Steaming Soft Idlis: Pressure Cooker Techniques

Idli is a popular breakfast food that originated in the southern states of India. It is a soft, spongy, steamed rice cake made from a fermented batter of rice and black gram. The fermentation process not only enhances the nutritional profile of the dish but also makes it easier to digest. To make idlis in a pressure cooker, you will need idli moulds with a stand, a muslin cloth or oil to grease the mould, and an idli batter. The process is simple and can be done in a few easy steps.

Preparing the idli batter

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of parboiled rice
• 1/2 cup of uncooked rice
• 1/2 cup of split black gram flour (urad dal)
• 1/2 cup of fenugreek seeds (methi)
• Water for soaking and grinding
• Salt to taste

Step 1: Soaking the Ingredients

Start by rinsing the rice and dal separately until the water runs clear. Then, soak the parboiled rice and uncooked rice in separate bowls with enough water for at least 5-6 hours. Similarly, soak the gram flour and fenugreek seeds together in water for 2-3 hours.

Step 2: Grinding the Ingredients

After soaking, drain the water from each ingredient. Transfer the uncooked rice, gram flour, and fenugreek seeds to a grinder, blender, or food processor. Add 1/2 cup of water and blend until you have a smooth and spongy batter. Transfer this batter to a deep bowl.

Next, grind the parboiled rice with 1 cup of water to a coarse consistency. This batter will have a slightly different texture than the previous one.

Step 3: Combining the Batters

Now, it's time to mix the two batters. Combine them in a large container, using brisk whipping motions to aerate the mixture. Add salt to taste and continue mixing until the colour and texture are consistent. The batter should be thin enough to drop off a spoon easily.

Step 4: Fermentation

Cover the container with a tight lid and let the batter ferment in a warm place for 8-10 hours, or even overnight. This step is crucial, as it affects the fluffiness and nutritional value of the idlis. The batter should become bubbly during fermentation. If it doesn't, add a pinch of baking soda to help create bubbles.

Tips for Perfect Idli Batter:

• The type of rice matters: Use short-grain parboiled rice (idli rice) for the best results. Avoid long-grain rice.
• Consistency is key: The batter should be similar to waffle batter—not too thick or too runny.
• Temperature control: Ensure the batter is at room temperature before making the idlis. Freshly fermented batter works best, but if you've refrigerated it, take it out 1-2 hours beforehand.
• Fermentation time: The longer you ferment, the fluffier your idlis will be. Aim for at least 8-10 hours, but you can go longer, especially in cooler weather.
• Probiotic benefits: The fermentation process enhances the nutritional profile of the batter, making idlis a good source of protein, calories, and B vitamins.

Soaking the ingredients

To make idli, you'll need to soak the ingredients for 4 to 6 hours. Here's a detailed guide:

Rinsing and Soaking the Ingredients

First, rinse the urad dal and fenugreek seeds until the water runs clear. Place 1/2 cup of urad dal (black gram) and 1/2 tablespoon of fenugreek seeds into a pot, fill it with water, and swish the ingredients around with your hand. Drain the water and repeat this process 1 to 2 more times. Alternatively, you can place the urad dal and fenugreek seeds in a strainer and rinse them under running water until the water runs clear.

Next, soak the urad dal, fenugreek seeds, and poha. After draining the urad dal and fenugreek seeds for the final time, add 1/4 cup of poha (flattened rice) and 1 cup of water to the pot and set it aside for 4 to 5 hours. Make sure you use a large enough pot, as the ingredients will expand as they soak.

While the urad dal, fenugreek seeds, and poha are soaking, start rinsing the rice. Place 1 cup of parboiled rice (idli-dosa or short-grain) and 1 cup of basmati rice in a separate pot and fill it with water. Swish the rice around, drain the water, and repeat this process 2 to 3 more times.

Finally, soak the rice. After draining the water from the rice for the final time, pour 2 cups of water into the pot and set it aside for 4 to 5 hours.

Tips for Soaking the Ingredients

• Make sure you use separate pots for soaking the urad dal, fenugreek seeds, and poha, and the rice. Do not use the same pot for both mixtures.
• The urad dal, fenugreek seeds, and poha will expand as they soak, so be sure to use a pot that is big enough to hold twice the amount.
• Start rinsing the rice while the urad dal, seeds, and poha are soaking so that both mixtures will be ready at the same time.

Greasing the idli moulds

Once you have greased the moulds, you can start to fill them with batter. Add a small amount of batter to each mould, being careful not to overfill. The batter will rise as it cooks, so it is important to leave some space in each mould. Repeat this process for all of the moulds, then stack them on the rack.

Steaming the idli

Now that you have the batter ready, it's time to steam the idli!

Grease the idli moulds with ghee or oil. This will ensure that the idlis don't stick to the moulds and come off easily once cooked. If you've made idlis before and are feeling confident, you can cut out the oil by using a damp muslin cloth instead. Place the cloth over the mould and pour the batter over it. The cloth forms a barrier between the batter and the mould and prevents the batter from sticking. However, getting the idlis out of the cloth can be tricky, and the wrinkles in the cloth may leave a few grooves on the sides of the idlis.

Pour the batter into the moulds. Aim to fill the mould to about 70%, so that the batter has enough room to rise. Avoid overfilling the moulds because once the batter rises, it will spill over and make a mess.

Place the moulds on the stand, offsetting the wells. Your set of idli moulds should have come with a metal stand or plunger that allows you to set it into a pressure cooker. Slide the idli moulds onto the stand, making sure to offset the wells so that they aren't directly above one another. This will allow the idli to expand. If you stand the moulds with the wells positioned directly above one another, the idli won't have room to expand as they cook and will get squashed.

Bring 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water to a boil in a pressure cooker. Fill your pressure cooker so that it is just below the level of the lowest mould. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat. This may take 3 to 4 minutes.

Set the idli moulds into the cooker, cover with a lid, and open the vent. Make sure that you're placing the idli moulds directly into the water. The moulds should have little feet at the bottom, so the idli won't get wet. Close the lid on your pressure cooker tightly, but leave the vent open. In some pressure cookers, you actually have to take the entire vent out.

Allow the idli to cook for 10 to 15 minutes. The idli are ready when you stick a toothpick into the centre and it comes out clean. They should be light, puffy, and fluffy. Be careful when opening the pressure cooker, even though you left the vent open, there may still be lots of hot steam coming out.

Let the idli cool for 5 minutes before removing and serving. Use a wet spoon or butter knife to scoop the idli out of the moulds and transfer them to a plate. Serve them for breakfast with sambar and chutney. Coconut chutney pairs especially well with idli. They also taste delicious with rasam and peanut chutney.

Serving suggestions

Idlis are traditionally served with coconut chutney, sambar (a split pigeon pea and vegetable stew) and malgapodi. They also taste great with a drizzle of sesame oil, butter or ghee.

In South India, idlis are often dunked in a bowl of hot vegetable sambar or dipped in chutney. They are also served with a side of ginger tea.

Idlis are a popular breakfast food but can be enjoyed as a wholesome lunch or dinner, too.

Frequently asked questions