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Idli-Soft Idlis-Idli Batter Recipe-Soft Idli Tips

March 20, 2012 by PadhuSankar 117 Comments

Idli is one of my specialty dish and also my most favorite breakfast dish. It is South India’s most popular breakfast and also a very healthy dish.My family members and many of my relatives love my soft idlis and I have many fans for it. In fact my daughter used to tease me saying that after retirement you can open an idli shop. My late father is a big fan of my idli and will ask me for it whenever he comes and stays with me.Though I have already posted how to make idli, I wanted to give my readers a few more tips on how to make soft idli and idli batter recipe. This is also a special post for all my North Indian friends out there.



How to make soft idli-idli recipeBefore sharing with you tips on how to make soft idly, let me give the idli batter measurement

I have given two measurements below. I have tried both several times and my idli/idlys turn out very well with both the measurements.

Idli Batter Recipe (for soft idly)


Recipe- 1

Par Boiled Idli rice – 3 cups (Idli Pulungal Arisi)


Urad dal – 1 cup (Mulu Ulundu or whole urad dal without skin)

Crystal Salt – I use only crystal salt (1 1/2 tbsp or as required)


Recipe – 2

Par Boiled Idli rice -4 cups (Idli Pulungal Arisi)


Whole Urad dal – 1 cup (whole urad dal without skin)

Crystal salt – as required

What special ingredient do I add to make my idli soft? The answer is nothing. I do not use baking soda or cooked rice or fenugreek or poha or eno, then how do I manage to get soft idli ? Read further and find out-

1.Quality:


The quality of the rice and the urad dal is very important. You get par boiled rice specially for making idli known as Idli Pulungal Arisi in tamil.

The quality of the dal is very important. I use full urad dal without the black skin. I never stock urad dal but will buy only what I need for a month. Do not use old stock or low quality dal or split urad dal which we use for seasoning.

2. Soaking:


Just as quality is important, soaking time is also equally important. Wash and soak rice and dal for 5- 6 hours.

Idli recipe3. Grinding:

I personally, always prefer to use wet grinder for grinding batter for idli and dosa. The secret to soft idli lies in grinding and the consistency of the batter.

idli batter-soft idli batter
First grind the urad dal well until it is light and fluffy. After switching on the grinder, do not forget about it. Check now and then and add water little by little to the batter (you can use ice cold water if needed).


I usually grind urad dal for about 40 minutes. Then remove the ground dal from the grinder. The urad dal batter should not be sticky but light and fluffy.

Then add the soaked rice along with little water. You should not add too much water in the beginning itself.You have to add water little by little, while it grinds. Grind rice to a smooth paste.

Then add the ground urad dal to the ground rice and grind for another 5 minutes so that it gets mixed well.

Remove the batter from the grinder, add salt and mix well with your hands. Fill only up to half in a container leaving room for it to raise while fermenting.


4.Consistency of batter:
Just as grinding is important, the consistency of the batter is also equally important.If your batter is too thin, the your idli will turn flat.

If your batter is thick, then your idli will be rock hard. So take care when adding water while grinding. That is the reason why you should add water little by little by checking the consistency.

5. Fermenting:

You must give at least 6-7 hours for the batter to ferment.This duration may vary depending on the climatic conditions. In winter it may need longer time and in peak summer it may require less time. The batter would have raised nicely, if it has fermented well. Look at the first picture (collage). I filled only till half and the next day it has risen well. I usually grind in the evening and leave it overnight to ferment.

Mix the fermented batter well. Now it is ready for making idli. If you are not going to use immediately, refrigerate the batter.

6.Steaming

You can use an idli pot or a streamer or a kadai or a pressure cooker without weight for steaming.

You can use any heavy bottomed vessel with a lid which can fit your idli moulds perfectly.

The important point to be noted here is to bring the water to boiling point before steaming the idlis.

I place a damp muslin cloth on the idli mould , then scoop out a ladle of batter and fill in the idly moulds, then close it with a lid.You can even grease your idli mould with oil but I usually prefer the first method for the lovely texture.

Steam for 10-12 minutes. Insert a fork in the middle, if it comes out clean, then your idli is done. Invert the mould on a plate and gently remove the mould. Sprinkle water on the cloth and gently separate the cloth from the idlis.

Serve hot with any chutney or sambar or just idli podi and gingerly oil.

Check out Side dish of idli, dosa for more recipes.

You can make idli for the first two days, use the remaining left over batter to make dosa. Check out my Dosa recipe

Wow! Look at the texture – so soft and spongy that it melted in our mouth.

