Comments on Cilantro: Homemade Idli Batter~Tips for soft Idlis

Gopal, Thank you for your feedback on my work and ...

2012-01-12T22:10:01.420-06:00

Gopal,
Thank you for your feedback on my work and it means a lot to me. Sorry about the confusion. There are so many brands now available and I assumed it was another brand.

I'm not sure but I guess if the fenugreek is o...

2012-01-12T16:04:51.655-06:00

I'm not sure but I guess if the fenugreek is old then it may not help the idlis to sponge up or we tend to wash the fenugreek or discard the water and hence the wild yeast is also discarded.

And ELGI (LG Industries) is the name of company in Coimbatore than makes the Ultra table top, sorry about the confusion.

I bumped into this site last week while searching for ambur style briyani recipe, You have so many wonderful tips, pics, cooking steps and most of them are authentic. Amazing work !!

Happy cooking !!

GK

Gopal, Thank you for taking time and giving your v...

2012-01-12T13:44:42.611-06:00

Gopal,
Thank you for taking time and giving your valuable tips. I was not aware of the wild yeast and I am going to add it to the tips in the post. I have an Ultra and not an Elgi.
I was soaking Fenugreek while grinding and what I noticed was it makes the quantity of the dhal more and the idlis turn out flat and hence I stopped using them. I do agree that it is very good health wise. What I do is I use the sprouted fenugreek powder while making Dosai.

Cilantro, nice and very helpful blog !! I see a El...

2012-01-12T13:06:16.397-06:00

Cilantro, nice and very helpful blog !! I see a Elgi table top in your pics, I have one too, a factory manufactured 110 volts and love it :)

Here is another tip to use when the batter does not raise (ferment) properly.

Soak little bit of fenugreek (methi) seeds, Do not wash or discard the water and add it to the rice when grinding. There are three added benefits to this.

1. Health benefits of methi and its seeds are well known
2. Adds a light brownish yellow color, especially when making dosas.
3. The most important one, the fermentation is caused by air-born wild yeast. Urad and Fenugreek seeds draw the wild yeast from air. So do not over-wash Urad Dal or Fenugreek seeds, as it will wash away the collected wild yeast.

And I've always noticed the batter ferments better when mixing the batter with hands.

Happy cooking !!

Gopal (GK)

Anonymous, Idli rice is a different variety of ric...

2012-01-12T12:01:20.860-06:00

Anonymous,
Idli rice is a different variety of rice and it is sold in most Indian stores. Its is little short and not as white as sona masuri rice.
More about Idli rice @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idli.
I have used the food processor to grind the Dhal and rice can be ground in a blender. The food processor will help aerate the batter while the blender will not.
I have also ground the dhal in a blender and used the whisk to aerate the dhal. Hope this helps. Let me know.

I am not sure, the steam should be let out so stac...

2012-01-12T11:51:59.356-06:00

I am not sure, the steam should be let out so stacking them to me is not a good idea. I have not tried but I have heard people doing it. If you were to close the cups then I recommend using a plate with some holes to let the steam out. Or you could steam in a cooker vessel that usually comes with the cooker and cut them to pieces. Let me know.
I have seen idli plates sold at most Indian stores and you could look for one in your area and there are few that could be microwaved.

What is idli rice? Can the batter be ground in a ...

2012-01-12T04:57:52.744-06:00

What is idli rice? Can the batter be ground in a blender?

Yes...idlis are the healthiest food on earth acc t...

2012-01-12T03:23:29.153-06:00

Yes...idlis are the healthiest food on earth acc to my dad too!!! Thx for this useful post ;)
Prathima Rao
Prats Corner

Perfectly explained! Sure going to benefit many! :...

2012-01-12T00:57:03.013-06:00

Perfectly explained! Sure going to benefit many! :) Happy new year and pongal :)

Ah, I see. Thanks for the info, and for the qui...

2012-01-11T20:28:21.874-06:00
Ah, I see. Thanks for the info, and for the quick reply!
Great idea, do you think I can stack the steel bowls on top of another in pressure cooker & steam so that I can make more idlis at once? ... or the bowl shouldn't be covered with another, the way idli stand has spacing & isn't covered?

I have not had this problem, maybe its the dhal. L...

2012-01-11T20:18:03.329-06:00
I have not had this problem, maybe its the dhal. Let me know if you happen to change the brand.
Try add some fenugreek to the dhal while soaking.

Nisha, This how it was made before the Idli stand ...

2012-01-11T20:16:54.253-06:00
Nisha,
This how it was made before the Idli stand arrived. The plate will have holes for the steam to pass thru and hence the cloth was used over it. The idli turns out great when using this method and the texture and looks are traditional.
When you don`t have a steamer, apply some oil to small cups and pour batter into the cups and steam in pressure cooker.

I hadn't heard or seen the cloth method. Wh...

2012-01-11T18:02:25.256-06:00
I hadn't heard or seen the cloth method.
Why do you use it?
And do you know how I can make idli if I don't have steamer insert and idli stand?
I only have pressure cooker at home, that's all!
Thanks :)

Soft idlis looks fabulous,useful post for many of ...

2012-01-11T11:14:15.319-06:00
Soft idlis looks fabulous,useful post for many of us.

very helpful post Aarthi http://yummytummy-aart...

2012-01-11T11:02:03.585-06:00
very helpful post

Aarthi
http://yummytummy-aarthi.blogspot.com/

I too agree with u that home made idlis r the best...

2012-01-11T10:22:13.435-06:00
I too agree with u that home made idlis r the best and I too believe in soaking rice and dal and grinding and making soft idlis.
indu srinivasan

Wow nice post...idlis looks soo soft

2012-01-11T10:21:23.960-06:00
Wow nice post...idlis looks soo soft

very nice post. I also make the same way as you. B...

2012-01-11T09:51:21.102-06:00
very nice post. I also make the same way as you.
But this time after coming to the US again, Iam unsuccessful in getting good idli's.The texture of the Idli is good and soft but I keep getting that raw urad dhal smell even after keeping it out for more than 12 hours..May be its the dhal or this place..any thoughts on that :)