Soft Steamed Rice and Lentil Idli with Coconut Chutney
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking and Serious Eats.
Rice and urad dal are soaked, ground and fermented overnight into a bubbly batter, then steamed in moulds and served with a fresh coconut, chilli and ginger chutney.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Soak. Rinse the rice and poha together until the water runs clear and cover them with plenty of water in one bowl. Rinse the urad dal with the fenugreek and cover with water in the other bowl. Soak both for 4-12 hours.
- 2
Grind. Drain the dal and blend it with about 120 ml cold water, adding more a spoonful at a time, for 3-5 minutes until very smooth, light and fluffy; scrape it into the large bowl. Drain the rice and poha and blend with about 240 ml cold water until fine, like semolina, then stir into the dal with the salt. The batter should drop thickly from a spoon. Grinding separately makes the dal airier, which gives softer idli.
- 3
Ferment. Cover with the towel and leave somewhere warm (25-30 °C, such as an oven with only the light on) for 8-12 hours, until about doubled, bubbly and pleasantly sour. Stir gently just to combine; don't beat out the air.
- 4
Steam. Bring 3 cm water to the boil in the pot. Oil the moulds and fill each three-quarters full. Set the stand in the pot, cover and steam over medium-high heat for 12-15 minutes, until a knife pushed into an idli comes out clean. Rest off the heat for 2 minutes, then loosen with the wet knife and unmould. Repeat with the remaining batter.
- 5
Make the chutney. Soak the coconut in the warm water for 10 minutes, then blend it with the chilli, ginger, lemon juice and 1/4 tsp salt to a thick, slightly textured paste. Heat the oil in the small pan, add the mustard seeds and, when they pop, the curry leaves, then pour over the chutney.
- 6
Serve. Serve 6 hot idli per person with the coconut chutney, and with sambar if you have it.
Storage
Refrigerate idli and chutney separately within 1 hour and use within 3 days. Re-steam idli for 5 minutes, or reheat once until piping hot (74 °C). Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Equipment
- 2 medium bowls
- high-speed blender or wet grinder
- large bowl (at least 3 litres) and a clean tea towel
- idli stand with moulds (or a 20 cm heatproof plate)
- large lidded pot that holds the stand
- small frying pan
- butter knife or spoon dipped in water
- instant-read thermometer
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 403 kcal |
| Protein | 9.5 g |
| Carbohydrate | 60.5 g |
| of which sugars | 1.2 g |
| of which free sugars | 0.1 g |
| Fat | 13.9 g |
| of which saturates | 8.1 g |
| Fibre | 6.2 g |
| Salt | 1.25 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
2.4 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
