Tender, steamed, sourdough brown rice idli made with whole-grain basmati rice, urad dal, and fenugreek seed. A delicious, popular South Indian breakfast food. Gluten-free and vegan.
Rinse dal and rice together three times. Soak dal, rice, and fenugreek together for 4 hours at room temperature or overnight in the fridge. Drain and shake well but don't rinse.
Grind batter
Place the soaked dal, rice, fenugreek seed, and 1 cup water in a high-powered blender. A Vitamix works beautifully. Blend on high as long as it takes to make a batter. The mixture will be thick, and a tamper is helpful. It's ok if the batter becomes slightly warm. However, if the mixture warms to bath water temperature, stop blending. Test the batter by rubbing it between two fingers. Ideally, the batter will be smooth with a bit of fine grit remaining.
Ferment
Pour idli batter into a nonreactive bowl leaving room for expansion.
Dissolve salt and baking soda in 1 tablespoon of water. Stir into idli batter. Clean the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Cover the bowl with a plate and let ferment at room temperature. Look for the batter to puff up and have thin cracks or tiny bubbles at the surface. This takes about 12 hours in a tropical climate or up to 36 hours in a cool climate. You want the batter to sour slightly but still taste light and pleasant.
Steam
Once the batter has the desired degree of sourness and is bubbly, it's ready to cook. You can store batter in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before cooking. After that, it becomes increasingly sour. Allow chilled batter to warm to room temperature before cooking.
When you are ready to steam idli, check the consistency of the batter by stirring gently. The batter should be nice and fluffy and pour easily off a large spoon. If the batter is too thick, stir in a tablespoon of water. If the batter is too runny, the idli will be sticky. You can add a tiny bit of rice flour if necessary, but go easy.
Fill a large deep pot with one to two inches of water. Cover with a lid and bring water to a gentle boil.
Prepare tabakh (idli tray) by lightly greasing indentations or lining with silicone liners. You can also use a cotton handkerchief to line your trays. Just cut a hole in the center of each handkerchief to position it on trays before filling and stacking. You can wash and reuse your handkerchiefs.
Fill each well with batter. Don't over-fill the wells if cooking in a stacked tier or the idli tops will be dented. Place filled idli molds in a pot with gently boiling water. Place a lid on the pot. Steam idli until risen and set. the surface of the idli will be firm to light touch. Three-inch idli take about 12 minutes. Adjust time for smaller or larger idli.
Take the idli tray from the steamer and let it cool for ten minutes. Removal is easier if you wait to take dumplings out of molds.
Notes
Serve idli with sambar, coconut chutney or anything else you like!