Thursday, October 8, 2009

Dosas & Idlis

I started making idlis and dosas from scratch only after I came to the US. Until then, I had only used the already made batter. Anyhow, a roommate who became a very good friend of mine, first taught me how to make dosa batter using just the regular rice instead of raw rice. She also taught me a little trick for the batter to ferment well as winter lasts for almost 4 - 5 months in the part of the US that I live. I'm going to jot that down here so that others could benefit from it.

Dosa

Ingredients:

Split white urad dhal - 1 cup (using a measuring cup)
Uncooked rice - 2.5 cups (using a measuring cup)
Cooked rice - 1/2 cup (using a measuring cup)
(Using cooked rice is the trick to quick fermentation)
Salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Soak the urad dhal and uncooked rice separately for about 5 - 6 hours.
2. Wet grind the urad dhal and rice (the soaked uncooked rice and the cooked rice) separately such that the batter falls easily but is not runny, mix them both in a container and let it sit outside for about 12 hours (this is variable) for it to ferment and rise.
3. Once the batter is well-fermented, add salt and refrigerate.

You can keep it for nearly 1 - 2 weeks and enjoy a whole variety of dosas with a wide range of chutneys and other side dishes.

Idli

Ingredients:

Split white urad dhal - 1 cup (using a measuring cup)
Coarse idli rava - 2 cups (using a measuring cup)
Salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Soak the urad dhal and idli rava separately for about 4 - 5 hours.
2. Wet grind the urad dhal, drain all the water from the soaked rava and mix the ground urad dhal with the rava.
3. Set it aside for about 12 hours (this is variable) for the batter to ferment and rise.
4. Add salt after the batter has fermented and refrigerate.

Even this batter keeps for about 1 - 2 weeks and you can enjoy different varieties of idlis :-)

Note:
1. My Mom says adding salt after fermentation has taken place helps keeps the batter from turning more sour.
2. Sometimes if it gets way too cold here, I heat the oven (conventional) for a couple of minutes, turn it off, wait for a few more minutes and place the batter inside the oven with a plate underneath so that the warmth enhances the fermentation process. You can also consider wrapping the batter container in a piece of woolen cloth.

11 comments:

Rohini said...

Thanks for those nice tips Anu.. I really need it, because the batter never seem to ferment here at all!

lata raja said...

Oh wow! never knew that the cooked rice aided fermentation. Good tip for winter months.

Anupama said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anupama said...

@ Rohini: You are very welcome dear. These tips have been very helpful till date and I just thought I'd pass it on to those who might also find it helpful.

@ Lata: Thanks Lata! I was also amazed at how it worked when I made the batter this way the fist time, but when I thought about it, it sort of made sense.

Unknown said...

Great recipes!!! Nice tips too...Keep going dear...

Anupama said...

@ Sangeetha Subhash: Thank you dear for the encouraging words :-)

Sandhya Hariharan said...

Nice one Anupama...
I have tasted before.. I loved it!!

New here... Do sneak a peek in my blog when time permits!!

Anupama said...

@ Sandhya Hariharan: Thanks for stopping by :-)

sangeeta said...

saw some of your posts today n i must say that you have such a great blog....all different types of recipes.

Anupama said...

@ sangeeta: Thanks for stopping by :-)

Supriya said...

Great tips for idli and dosa batter Anupama. I have given up trying to make these from scratch after several unsuccessful past attempts, but ur post has encouraged me to try once more.