Favorite idli recipe?

[gingerpeach]

Would anyone be so kind as to share a favorite idli recipe? I bought an idli steamer last weekend and would like to try it out, but somehow, our usual boxed mix doesn't seem to do its Indian heritage justice. Any input on how to give my new steamer a proper welcoming would be appreciated. Thanks!

[worm@work]

Hmm, gingerpeach.. I have sooo many favorite idli recipes. Almost all of them carry specific smells and memories attached to them

First things first, do you have a mixer/grinder where you can grind fresh batter at home?

- worm@work

[Monica Bhide]

Would anyone be so kind as to share a favorite idli recipe? I bought an idli steamer last weekend and would like to try it out, but somehow, our usual boxed mix doesn't seem to do its Indian heritage justice. Any input on how to give my new steamer a proper welcoming would be appreciated. Thanks!

Gingerpeach - I did a class with Chef Vinod on South Indian breads and idli was part of the class. You can view it here Recipe and pics!

[Monica Bhide]

Another India forum link on Idlies

[gingerpeach]

Hmm, gingerpeach.. I have sooo many favorite idli recipes. Almost all of them carry specific smells and memories attached to them 

First things first, do you have a mixer/grinder where you can grind fresh batter at home?

- worm@work

worm@work, thanks for your offer! I have a small food processor and an immersion blender. Will either of those work?

[gingerpeach]

Gingerpeach  - I did a class with Chef Vinod on South Indian breads  and idli was part of the class. You can view it here Recipe and pics!

Monica, thank you for bringing my attention to the excellent class. The pictures are great and I can't wait to try out the recipes. I saw the other post you referenced but was looking more for a specific recipe. Now that I know that there are different styles of idlis, I will have to work my way through them to figure out what my favorite style is.

[worm@work]

Hi Gingerpeach, An immersion blender will work very nicely . It's just that in my experience homemade batter has a taste of its own that 'ready mixes' simply cannot achieve. Monica's links are wonderful and I used the recipe from her South Indian breads class to make appams and they were incredible. You are in good hands, so I suppose you don't really need a recipe from me . My favorite kind of idlis are the plain ones (soft and light and fluffy like clouds) and the Kancheepuram ones with curry leaves and chillies et al. PM me if I can be of any help and good luck..

- worm@work

[Suzanne F]

I have a question about idli-making: I recently bought a cast-iron Aebleskiver pan -- it's actually for making little round puffy Danish donut-type thingies. But I'm thinking that it might work for idli, although not necessarily for steaming them (cast-iron, and all that). I'm having a look at the idli recipes and wonder if they can be fried or baked -- is that possible, or anathema to good South Indian cooks? Is the essence of idli that they are steamed? (In which case I'm out of luck, I guess. )

On the other hand: can I use an American egg-poacher to steam them?

[Peppertrail]

I have a question about idli-making: I recently bought a cast-iron Aebleskiver pan -- it's actually for making little round puffy Danish donut-type thingies. But I'm thinking that it might work for idli, although not necessarily for steaming them (cast-iron, and all that). I'm having a look at the idli recipes and wonder if they can be fried or baked -- is that possible, or anathema to good South Indian cooks? Is the essence of idli that they are steamed? (In which case I'm out of luck, I guess.  )

On the other hand: can I use an American egg-poacher to steam them?

←

Idli is always steamed in south India. I doubt if the batter is good for baking. However, paniyaram is a pan fried dish which uses a batter very similar to idli batter along with fresh green chilies, curry leaves, onion and other spices.

Egg poachers work just fine for idlis.

Ammini

Edited October 13, 2004 by Peppertrail (log)

[Suzanne F]

Thanks, Peppertrail. I looked up recipes for paniyaram on food.sify.com (formerly Bawarchi), and found one that calls for idli batter as a base, to be cooked in a tin with seven holes -- just like my Danish-style pan. So I just might be able to do it.

BTW: I was really surprised by the idli at Devi -- crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. That's unusual, isn't it, to treat them that way?

[Peppertrail]

Thanks, Peppertrail. I looked up recipes for paniyaram on food.sify.com (formerly Bawarchi), and found one that calls for idli batter as a base, to be cooked in a tin with seven holes -- just like my Danish-style pan. So I just might be able to do it.

BTW: I was really surprised by the idli at Devi -- crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. That's unusual, isn't it, to treat them that way?

←

Suzanne:

I haven't tried idli at Devi. That sounds interesting.

