Steamed fermented rice cakes: cloud-light, gently sour, perfectly white: the breakfast of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, eaten with a bowl of spiced lentil sambar and a smear of coconut chutney: one of the world's great breakfasts
Idli (இட்லி) is one of India's most ancient rice preparations, with references in Kannada and Tamil literature from the 7th to 9th centuries CE, though the dish in its fermented form is likely older. The technique is extraordinary: raw rice and black gram lentils (urad dal) are soaked separately, then ground together into a smooth batter, which is left to ferment overnight in a warm environment. The wild fermentation, driven by naturally occurring Leuconostoc bacteria, acidifies the batter (producing the characteristic gentle sourness) and leavens it (producing the lightness). When steamed in round moulds, the batter puffs into white, spongy discs of remarkable delicacy. Idli is one of the healthiest breakfasts in any cuisine: fermentation increases bioavailability of B vitamins and iron, improves digestibility, and requires no added fat. Every South Indian household has its idli-making tradition, inherited through generations, with the overnight fermentation timing and the grind of the batter carrying as much family lore as any handed-down recipe.
Ingredients
Batter
300 g idli rice (parboiled short-grain rice, available at Indian grocers, do not substitute regular rice)
100 g split black gram lentils without skin (urad dal, white)
0.5 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)
1 tsp salt
Water, as needed for grinding
Sambar
200 g toor dal (split yellow pigeon peas)
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 medium onion, quartered
100 g mixed vegetables (drumstick, carrot, aubergine/eggplant), cut into 3cm pieces
2 tbsp sambar powder (available at Indian grocers)
100 g fresh coconut, grated (or desiccated coconut soaked in water)
2 tbsp roasted chana dal (split chickpeas)
green chillies, roughly chopped
1 cm fresh ginger
0.5 tsp salt
Method
Day before: soak the idli rice in cold water for 6–8 hours. Separately, soak the urad dal and fenugreek seeds together in cold water for 4–6 hours. Keep them separate; they need different soaking times and are ground separately.
Drain the urad dal and grind it first in a wet grinder or high-powered blender, adding cold water a tablespoon at a time, until you achieve a completely smooth, airy, almost fluffy white batter. This takes 8–10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
Drain the soaked rice and grind it to a slightly coarser batter than the dal; some very fine grit is acceptable. Add to the urad dal batter and mix thoroughly by hand (this helps kickstart fermentation). Add salt. The combined batter should be thick enough to coat a spoon; add a little water if it seems too stiff.
Cover the batter with a clean cloth and leave to ferment in a warm place for 8–12 hours (overnight). In warm Indian climates this takes 8 hours; in colder northern climates, place the bowl in a turned-off oven with just the oven light on, or near a warm appliance. The batter should roughly double in volume and smell pleasantly sour.
Make the sambar: pressure cook the toor dal with turmeric and enough water to cover by 5cm for 3–4 whistles until completely soft. In a separate pot, fry the mustard seeds in oil until they pop, add curry leaves and dried chillies, then add onion, tomato and vegetables. Stir in sambar powder and tamarind water. Simmer 10 minutes. Add the cooked dal and simmer together for 15 minutes. Season with salt.
Make the coconut chutney: blend fresh coconut, roasted chana dal, green chillies, ginger and salt with enough water to make a thick, smooth paste. Optionally temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves in hot oil, poured over the chutney.
Grease idli moulds (or a muffin tin) with a little oil. Gently stir the fermented batter; do not deflate it. Pour batter into moulds, filling each about three-quarters full. Steam over boiling water for 10–12 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Serve the idlis hot, 3–4 per person, with a bowl of sambar for dipping and coconut chutney alongside.
Notes
Idli rice (also sold as boiled rice or parboiled rice for idli-dosa) is specifically parboiled: a process that partially gelatinises the starch and makes the idli batter produce a softer, spongier texture than regular rice would allow. If you cannot source idli rice, use a mixture of 200g regular short-grain rice and 100g flattened rice (poha/aval). Leftover batter can be refrigerated for up to 3 days (it becomes more sour with each passing day; many prefer day-two batter) or used to make dosas (thin crispy pancakes) on a hot griddle.
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