Soft Idli-Idli with chutney
To summarise, the trick in making soft idlis lies in the above 6 tips. The above factors play a great role in influencing the quality of your idli.

If you do not get perfect idli,then do not loose heart or give up, with trial and error, you can master the art of making soft and spongy idlis.

I feel so happy in sharing with you all my soft idli secrets. Good Luck!!

Related posts:

Moong Dal rice-Arisi Paruppu sadam
Kerala Appam Recipe with Yeast-Palappam-Spongy Appams
Tomato Soup Recipe
Kootanchoru Recipe-Healthy One Pot Meal with Lentils-Greens-Vegetables

Filed Under: Breakfast Varieties, How To, Uncategorized Tagged With: Health Dish, South Indian recipes, Uncategorized




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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kajal

    March 24, 2012 at 4:13 pm

    Idlee have been my fav. ever since like forever ! They sometimes are soft and sometimes hard..now I can try to make them sfter always..

    Glad to have found you at indiblogger. Your newest follower and a regular visitor now.
    cheers,
    Kajal

    Reply
  2. Latha Vijayakumar

    March 24, 2012 at 4:52 pm

    Thank you very much I was struggling struggling for a soft Idly. I will make prepare and come back with my family's comments

    Reply
  3. ramya anand

    March 24, 2012 at 11:17 pm

    Love soft idlis piping hot!i add a lil bit of methi seeds along with the urad dal and soak them …

    Reply
  4. jayashree venkat

    March 25, 2012 at 2:25 am

    Perfect.I have a company in you for exactly the same method.No adding Methi,Poha or Soda.Long live the Soft Idlis!!!!!

    Reply
  5. Asiya Omar

    March 25, 2012 at 5:03 am

    WOW! IDLI LOOKS REALLY SOFTO SOFT.I always use the same way as you said in recipe 2.I loveeeeeeeeeeeee Idlies very much.

    Reply
  6. Divya Shankar

    March 25, 2012 at 5:39 am

    Perfect !! Superb description and am sure it will help many as nothing can beat idli 🙂

    Reply
  7. Spice up the Curry

    March 25, 2012 at 11:16 am

    such a nice and helpful post.

    Reply
  8. Maayeka

    March 25, 2012 at 2:18 pm

    awesome!!thanks for sharing such a detailed and informative post…I make idlis with split urad daal and add normal salt..your idlis look super soft..will try your version now..
    Anjana

    Reply
  9. Deeps @ Naughty Curry

    March 26, 2012 at 6:14 am

    a very detailed & helpful post, next time im gonna try using a cloth instead of greasing the mould

    Reply
    • Sudha Bhat

      February 25, 2017 at 3:21 pm

      How to prevent the steam water standing on top of idlies while cooking in pressure cooker?

      Reply
  10. Sangeetha Nambi

    March 26, 2012 at 9:32 am

    Softyyyyy

    Reply
  11. சாருஸ்ரீராஜ்

    March 26, 2012 at 1:14 pm

    last pic craving for some idlis padhu..delecious

    Reply
  12. Swathi Iyer

    March 27, 2012 at 3:25 am

    Nice post Padhu

    Reply
  13. usha anandvenkatesh

    March 30, 2012 at 2:26 pm

    Dear padhu,
    Iam your new subscriber and am happy to be apart of your blog. I accidentally happened to lay hands on your blog and I instantly liked it I have already tried some of your kuzambu and rice varieties and they came out very well.thanks a lot. Honestly, I must admit that your are a creative person which is evident from your skills and colourful display of the dishes. That's great,indeed. Once again thanks a lot for the recipes.

    Reply
  14. gomathi

    May 3, 2012 at 7:14 am

    Dear Padhu
    Thank you very much for the soft idly recipe.I forwarded the same to my daughter,who is recently married and is in USA.I told her many times to make idly,but she told me that she doesn't know
    the consistency.(She never entered in kitchen before marriage)when I sent this recipe she prepared as per your instruction.She told me it has come out very well.thank you once again

    Reply
  15. Prabha Krishna

    May 12, 2012 at 8:20 am

    I have never seen anyone explaining the recipe to get successful soft idlis like you have done here. Great work on that !!!! myself being a child nutritionist, i found this site accidentally looking for good nutritional breakfast ideas and instantly liked your varieties. In my meal plan to all my clients i will be including your site for lots of ideas for moms intending to give nutritious meal to their family. Keep it up and keep us all posted with interesting recipes.

    Reply
  16. Dowlath

    June 5, 2012 at 1:04 pm

    Thanks for the tips; However the batter that i make with recipe as given above gives out good idlis for 2 days or so and after that the idlis come out rockhard. do you have any suggestion on this ?

