Idli with sambar

Idlis are fermented mini pancakes that are eggless and vegan. Very nutritious, they are relished for their taste. If you visit South India, you will get idlis served on banana leaves (instead of plates) with Sambar (pictured above) and/or a coconut chutney (I will cover chutney next week).

So, how do you get this shape?
You use something called an Idli tray (available at most Indian/Sri Lankan stores). This tray has stacks of perforated plates that allow the idlis to steam uniformly.

What if you don't have a tray?
Just use a slightly deep vessel that can be used in your pressure cooker/steamer. You can then cut the steamed batter into slices or rectangles and serve.

Now that we have covered some questions, let's get cooking -

Ingredients for Idli
I am using glass measurements here

1/2 glass urad dal skinned (rich in iron and vitamins) Pl note: skinned is without the black covering(shell)
1/4 glass Flattened rice (pohe)
2.5 glasses Idli Rice (this is a special kind of plump rice available at Indian stores)
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
Salt to taste
Water

Method for fermentation -

Wash the urad daal separately and the Idli rice + Pohe separately.

Let them soak in water separately for 6-8 hours in summer and 12 hours in winter. Before the soaking begins, add the fenugreek seeds in the urad daal +water mix.

The water should be about an inch and a half above the level of the daal and rice + pohe mix.

After the soaking is done, first take the soaked urad daal  and water (if any remaining) mix ( the water should be mostly absorbed by now. If water is too less, add half a teacup, not more! Grind this well. It should be thick.

Pour this in big deep glass container.

Next in the same grinder, add the rice + pohe mix.

Grind. The rice can be slightly coarse but not too coarse.

Now add this to the container with the ground urad +fenugreek

Mix well.

DO NOT ADD SALT at this stage!

Allow this mix to ferment overnight. If you are doing this in winter it can take up to 15 hours for fermentation. You should keep this in a warm place to aid fermentation.

In the morning, the batter should have bubbles ( if you live in a cold place) and should have risen (if you are in warm place).

After fermentation when  warm

After fermentation when in a cold country/during winter

Add the salt now (not more than 1 teaspoon) and mix.  The batter should be thick. Look at the picture below to understand the level of consistency.

Consistency of batter

Now, oil the idli trays or the vessel you intend using.

Add the batter and allow to steam for 20 minutes. I use a WMF steamer so I don't have whistles or other indicators. I just set it on the first mild steaming setting.

Once the steamer is ready to be opened, take out the trays or the tray you have used carefully.

With a teaspoon, scoop out each idli from its mould in the tray.

Serve hot with sambar!

The remaining idlis can be refrigerated ( we never have leftovers :D) or you can use the batter the following day to make fresh ones. Please keep the batter refrigerated and use within a day because the batter can get spoilt if kept too long. You can always finish off the batter and make idlis and store them in the refrigerator for 2 days.

Now, here's a quick way to make the delicious Sambar.

Ingredients

2 glasses toor daal (pigeon pea) soaked in water for at least 1/2 an hour.
2 teaspoons Sambar masala ( available at the Indian store. If you can't find it, let me know so I can write down a quick recipe to make it yourself)
1 mid sized potato ( peeled and chopped into blocks)
1 carrot (peeled and chopped into mid sized blocks or roundels)
2 drumsticks (chopped into pieces) If you can't find these, it's okay to not have them in the sambar but they do add a special flavour

Chopped drumsticks

6-8 okras chopped into mid sized pieces.
4 baby brinjals (aubergine) chopped into mid sized pieces

Baby brinjals + Potatoes

1 big tomato chopped into blocks
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
3 cloves garlic
1 big onion chopped into slices
Salt to taste
1/2 tablespoon tamarind pulp soaked in 1/2 teacup warm water.

For tempering
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon asafoetida powder (for digestion)
1/4 teaspoon urad daal
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 dried red chili (Kashmiri type works well). If you don't have this, use red chili powder when boiling the daal
1 teaspoon sunflower oil
3- 4 curry leaves (use dry if you can't find fresh)

Method

Boil the daal along with the all the vegetables listed above and the tomato, turmeric, sambar masala, garlic and onion. DO NOT ADD the Okra till the last 10 minutes because Okra doesn't need too much time to cook and will disintegrate in the sambar if cooked too long.

Once boiled, temper this with the ingredients listed under, "tempering". Be careful while doing this as the daal mix can erupt because it's hot. So my suggestion is keep the heat on low around 5 minutes before you add the tempering. Also, always use a vessel with a long handle and keep a safe distance.

Once the tempering is done, cover the vessel and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

Switch off the gas and serve hot with idli.

Variation

You can also try making crispy Dosa (eggless crepe/pancake) using similar fermentation technique that goes well with sambar. Press this link.
OR
If you have a sweet tooth and want something fermented, try my grandmom's buttermilk dosa. Press this link.

If you have no patience to attempt fermentation and still want something healthy (vegetarian and dairy-free), try my great grandmother's Dill Pancakes ( yes! Dill! that Herb!!:D). Recipe link here

Happy cooking!

Please don't hesitate to send me a message or write if you get confused or lost. For more cooking adventures, follow me on instagram @aajisthaalifood

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