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.