    Reply
  17. PadhuSankar

    June 5, 2012 at 4:46 pm

    Dear Dowlath
    I have written that you can make idlis only for 2 days with the above measurements.You can use the rest of the batter for making dosas or uthappams.As the batter will start becoming sour, you cannot make idly after 2 or 3 days with that batter.

    Reply
  18. Hems

    June 13, 2012 at 12:47 pm

    Hi Can I use the same Idli Mixture for Preparing Paniyarams… ?

    Reply
  19. PadhuSankar

    June 14, 2012 at 1:50 am

    Dear Hema
    We can make kuzhi paniyaram with leftover idli batter.

    Reply
  20. surender

    July 5, 2012 at 12:51 pm

    I WILL DEFINETLY TRY THE METHOD THIS WILL BE MY 1ST TIME TO MAKE IDLI

    Reply
  21. reshma patel

    July 19, 2012 at 6:42 pm

    Hi Padhu,

    In last pic we can see red chuttany with idli.

    what is this? pls describe the recipe and also pudi powder.
    Thanks In Advance

    Reshma

    Reply
  22. reshma patel

    July 19, 2012 at 6:48 pm

    Hello Padhu,
    In last pic we can see idli and chutney…so what type of chutney that one? would u like to share that chutney recipe for idli? And also i want to know about pudi powder recipe …

    thanks in advance

    Reshma

    Reply
  23. Ravi Krishnappa

    August 9, 2012 at 6:47 pm

    One more addition and the recipe will be as precise as pharmacy instructions. How many cups of water should go to grinding the dal, the rice and the final blend. This will help to reduce the possibility of flat and hard texture

    Ravi Krishnappa

    Reply
  24. Madheshwaran

    September 3, 2012 at 2:19 am

    I have the same question as Ravi Krishnappa, alternatively can you upload a video, so that we can observe how exactly the texture will look like and when to add water and how much.
    Thanks

    Reply
  25. Kousalya

    September 4, 2012 at 5:57 am

    One major issue I have in making soft idlis is not related to any of the above tips but actually lies in my hands (the yeast in the hand which leads to fermentation of the batter) which I discovered and no site mentions about this aspect. I use exactly the same procedure and measurements my MIL uses, but if she grinds the same and mixes with her hands, the batter ferments well and raises to double height and the Idlis become super soft. If the same batter I mix with my hand the batter refuse to ferment and remains flat (not even a centimeter change in terms of raising), I just didn't understnad why is it so and realised the secret lies in the hand which mixes the batter. My hand absolutely lacks the necessary ingredient (I think bacteria/yeast whatever is responsible for fermentation). And this is one major important aspect for soft idlis.

    So I tried adding little poha, sour curd etc, but without much success, I heard Indians in USA/cold countries use Eno for fermentation (I am yet to try this), else due to freezing weather, the batter doesn't ferment.

    I tried keeping the batter under little warmer condition in rice cooker after grinding but not much success. My failure rate to make the batter ferment is very high and I will appreciate tips from anyone who can help in this regard.

    Any tips to overcome the MAGIC HAND requirement ????

    Reply
    • haris m

      May 16, 2014 at 12:07 am

      This question was asked long back. Here is my experience in US. We lived in a house which had water from boar well. Idli/Dosa batter will not ferment even after 2 days! Now we moved to another house and water is different. Now Idli batter ferments by next day. So using water with no ammonia in it helps a lot in the fermentation process.

      Reply
    • Princess

      January 4, 2017 at 11:07 pm

      If you are living in foreign countries the best way to ferment the batter is to keep it in oven and turn the light alone on! It works out for me and I live in Melbourne.

      Reply
    • Swathi Rajasekaran

      January 19, 2017 at 5:17 pm

      I too had the same problem. In this case try to mix the batter for some more time. Say for 5-10mins. Also as Princess said place it oven and switch on the lights.

      Reply
  26. K.Boy

    October 1, 2012 at 6:55 pm

    Excellent tips for Idli making. I also found that Idli dough fluffs better when done in wet grinder rather than Mixi. Lately since waeather in LA area above remains 90F, dough fluffs good double overnight, otherwise in cold days it takes more than two nights. First time heard that salt is added after the dough is made rather than after being fluffed.

    Reply
  27. Gazal

    October 22, 2012 at 6:40 pm

    i love idlis but never made them, thanks for sharing the recipe.. i like your blog and following you! have a look at my blog and if it interests you then pls join me at
    http://gazals-blog.blogspot.co.uk/

    Reply
  28. shwetha

    October 31, 2012 at 4:38 pm

    Thanks for sharing idli recipe. Looks yummy. I will for surely try this.

