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Making the perfect idli dosa batter at home is key to achieving soft idlis and crispy dosas. Here’s a simple recipe for idli dosa batter:
Ingredients:
- 2 cups parboiled rice
- 1 cup regular rice (sona masoori or any other variety)
- 1 cup split urad dal (black gram dal)
- 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)
- Water for soaking and grinding
- Salt to taste
Instructions:
Preparing the Batter:
- Soaking:
- Rinse the parboiled rice, regular rice, urad dal, and fenugreek seeds separately under running water.
- Soak the parboiled rice, regular rice, and fenugreek seeds together in one bowl. In another bowl, soak the urad dal.
- Soak them for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Grinding:
- Drain the water from urad dal and grind it in a wet grinder or mixer grinder with minimal water until it becomes a smooth and fluffy batter. The consistency should be light and airy.
- Transfer the urad dal batter to a large bowl.
- Drain the water from the rice and fenugreek seeds. Grind them to a smooth batter. The consistency should be similar to that of the urad dal batter. Mix the rice batter with the urad dal batter in the large bowl.
- Fermentation:
- Add salt to the batter and mix well. The salt helps in fermentation.
- Cover the bowl loosely and let it ferment in a warm place for 8-12 hours or overnight. The batter shou double in volume and have a slight sour smell.
Making Idlis:
- Preparing the Steamer:
- Grease the idli molds with a little oil.
- Bring water to a boil in the steamer.
- Pouring Batter:
- Mix the fermented batter gently. If it’s too thick, you can add a little water to achieve the desired consistency.
- Pour the batter into the idli molds.
- Steaming:
- Place the molds in the steamer and steam for about 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of an idli comes out clean.
- Serve:
- Allow the idlis to cool for a few minutes before removing them from the molds. Serve hot with sambar and coconut chutney.
Making Dosas:
- Consistency Check:
- For dosas, the batter consistency should be a bit thinner than the idli batter. You can add a little water if needed.
- Heating the Pan:
- Heat a non-stick or cast-iron dosa pan on medium-high heat.
- Pouring Batter:
- Once the pan is hot, pour a ladleful of batter in the center and spread it in a circular motion to make a thin dosa.
- Adding Oil:
- Drizzle a little oil around the edges of the dosa. Cook until the edges start to lift and become crisp.
- Flipping:
- Flip the dosa and cook for a minute or until the other side is cooked and has a golden color.
- Serve:
- Serve dosas hot with coconut chutney and sambar.
This idli dosa batter recipe provides you with a versatile batter that can be used to make both soft idlis and crispy dosas. Adjust the fermentation time and water content based on your climate and personal preference for sourness. Enjoy your homemade idlis and dosas!
