Idli & Dosa Batter

This batter is made up of rice and lentils and can be used to make soft

steamed rice patties or crispy crepes. You can store the batter in your fridge

for about a week or in the freezer for about a month. Use the batter to make

idlis the first couple days, then use the batter to make crispy dosas or savory

“pancakes” the rest of the week. One note, be sure to use rice that is labeled

“Idli rice” when making this recipe. Idli rice is short grain parboiled rice and

can be easily found at any Indian grocery store or on Amazon.

3 cups idli rice (short grain parboiled rice), soaked for 5-6 hours

1 cup whole skinless black lentils (whole skinless urad dal), soaked for 5-6

hours

1 teaspoon fenugreek (methi) seeds, soaked for 5-6 hours

2 cups cold water, adjust accordingly

3 teaspoons salt

Soak the rice and lentils in the morning so you can prepare the batter in the evening and allow it to

ferment overnight.

1. To prepare the batter, soak the rice in a bowl of cold water for 5-6 hours.

In a separate bowl, add the whole skinless black lentils (urad dal) and

fenugreek seeds and soak in cold water for 5-6 hours. Drain the water.

2. Put the drained rice in a blender and slowly pour in 1 cup of cold water

while blending. Blend until the rice is mostly smooth. Pour this into the

steel pot. Add the drained urad dal and methi seeds to the blender and

slowly pour the in remaining 1 cup of cold water while blending. Blend

until the dal is a fluffy, almost foam-like consistency. Pour this into the

steel inner pot. Mix the blended rice and dal together.

3. Press the yogurt button and set the time to 12 hours on normal mode.

Secure the lid. You can close the valve or leave it open as it does not

matter in this case. Once the time is up, the batter should have doubled in

size and look light and airy. Gently fold the salt into the batter.

4. Store the batter in the fridge for up to a week, or keep it in the freezer for

up to a month.

Steamed Rice Cakes

(Idli)

These rice and lentil cakes are typically served with sambar or chutney

during breakfast or lunch. Idli is typically eaten in savory applications, but

you can also top them with ghee and sugar (my husband’s favorite way to eat

them).

Idli & Dosa Batter

1. To make idlis, spoon the fermented batter into a greased idli mold.

2. Place 2 cups of water into the steel inner pot, then place the idli mold

inside the pot.

3. Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 1 minute at high

pressure (the idlis will cook while the machine builds pressure).

4. Naturally release pressure for 10 minutes. Open the valve to release any

remaining pressure.

5. Serve with sambar.