    Reply
  29. Madhu Pravin

    November 7, 2012 at 8:00 pm

    @ Kousalya – U can preheat the oven for a minute and leave the batter overnight in the oven. Hope this tip helps.

    Reply
  30. Madhu Pravin

    November 7, 2012 at 8:03 pm

    My Mom and Ammaachi make ultra soft Idlies… Here's the secret. They soak soya beans (available exclusively for idlies) for 8 hrs or overnight. Peal off the skin and grind separately. Mix along with rice and dal.

    Reply
  31. Sweta Singh

    November 17, 2012 at 9:44 am

    how to make that tomato chutney?

    Reply
  32. kavita chauhan

    November 18, 2012 at 5:17 am

    I had a south Indian maid for last two years and now she left….so a big question was who vill make spongy idlis…now i,ll try this.Thanks

    Reply
  33. PadhuSankar

    November 18, 2012 at 5:55 am

    Hi Swetha Singh
    There are 4-5 tomato chutney varieties
    I will just give one instant chutney link

    http://www.padhuskitchen.com/2012/05/instant-tomato-chutney-tomato-chutney.html

    Rest you will find it in chutney varieties
    http://www.padhuskitchen.com/2010/09/chutney-recipes-chutney-varieties.html

    Reply
  34. Ramesh raju narayanasamy

    November 26, 2012 at 10:05 pm

    Very good method.Our company name is barade fluffies and we are the idli suppliers for hotels,canteens,companies,functions,etc,. our idli is very famous in maraimalai nagar,chennai area.every body ask to me what is your soft idli secret?on that time i say ,like your answer that is 'nothing'.Actually same like your process we prepare 25000 idlis per day.thank you …

    Reply
  35. Raja Setlur

    December 23, 2012 at 4:13 am

    I am yet to find a good recipe for Udipi type sambar (that you normally get in small restaurants in Bangalore).
    Would you have one?

    Reply
  36. Pradeep U.N.

    December 27, 2012 at 11:56 pm

    Great method and recipe – thank you. But any chance you can add some detailed steps to the "dough should be light and fluffy" in 40 mins? as in – details on what it will be like in 10 mins then what in 20 mins etc. So I can keep track of what light and fluffy could be, what watery could be or what sticky could be? I am sure once you get it right once, it can be repeated, but its the minor details in steps that can help achieve that goal 🙂 thank you much!

    Reply
  37. kala

    January 3, 2013 at 3:20 am

    Hi..i have problem in making idli and dosa. I am living in USA. I use 4 cups of sona rice with 2 cups of urad dal with fenucreek little bit. I soak rice and urad dal 2 hours, then i grind in mixi ( only having mixi ). Next day the battter gets fermented but the idli is very hard and half-boiled. Also dosa is also half-boiled and very hard to eat. Any suggestions can you give

    Reply
  38. PadhuSankar

    January 3, 2013 at 9:07 am

    Hi Kala
    Happy New Year to you. I read your comment.

    1. The ratio of rice : whole urad dal can be 3:1 or 4:1 Why you are using 2 cups urad dal.

    2. You can soak rice and urad dal for more than 2 hours.(at least 4-5 hours)

    3.Wet grinder is best for making idli and dosa.It is ok if you do not have it. Grind the urad dal until it becomes fluffy.Keep on adding water inbetween while grinding and grind well. The urad dal batter should be light and fluffy and not sticky.

    4. If the final batter is very thick,then your idli and dosa will be hard. If it is watery ,the idlis will be flat. So you must not add too much water nor very less water.

    5. Also if you have kept the batter in the refrigerator after fermenting, bring it to room temperature before making dosa.

    Also read my another post on How to make dosa
    and Idli recipe
    so that you will have more idea.

    Hope this helps you.

    Reply
    • Jackie Jardine

      September 17, 2016 at 8:00 pm

      I have been trying to learn how to make idli – but no luck so far. do you think it is because I use a high-speed blender to grind?

      Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      September 21, 2016 at 5:37 am

      It could be one of the reasons as we grind urad dal for 30-40 minutes in wet grinder until fluffy. Also read my other post on how to make soft idlis – you will get an idea.
      http://www.padhuskitchen.com/2009/09/how-to-make-spongy-idlys.html

      Reply
  39. kala

    January 3, 2013 at 3:44 pm

    can i use sona masoori rice for making idli,dosa?in what way i have to prepare batter for idli,dosa i am asking about batter should be nice or in any way? plz tell

    Reply
  40. vijaya

    January 5, 2013 at 11:14 am

    idlis are the best food for breakfast, lunch,and also dinner, i have a nice who can idli with molagapodi day in and out, it is really the best suited food for any one, my idlis also come out soft but i add alittle methi since my husband is diabetic, but i use longbody rice hence we use 5:1 of rice and full urad without skin soak overnight and grind in the mg. one more tip as far as possible please grind in the early morning hours when the weather is cold the grinder will not become hot and the batter does not become hot

    Reply
  41. kala

    January 7, 2013 at 3:17 pm

    thank u padhu i got soft idlis

    Reply
  42. Tinademet

    January 17, 2013 at 5:38 pm

    Really very informative. Excellent article. Love your blog & recipes. Thanks for sharing Ms.Padhu.

    Reply
  43. Pooja Chavan

    February 8, 2013 at 9:55 pm

    hi Padma,

    came across your site for the first time and felt really happy seeing so many dishes and you explain also nicely,

    I had a doubt,
    for making soft idlis, can I use sona masoori rice & whole urad dal in combination of 4:1?

    I purchased sona masoori rice specifically for idlis & dosas

    your reply will help me a lot

    Thanks
    Pooja

    Reply
  44. PadhuSankar

    February 9, 2013 at 7:15 am

    Hi Pooja
    I have not tried experimenting with sona masoori rice. You can half the recipe (ie) 2:1/2 and try it.If idly does not turn out well, you can always make dosa with that batter. Try and do let me know.

    Reply
  45. Linnet

    February 21, 2013 at 11:10 am

    Thanx for sharing your secrets… gonna try today…hope it comes out well just as yours…

    Reply
  46. Anonymous

    March 15, 2013 at 3:54 pm

    Hi Padhu,

    Can you please share which wet grinder you use for grinding? Also let me know can we run the grinder for 40 mins continuously? cos when I grind the better in mixer/mixie it got tripped after 15-20 min. pls suggest.

    Reply
  47. PadhuSankar

    March 16, 2013 at 4:02 am

    Hi Pehli-Rosoi

    I use ulta table top wet grinder (see picture above) which is available commonly in India. I run that ultra grinder for more than 1 hour at a stretch.I am having it for more than 10 years and it is still working fine. You cannot run the mixie for that long time.

    Reply
  48. prakasam

    April 12, 2013 at 10:09 am

    Hi Kousalya as you had mentioned about yeast and where to get it from, I face the same problem and i use a little curd for the fermentation. Add a little of it(may be 2 or 3 table spoons of it)and mix well just before you leave the dough for fermentation

    Reply
  49. praveen the food enthusiast

    April 21, 2013 at 2:37 pm

    hi padhu , iwould like to say that this much urad is not required. my mom do it for lots of years. if the urad is old 4:1 and if it is new 5:1 in that i add 50% pazhaya pacharisi and 50% par boiled rice.
    while grinding in wet grinder the rice is ground in such a consistency that when u sample, it feels like rava mixed to the rice batter. and plus i leave in north india and i use split urad dal and the ratio rice:urad is 6:1. please try.

    Reply
  50. Aarti589

    May 18, 2013 at 8:42 am

    hi padhu its very nice of u to share this recipe with us but i what i want to know is what is this idli rice here in bombay i get this rice for idli and dosa but that is the thick variety and is white only in colour. can u kindly tell me which one to use here the sho[pkeepers do have a thick brown colour rice they say it is boiled rice can ni use that one please help because i also love idlis very much and till now i have been making idlis from idli rava they also turn out soft but i want to learn to make this rice idlis please reply.

    Reply
  51. PadhuSankar

    May 20, 2013 at 7:37 am

    Hi Aarthi
    Idli rice is par boiled rice which you get especially for making idlis in South India. I am not aware of Bombay. Sorry for the delay in replying as there was a problem with my net connections.Read the comments also above, you will get lot of ideas.

    Reply
  52. Bhuvana Ram

    July 22, 2013 at 2:22 am

    Hi Padhu, I am the regular visitor and follower of your menus. This is the first time i tried idli using cloth, it came out sooo well 🙂 the texture, the size everything was so good. Thanks a ton for your tips.
    Keep up the great work!!

    Reply
  53. Monali P Umbrekar

    July 23, 2013 at 8:30 pm

    nice colourfull idli presentation & kids like it very much.

    Reply
  54. Abhi

    August 4, 2013 at 8:01 pm

    Thanks for sharing your secrets :). My wife and I tried today and almost everything got done as per your advice, except one thing. While cooking the idlis remain wet for long and even after cooking 25 mins they remain wet. Can you please advise what might be going wrong?

    Thanks in advance!

