How to make idli, from the kitchen of Anju Poddar

To serve 6

Ingredients:
3 cups ( 300gms)idli rice
1 cup(100gms) urad dal
1 teaspoon eno salt
Salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon)

Time:
* Prep: 24 hours
* Cook: 25 minutes

Prep
1. Soak Rice and Dal separately in the morning
2. In the evening, rinse the rice well and grind the dal and rice separately in a South Indian Dosa Grinder (not a mixer) like you do for Dosa. Dal will need to be ground more finely.
3. Mix both together in a large bowl
4. In a small bowl with 4 teaspoon of water, mix 1 teaspoon of eno salt, and 1 teaspoon (to taste) of salt
5. Add this wet mixture to the grain mix and combine
6. Let it sit outside the fridge overnight

Cook
1. In the morning, put the water to boil in the steamer
2. When the water starts simmering, insert the filled idli mould( do not mix the batter with spoon…before putting the batter in the mould grease the mould with little oil…put the batter a little less than the mould level)cover it, and steam it on medium heat for 10-12 minutes
3. When you remove the mould, wait for the idlis to cool slightly before removing and serving(if in a hurry to remove the idlies …sprinkle little water at the back of the idli mould….for re heating idles steam them again for 2/3 minutes)

Note: If you are going to use the batter the next day …put it in the fridge with a lid…before using keep it out of the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Some people use a wet cloth material( preferably 80/100 count white Porus material with all four side stitched)on top of the mould…this way you need not grease the mould and the idlies come with edges clean when you remove them by tilting in the vessel.