Grounded in old-world South Indian food culture, these fluffy discs of sourdough-bread-y goodness are whole grain, kid-friendly, oil free and easy on the tummy!
The steaming process is less energy intensive than baking and it maximizes nutrient retention. Whats more, they are ready to serve in under 30 minutes.
Serve plain with a traditional, protein-rich vegetable sambhar and chutney. Mix your kiddo’s favorite vegetables in with the batter and serve the resulting vegetable idlis with a pat of butter. Melt cheese on top, or in the middle, of two plain idli for a mock, GF grilled-cheese sandwich.
Once you get going, the options are virtually endless. In this post, I’ll walk through the steps needed to make the traditional version.
Let’s begin!
Fill your steamer with about 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. I used a stock pot that was big enough to fit my idli plate stand. You can do this step in a large rice cooker, the Instant Pot, etc.
While the water is heating up, proceed to the next step. Pour your unsalted batter (refrigerated or room temperature) into a mixing bowl. Add salt to taste and stir.
Grease the idli plates (with the round molds built in) with your oil of choice. This helps the idli come out cleanly. Skip this step if you’re on an oil-free diet.
Pour idli batter into the molds. Leave about 1/8″ gap between the top of the mold and the batter (as shown in the bottom right image). I use an ice cream scoop for this since it has just the right quantity (~1/4 cup) needed.
Stagger the positioning of the idli plates to ensure each idli has ample space to rise (as shown in the left picture below).
Place the idli plate stand into your heated pot in which these will steam and close the lid. The water within it should be close to its boiling point.
Set the timer for 15 minutes. The idli will cook in the steam of the boiling water. When the timer sounds, the idli will have risen (as shown below).
Pull the stand out of the steamer and let it sit for about 2 minutes.
Note: If water has collected on or around the idli molds, just tilt the idli stand to pour it off before letting them rest for 2 minutes.
Separate the idli plates and use a heat-safe spatula to remove each individual idli. Place the idli in a serving bowl and serve!
Idli (Steamed Sourdough Bread)
Ingredients
- Idli batter (1/4 cup per idli)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the water in your steamer. I use a stock pot that fits my idli plate stand. A large rice cooker or even Instant Pot can also be used for this purpose.
- Add salt to taste to your idli batter and mix thoroughly. See my earlier post on how to make fermented idli batter.
- Pour enough batter to leave a small gap between the batter and the top of the idli mold. For me this is about 1/4 cup batter per mold.
- Stagger the idli plates so each idli has enough space to rise. Place the idli stand into your steamer. The water should be close to boiling at this point.
- Close the lid and set the timer for 15 minutes just to play it safe.
- When done, remove the idli stand and let sit for 2 minutes. Remove each idli with a heat-safe spatula. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve!
Notes
Updated Recipe Notes on 2/19/19.
