Idli

Idli, also spelt as Idly/ Iddly, is a South Indian savory that is generally eaten at breakfast and even as a snack in some parts of the country. Light and  spongy and shaped as round dumplings, idlis are prepared by steaming a batter made from fermented rice and legume flour. Idli batter is poured into special tirered cicular plates with at least one inch deep centers, which is placed inside a cooker and steamed.  Idlis are usually served with certain accompaniments such as coconut chutney and sambhar and in southern India, especially in Tamilnadu, a spicy condiment made of chili powder and roasted lentils is also an essential accompaniment of Idli. Button Idli, Tatte Idli, Sanna, Sambar Idli, Rave etc are common variations of idly.

 


Origin of Idli Recipe
Idli, though very popular in South India, the actual recipe (the technique of preparing) is believed to have been imported from Indonesia around 1200 CE. The earliest mention of this steamed savory was that made by Shivakotiacharya in Kannada in the year 920 CE. In fact, there is evidence that the process of steaming food was prevalent as early as 700 CE. In the early days idlis were made with the fermented batter of de-husked black gram mixed with butter milk and certain spices. There is also mention of the idli recipe in the encyclopedia, called Manasollasa written in Sanskrit in the year 1130 AD, by Someshwara III, king of Karnataka. It is only by 17th century AD, that rice was included to the black gram to speed up the process of fermenting the batter for Idli.

 


Preparation of Idlis
Idli is prepared with a batter made from rice and de-husked black gram (udad dal) that have been soaked individually for a few hours. After soaking the grains, they are ground to a fine paste separately in a stoner grinder and then mixed well together. This batter is fermented overnight, which helps in breaking down the starches and also increases the volume of the contents by at least 2 ½ times. Fermentation helps in easy digestion of the idlis (which is the reason this particular steamed savory is advised for people suffering from digestion problems and also those who are recuperating). On fermentation, the batter is poured out into greased moulds/tray and placed in a steamer. After 10 to 15 minutes, the idlis are done and ready to be served. A variety of chutneys, sambhar and spicy condiment are served with Idli.

 


Idli Variation
Idli has one variation known as Ramasseri Idli that is popular and specific to the Palakkad region of Kerala and this particular variation is softer and flatter than the regular idlis.

 


Recipes Similar to Idli Recipe
Idli is a steamed savory and there are certain other recipes that are similar to this. Some well known variations to the idli recipe are –

 


1) Rava Idli – This variation of idli is made with rava soaked overnight and then mixed with curds. Certain spices such as mustards and cumin seeds, split black gram, split chana dal, cashew nuts, curry leaves and black pepper pods are slight roasted and added to the soaked rava. All the ingredients are mixed well and poured into greased trays and steamed for about 10 to 15 minutes.

 


2) Dhokla – This is a steamed dish native to Gujarat, India. Dhokla is similar to the idli recipe in the way it is prepared. However, the basic ingredient used in this snack is chick pea flour, which is mixed well in butter milk, salt and baking soda. Chopped green chilies and green coriander too are added for taste and flavor. The batter is poured into a greased pan and steamed. On cooling, the steamed cake of dhokla is cut into squares or triangles as desired. This particular savory is generally served with a green chutney made of green chilies, coriander and tamarind juice.