Perfect Idli Dosa Batter
Making idli dosa batter at home is incredible easy if you follow my timeline. This produces super soft idlis and incredibly crispy dosas every single time.
Servings 8 people
Calories 274kcal
Ingredients
Common Idli Dosa Batter
- 2 Cups Idli Rice or parboiled rice
- ½ Cup Urad Dal
- ¼ Cup Poha or flattened rice
- ¼ Cup Cooked Rice
- 1 Tablespoon Methi Seeds Fenugreek seeds
- 2 - 2 ½ Cups Ice Cold Water
Additional Ingredients for Dosa
- 2 Tablespoons Toor Dal
- 2 Tablespoons Chana Dal
Other Ingredients
- 1 ¾ Teaspoon Salt divided
- 1 Teaspoon Sugar used in dosa batter
- 1 tablespoon Ghee or Oil plus extra for dosas
Instructions
Day 1 - Morning
- Bowl 1: Wash and soak idli rice, urad dal, poha and methi seeds in a large bowl. Ensure there is at least 1 inch extra water above the rice and dal mix.
- Bowl 2: For the dosa batter, soak the toor dal and chana dal in a separate bowl and keep aside. Soak for about 8-12 hours.
Day 1 - Evening
- Once the grains have soaked for about 8 hours, drain the excess water from both the bowls and keep aside.
- Grind the idli rice urad dal mix in Bowl 1 till almost smooth with approx 1 ¾ to 2 cups ice cold water adding additional water if required. The consistency should be such that it can leave a thick coat on the back of a spoon and falls in a ribbon like consistency when poured with a ladle.
- Divide the batter by half and transfer into two separate bowls. Ensure they are divided into exactly two halves. One bowl is the idli batter and one bowl is the dosa batter.
- Grind the toor dal and chana dal mix in bowl 2 with a few tablespoons of water into a smooth batter. Add this to one of the bowls and mix well. This is the dosa batter bowl and the other one without the toor dal and chana dal mix is the idli batter.
- Cover both bowls and set aside to ferment. Leave it in a warm, dry place away from direct sunlight to ferment. Fermentation takes anywhere between 12-24 hours. The time varies depending on the humidity and warmth of a place.
- Once fermented, the batter should have almost doubled with a slight dome shape and a wrinkle, bubbly layer on top. You should be able to smell sourness in the batter. This smell means it has fermented. If it is too sour, it has fermented too much! To check, you can also put a spoon into the batter - the texture should be frothy with air bubbles.
Day 2 - Morning or Afternoon
- Add ¾ teaspoon salt to the idli batter and mix well.
- Add 1 teaspoon salt and sugar to the dosa batter and mix well.
- To make idlis, grease the idli plates with oil and pour batter into each crevice till its almost full. Arrange the plates onto the idli rack and place in a steamer with a cup of water. Steam for 15 minutes.
- Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes and use a spoon to remove the idlis from the idli plate. Serve hot along with ghee, sambar and chutney!
- To make dosas, heat a non-stick tawa or a seasoned cast iron dosa tawa over medium heat. Once hot, sprinkle some water (the water should immediately sizzle) and wipe the pan clean. Pour one ladle of dosa batter and spread it by using the back of the ladle, moving it in concentric circles to form a big round dosa.
- Drizzle a spoon or two of oil or ghee around the edges and in the center, and let this roast for 1-2 minutes till golden brown. Then flip it over and roast for 30-seconds. Flip it back, fold and serve hot!
- Serve hot along with some sambar and chutney!
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 274kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 523mg | Potassium: 64mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 3mg