Ammini

[Suzanne F]

Ah yes, looking back at your post, I see that you didn't. Well, they were unusual, and a treat:

The idli were quite different from previous versions: instead of just round steamed pillows, they were little pyramids, greaselessly deep-fried, so they were "crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside." David, who is supposed to abjure all coconut, decided it was worth going off the diet for a bit of the accompanying coconut chutney. And Caroline said that even plain, the idli were very tasty.

is what I said about them on the Devi thread. They are smaller than the pyramid of kulfi, and come six to an order, sitting on top of a mound of coconut chutney. Just lovely!

[Geetha]

firstly no one here has seemed to mention the unusual rava idli, you might want to try it as a diversion from the classical idli, rava is the ingredient mixed in proportion to the other idli maavu(batter ingredients) like urad dal of ourse and rice. Anybody got the list of the nutrient make up of urad dal used worth checking out. I did look at the packing of urad dal flour to find its make up and found out it has 9 gm proteins for 19 - 20 gm of carbohydrates. I would like to add that since idlies are considered poors man food in south india or rather every day food now it is for energy, and it is a well balance of all nutrients if you will for a poor mans income. At that same time delicious because it does justice to cause of light food.

I was thinking on these terms and the mention of how devi serves up crisped out side idlies seems fantastic to me..

I have not tried out making idlies at home, so my point of view is only of providing benefit of doubt, to the cause of easier methods, and I have complete respect for the other methods of grinding etc, it serves to taste good. But when you're time is of immense value and you want to enjoy good food tell me of a short cut you wouldlove to try out.. hmm

I use a short cut for prep of dosas now some might raise your hands to say now now this and idli thread.. the anmswers to that lies of course that I know the idli batter rested for few more hours in summer and a whole day more in winters is the key to difference in the batters for idli (former) and dosas(latter the rested one).

Well now comes the short cut part, the fact you needn't grind it to perfection serves me good. Also you needn't waste time to soak the grains and cereals.. for 24 hrs before grinding them.

Okay the key is to get Urad dal or papd flour from the indian stores, and rice flour from any stores even in local grocer. Another is to keep proportion of the urad dal and rice in same ie of 1:1. If you use the grinding method it cause effective aeration(urad dal on grind becomes fluffy and remains so longs after it too at least for a day or too so you make good fluffy idlies out of the resultingbatter) which means you need use a lot lesser than the dry-pre ground flour if used..

One main draw back is to accound for the cost ratio. If you're a regular south indian food fan ofcourse you'd buy urad dal in bulk as well as the right rice in bulk. Where as

buying the temporary amounts of urad dal off the stores or buying the ground flour is same cost really. Also it is automatic. This is not ready made mix ofcourse. But cuts your prep time to half.

I hope I covered the main points of this topic as in

1. Right raw materials

2. Right ratio according to the raw material

Thank you for your interest in south indian food. I've grown a lot of appreciation myself over the years as have many of my folks abroad

Love

Geetha

edited: out of finicky consciousness for correctness

Edited October 14, 2004 by Geetha (log)

[Geetha]

Aha my main point too before I draw back, can you use the muffin pan for baking the steamed idlies. I'd like to try it out myself make it like it sounds from others description on crispy outsides with our trace of oil. Seems challenging. Aha;)

Geetha

[Suzanne F]

Muffin pan!! Brilliant!!! I just bought a nonstick mini-muffin pan, and could probably rig something with it in a roasting pan on top of the stove to use as a steamer first. Then just rub each piece with a bit of oil and put it in a hot oven to crisp the outsides. And that way, make 24 pieces at a time instead of only 7.

Thank you thank you thank you.

Edited to add: http://food.sify.com/ does have several recipes for rawa idli and rawa paniyaram. And lots of other variations, too.

Edited October 14, 2004 by Suzanne F (log)

[Geetha]

I just made my second batches of idlies today some how I need to challenge myself on a whole new level each time to make the idlies.

I tried grinding the mix my self the last time I made em and now I used the pre-ground flour's of rice and urad dal.

And interesting to say the method of using the muffin is very useful and handy too.. though I saw some idli-plates on store of patel bros I'm not buying it because I just have run out of space in house.

Besides the crock pot serves a good set of oven/steamer combo. I've noticed that it cooks on the sides to brown it and steams it if I've left water boiling away underneath of it. One point here is I used the wire-tray they provided to keep the muffin sheet above it .. one drawback I can make only six med-normal sized idlies at a time and it takes 10-15 mins for a batch to complete. But then I can have it even at the end of the day and they still taste good after keeping all day outside of fridge.

I also love eating the idlies later on in the day with accompaniments of idli podi .

Mmmm long since I had home made idlies I like em like my mom made and though I'm near perfect I'd love to go a little further god knows where to

Thanks again all of you for rekindling my liking for idlies here for long I resisted my attempts to make idlies at home now I know I'd love to make em for good reasons health is one ofcourse and taste too yeah thats all that matters I mean the latter ofcourse