    -Abhi

    Reply
  55. PadhuSankar

    August 5, 2013 at 5:07 am

    Abhi – The reason is that you have added too much water to the steaming pot, so while cooking the idlis the water has come up. Once the water starts boiling, reduce the flame to medium and pour the batter in idli moulds. Also do not add too much water in the steaming pot.There is hardly any chances for the idlis to go wrong if you follow the above tips.

    Reply
  56. Sheriff

    September 16, 2013 at 3:09 pm

    Thanks for the method of idli preparation.
    Sheriff

    Reply
  57. Apurva Paliwal

    November 19, 2013 at 4:21 pm

    hi Padhu….
    thanks for sharing your recepie… one quick question, you have give two ratios for making the batter , what is the difference and which ratio helps in making softer idlis…

    Reply
  58. Padhu Sankar

    November 20, 2013 at 7:05 am

    Apurva -It depends on the quality of urad dal. If the urad dal is fresh (new stock) you can follow the 4:1 ratio. Now a days,I buy branded urad dal which is too good. So I follow the 4:1 ratio and I get super soft idlis.

    Reply
  59. usha arjun

    December 19, 2013 at 12:43 pm

    Hi padhu…..I tried ur idli receipe it turned out very well…my family members appreciated it…I thank you very much for your guidance and patience to explain the receipe. ..and I look forward to many more receipe s…:) 🙂 🙂

    Reply
  60. RS

    March 20, 2014 at 2:06 am

    Dear Padhu
    I love idlis esp soft ones… Thanks for the tips ..
    My another tip is that if you are going to grind in the mixie the rice can be fried in a pan before it is soaked it will give very soft idlis. At times for two I use to make like that ..else the way you suggest . Thanks for the recipes.All are fine and good

    Reply
  61. Meera Lakshminarasimhan

    April 2, 2014 at 7:51 pm

    Hi Padhu
    Love your site .My reference point.
    What will be the proportion if you use pachai arisi.Sometimes very difficult to get idli rice

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      April 5, 2014 at 7:17 am

      Thank you so much Meera for liking my site. To my knowledge, it is not possible to prepare soft idlis with raw rice. Only for dosa we use raw rice.

      Reply
    • RENGAN CHINNA

      May 4, 2015 at 7:37 pm

      Hi Padhu, The site construction is very attrtactive. Any way we can prepare soft idli using raw rice two units with one unit boiled rice.
      rcmurli

      Reply
  62. Mahalakshmi Venkat

    April 18, 2014 at 9:28 am

    Dear Padhu,
    Do you have a recipe for roasting and powdering spices to make pulao as and when required?
    I know main ingredients would be black pepper, cinnamon stick, elaichi, cloves.
    However, would like you to share your expertise. I guarantee that would be very different and much better.
    Thanks Padhu,
    Regards,
    Mahalakshmi

    Reply
  63. Anu L

    May 22, 2014 at 1:11 pm

    Hi Padu,
    I love your site. I am here in Canada and thanks to you that I am making lovely recipes and my family is loving it. I have tried to make idly's on several occasions and never really came out well. But your recipe just nailed it. I made your recipe this week and the whole family loved it. I have also tried few rasam recipe, avial etc. I will post my reviews soon. Thanks for your recipes. Simple to follow and great output. God bless
    Haifa

    Reply
  64. Srilakshmi

    September 27, 2014 at 9:04 am

    Good Tips,Thanks..
    Even when we choose the idli stand and steamer also important.
    If it has holes in moulds ,only the batter made from grinder will be suited.
    and It is good if has whistle for steamer.

    Reply
  65. Swaminathan Arun

    March 31, 2015 at 7:34 am

    I tried your version of preparing and it came out early well. My son SaI told me the idly is very spongy. Thanks for your receipe

    Reply
  66. Thamizhiniyal

    July 20, 2015 at 11:07 pm

    This is a great tips. I would also like to suggest a tip to make soft & spongy idlies. Add a glass of tender coconut water to the batter while grinding. Then see the taste of the idli would be mouthwatering. Just try this out guys

    Reply
  67. bhuvaneswari subramanian lucknow

    September 12, 2015 at 10:14 am

    Hai,
    Thanks for the recipes in simple and easiest way. Its work out. really superb work step by step way of explanation is very easy.

    Reply
  68. bhuvaneswari subramanian lucknow

    September 12, 2015 at 10:20 am

    Hai,

    Step by step explanation is very easy to catch up the recipes. Easy and simple way to know the recipes preparation is really superb. I recently got my wet grinder from tamilnadu to uttar pradesh by way of courier. Its really easy to prepare the batter by grinder instead of mixie. My mixie used to repair or broken the plastic lid and burn the motor while i prepare idli batter I was very upset and ordered through courier and got the grinder through snapdeal in a cheap rate. Now its work out. I prepare idli batter and started selling it also. The notes for the dishes i lost after white washing the house. While surfing for the dishes in net yours site came. I like and love it.

