Hello buddies. Looking for a recipe to make fluffy and delicious idlis, yes? In one of the previous posts I had shared the recipe of rava idli and masala rava idli. Today I am sharing the recipe idli made from rice and white urad dal. Believe it or not, the taste of rice idlis differs a lot from rava idlis. When the batter is well-fermented, it smells pleasantly sour.
Parboiled rice is your best bet when making rice idlis. Some people often suggest using basmati rice for making idlis. But trust me, idlis made from basmati rice are not really good. They feel like rubber and taste bland. On the other hand, idlis made from ordinary rice turn out well. Idlis made using parboiled rice are the yummiest and softest, according to my experience. You can have these idlis with sambhar or chutney, or both. I served these steaming hot idlis coconut chutney that was tempered with mustard seeds and some red chili flakes. It was a heavenly meal.
We need to use 3 parts of parboiled rice, 1 part of urad daal and some cooked rice. Cooked rice gives softness to the idlis. For some extra flavor, we will add some fenugreek seeds or methi dana to the batter. This recipe will yield about 25 idlis of medium size. Let us now see how to make rice idlis.
Ingredients
- Par boiled rice – 3 cups
- White urad dal – 1 cup
- Cooked rice – 1/2 cup
- Fenugreek seeds – 3/4 tsp
- Water – 1 to 1 and 1/2 cups or as needed
- Salt – To taste
- Oil – To grease the moulds
How to Make Rice Idlis
- Properly wash the parboiled rice for 4 to 5 times. Soak it in enough water for 6 to 7 hours, so that the water rises at least 3 inches above the water. Similarly in another bowl, wash the urad dal and fenugreek seeds together. Soak them in enough water for next 6 to 7 hours.
- You will notice that the urad dal and parboiled rice have increased in volume, almost doubled up.
- Drain the water and now we will grind the rice and daal.
- First grind the urad dal-fenugreek seeds in the mixie. You can grind the dal in 2-3 batches. Add in some water whenever needed to make a smooth yet thick paste. If your mixie starts making noise, it means you need to add some water.
- When done properly, the ground urad dal will look fluffed up, thick and smooth to touch.
- Remove the ground urad dal into a large container. Grind the remaining urad dal in the same fashion.
- Next, grind the parboiled rice and cooked rice together in 2-3 batches. Use minimal water. The rice batter doesn’t feel as smooth. It feels a bit coarse, like fine semolina. Make sure you grind the rice batter thick.
- Transfer the rice batter to the same container containing the urad dal batter. Grind the remaining rice in the same fashion.
- In the end, mix the urad dal and rice batter well. Make sure the vessel / bowl is half-full. The batter will need space to expand as it ferments. Put the lid on and keep the container in a warm space in your kitchen. Allow the batter to ferment for about 6 hours. If the weather is cold, it might take 8 to 9 hours instead.
- After the batter has fermented, it’s time to make idlis. Mix the batter well in the container itself. Remove the portion of the batter you need to a bowl. Add salt to taste.
- Prepare the idli maker, fill it with water and keep it on the stove to come to a boil. In the meanwhile, grease the idli moulds and fill them with the idli batter till they are 3/4 full.
- Transfer the idli moulds into the idli maker and steam the batter for 10-12 minutes on high flame, till the batter gets transformed into fluffy idlis. Turn the flame off and allow the contents to cool down a bit. Carefully remove the idli moulds out. Scoop out the idlis with a spoon. Rice idlis are ready to be had.
- Serve hot with sambhar or chutney. I served the idlis with coconut chutney.
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