

• 400 g (2 cups) idli rice, or other parboiled short-grain rice
• 100 g (1/2 cup) whole skinned urad dal
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 20 g (1/4 cup) thick poha, flattened rice
• 1 1/2 tsp salt, non-iodized if possible
• oil, for greasing the moulds

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Rinse the rice 3-4 times until the water runs almost clear, then cover it with plenty of fresh water.

2. 2

   Rinse the poha once and add it to the rice bowl.

3. 3

   In a second bowl, rinse the urad dal with the fenugreek seeds and cover with fresh water.

4. 4

   Leave both bowls to soak for 5-6 hours.

5. 5

   Drain the urad dal, keeping the soaking liquid. Grind the dal and fenugreek, adding that liquid in small splashes, about 120 ml in all, until the paste is smooth, white and fluffy.

6. 6

   Scrape the dal paste into a large bowl that leaves room for it to double.

7. 7

   Drain the rice and poha and grind them with a little fresh water to a thick paste that still feels slightly gritty between the fingers.

8. 8

   Add the rice paste to the dal paste with the salt and mix well with a clean hand for 1-2 min. The batter should be thick but should still drop from a spoon.

9. 9

   Cover loosely and leave in a warm spot for 8-12 hours, until it has roughly doubled, smells pleasantly sour and is full of small bubbles.

10. 10

    Bring about 2 cm of water to a simmer in a steamer or wide lidded pot.

11. 11

    Grease each mould with a thin film of oil. Stir the batter gently without beating out the air, then fill each mould almost to the top.

12. 12

    Set the stand in the steamer, cover and steam over medium heat for 10-12 min, until a skewer pushed into the centre of an idli comes out clean.

13. 13

    Take the stand out and let it sit for 3-4 min.

14. 14

    Run a wet spoon around each idli to lift it out. Serve hot with sambar.

Imported from vegrecipesofindia.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.