    Each recipes preparation are there.
    Good work and keep it up.

    Reply
  69. pinky

    December 18, 2015 at 9:08 pm

    Hi padhu, I live in Germany. I prepared idli batter for the first time using mixie. Generally for milk to become curd, I leave it in the baking oven overnight with just light switched on. In the morning it gets perfectly fermented. So i tried the same with batter but even after 12hours in the oven it didn't get fermented. What do you advice in my case?

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      December 20, 2015 at 1:19 am

      In colder places, it will take a longer time to ferment. Keep it in a warm place.Also try mixing the batter with your hands. The warmth of your hands might hasten the fermenting process.

      Reply
  70. venkatesan ramanathan

    January 3, 2016 at 6:30 pm

    Hi,

    how long should i grind the soaked rice ? … you have mentioned 40 minutes for urad dhaal ..

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      January 4, 2016 at 5:11 am

      You should grind rice until slightly coarse. Timings may differ depending on the grinder used. For me, it takes around 20-25 minutes as my ulta grinder is a little old (so the grinder belt will not be tight).

      Reply
  71. Maha Lakshmi

    January 21, 2016 at 10:02 am

    For how many days this batter can be used if 4 persons eating 4 idlis?

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      January 21, 2016 at 11:04 am

      It depends upon the number of idlis a person eats. Mostly it will last for 2 or 3 days. I do not like to keep my batter for more than 4 days.

      Reply
  72. Unknown

    April 19, 2016 at 2:37 am

    wow it sounds really delicious lemmy also try

    Reply
  73. Naveen Unnisa

    April 20, 2016 at 1:57 am

    wow it sounds really delicious lemmy also try

    Reply
  74. Rekha pawar Pawaw

    June 22, 2016 at 7:52 am

    Hi padhu,what is crystal salt?is it khada Nanak?

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      June 23, 2016 at 7:24 am

      It is rock salt called kalluppu in Tamil.

      Reply
  75. Unknown

    July 3, 2016 at 5:20 pm

    Can a powder called guar be used for improving self life. My concern is to I crease self like of batter in room temperature

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      July 5, 2016 at 8:50 am

      I have not idea about the powder guar. You can have the batter only for a day or two at room temperature. It will turn sour if not refrigerated.

      Reply
  76. RENGAN CHINNA

    October 9, 2016 at 5:04 pm

    PK explanation is very good. i tried with wheat instead of rice it came excellent it will be useful to diabetic

    Reply
  77. Padhu Sankar

    October 28, 2016 at 7:24 am

    1 cup is 200 grams. It will change depending on the ingredients. I use standard measuring cups and spoons for all my recipes. Check my measuring spoons and cups .For this recipe you can use any cup measurement.

    Reply
  78. Vanita Ashar

    December 11, 2016 at 8:50 am

    Hi Padhu, you have a gr8 site n I tried this batter recipe to make dosas (I'm too premature a cook to venture into idlis) and my batter rose beautifully only to flatten up once I mix it. Is that because of the extra water in it or is it normal for the batter to be not so fluffy the next day?

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      December 12, 2016 at 10:57 am

      Thank you for liking my website Vanita. If you mix the batter, it will reduce a little but still will be fluffy. It is due to extra water. It does not matter for dosas. Dosas will come out well. Only for idli the consistency of the batter matters.

      Reply
  79. DEVAKI shetty

    January 1, 2017 at 7:04 am

    Can i put normal salt if i dont hv crystal salt

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      January 2, 2017 at 11:51 am

      Of course, you can add.

      Reply
  80. Princess

    January 4, 2017 at 11:21 pm

    Dear Padhu,
    I just got newly married. And my marriage is working out great because of you. Thank you so much for that. I use whole urad dhall for idlies and it comes out very well. Now by mistake I got split urad dhall. And I have got it in very large quantity. Can we use that for idly? I heard we can use it,but should add little more than usual. Say if we use 1 cup usual then I have to use split urad dhall for 1 and 1/4 cups. I'm not sure with this. Want your opinion on this.
    Thanks a lot for the wonderful work you do!
    Regards,
    Priyanka

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      January 5, 2017 at 5:02 am

      Thank you Princess for your kind words. Glad you found my website useful. I suggest that you use that split urad dal for idli milagai podi, thuvaiyal, seasonings and for dosas.

      Reply
  81. Madhavi

    January 19, 2017 at 6:48 pm

    I have tried your recipe but my idlis come out really hard. But my Par Boiled Idli rice is atleast a year old. Does that matter?

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      January 20, 2017 at 1:55 pm

      Yes, it matters now a days. If the consistency batter is too thick also, you will get hard idlis.

      Reply
  82. Unknown

    April 13, 2017 at 9:39 am

    Suppose I take 1 kg rice and take 250 gram urad Dal so what is the final batter quantity in form ok kg?

    Reply
  83. Ranjani Sekar

    April 20, 2017 at 1:42 am

    Thank you so much mam. I got fluffy and soft idlis referring to the mentioned measurements.

    Reply
  84. Subashini

    July 27, 2017 at 4:39 am

    I tried this.came out very well. Thank u mam.now i came to know the secrets of soft idli.

    Reply
  85. Swastika Shekar

    January 29, 2018 at 6:34 pm

    Hi mam..
    How long can we store the batter in refrigerator?

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      January 31, 2018 at 9:20 am

      You can store idli/dosa batter in the refrigerator for a week.

      Reply
  86. Unknown

    February 6, 2018 at 10:48 pm

    Hello Padhu,
    Is parboiled rice different from parboiled idli rice? If so how are they different? Can i use parboiled rice in lieu of parboiled idli rice to amke idlis? i have a big bag and need to make use of it 🙂

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      February 7, 2018 at 9:51 am

      Both are different. Not sure how they are different. Try using parboiled rice, if idli does not turn out well, you can definitely make dosas.

      Reply
  87. Unknown

    July 2, 2018 at 12:31 pm

    Hi padhu.. share how to make soft idli using mixy…

    Reply
  88. Unknown

    July 25, 2018 at 6:11 pm

    Hi mam, i am runbing a hostel. I need 40 kg idli/dosa batter everyday. How much quantity rice and dal is needed to get 40 kg batter. Yoyr reply will be very helpful. Thank you.

    Reply
  89. Unknown

    August 21, 2018 at 5:22 am

    Hi Padhu I really love your recipes and tips.
    I always get good idlis following your method. Yesterday it happened that I soaked urad dal for almost 16 hours and then ground it. Mixed with idli rava and left for fermentation overnight. It fermented really good.
    But idli are smelling of over soaked urad dal. Should I discard the batter? Or is there any fix available.
    Thank you

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      August 21, 2018 at 8:47 am

      Thank you for liking my recipes and tips. To get rid of smell from over fermented batter – you can add plenty of finely chopped onions, green chillies, coriander leaves and make uthapams.
      Solution 2 – add a glass of water, do not mix. Leave it for an hour. Then discard the water which stays at the top. It will reduce the smell of over fermented batter to some extent.

      Reply
  90. Revathi Nair

    August 27, 2018 at 4:25 pm

    Hello Padhu,

    Thank you for sharing your food recipes with us. I have two questions, if you would be kind enough to shed some further light:

    1. My idlis are turning yellow. Is this related to the quality of the rice or the urad dal or both?

    2. Can I also prepare the idlis in 2:1 ratio?

    I would much appreciate your help!

    Thanks,

    Revathi

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      August 28, 2018 at 7:22 am

      Regarding your doubts – Idlis turning yellow because the batter is over fermented. If you are using mixie to grind your batter, grind leaving frequent gaps otherwise the mixie gets heated up and that will affect the batter. Quality of the urad dal also matter. Do not use old stock dal.

      Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      August 28, 2018 at 7:24 am

      You can make idlis in the ratio 2 : 1/2 – that is for 2 cups of idli rice , use 1/2 cup of urad dal and 1/2 tsp of fenugreek seeds.

      Reply
  91. Unknown

    November 9, 2018 at 1:25 pm

    Can we use raw rice also for soaking along with idli rice

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      November 10, 2018 at 9:21 am

      Check my pacharisi idli.
      soft pacharisi idlis

      Reply
  92. Minj

    January 26, 2021 at 7:59 am

    Do we need to cook the rice before grinding it?

    Reply
    • PadhuSankar

      January 26, 2021 at 9:58 am

      You have to soak the rice not cook.

      Reply
  93. Indirasambamurthy

    November 30, 2021 at 2:37 pm

    Hi Padhu I followed your tips.idlies were out of the world.thankyou so much.

    Reply

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Meet Padhu, the Chef, the photographer, recipe developer and web designer behind Padhuskitchen which features Simple Indian Vegetarian recipes, healthy recipes, kids friendly recipes, Indian festival recipes, traditional South Indian Vegetarian ...

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