Why does idli batter rise

There is a way to set the idli pans, one on top of the other. The dent from the upper mould should be inbetween the dents of the lower mould. There need to be room for the idlies to expand or it will hit the upper mold.

Do I need a special idli cooker for cooking idlies? Add a little water on the bottom and place the idli plates on top of it. Cover with the lid and steam. Here is an example of a make shift pressure pan steamer. I live in cold weather. My batter never ferments. Please help? If you have an oven in your home, then put the pilot light on and then leave the batter inside the oven. The heat from the light will warm up the oven compartment and will help in fermenting the batter.

I do not have an oven. What do I do? A small table lamp and a blanket. Keep the batter inside a cup board or a shelf or some place warm.

Insulate the vessel with a warm heavy blanket. That will keep the vessel warm. Have a small table lamp running near the idli batter vessel.

You just need to make sure that the batter is kept warm. Here is a picture of batter insulated with a blanket. When I ferment batter in cold weather, the batter forms a yellow film on top. Is it ok to consume? When the batter is fermented for more than 12 hours usually in colder climate , its possible that the colour on the top of the batter might turn slightly yellow.

Its perfectly edible. The batter needs to be discarded only when it becomes black on top as black spots means that the batter has spoilt. Do I need a separate batter recipe for dosa? My mom and grandmom used just one recipe for both idli and dosa. But here is the deal. The first couple of days after the batter is fermented, it will be idli days. Dosa will be made from the second day of fermentation.

The batter needs to sour up a little more for good dosas. Also the batter needs to be diluted with water to make dosas. My dosa is white. There can be several reasons for white dosas. The pan is not hot.

The dosa pan is not heavy. You need a sturdy pan that will retain the heat for making good dosas. Here is a dosa pan that I really like. Try diluting a little with water. Just a few tablespoons at a time. My dosas are sticking.

Please refer to this article. Your dosa pan may need seasoning. What equipment do you recommend? I am from Coimbatore. If you dint know, electrical wet grinder was invented in Coimbatore. So we know wet grinder better than anyone else. I heavily fall for grinders manufactured from Coimbatore. There are very reputable brands available in the market. This is the one that I personally like. When it comes to mixie, these are the brands that I like. If you are looking for recipes, here they are.

I'm Suguna Vinodh aka Kannamma. I love south Indian food and I am passionate about baking. I love Jacques Pepin and Julia Child. Your email address will not be published. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam.

Learn how your comment data is processed. Thank you for the detailed explanation. Sometimes, it gets warm even in a wet grinder. Is heat while grinding associated with loss of nutrients or hinder the fermentation process in anyway? While warmth encourages the growth of the bacteria, heat kills it. A very hot environment can make the batter sour too soon and the taste will not be good. So for good Idli, we need the rise of batter CO2 effect and also souring of the batter.

If the batter is too hot at the beginning, it gets fermented too soon and the resulting Idlies might not be very soft. Also the Idlies may be good for the first day but hard on the second day. So we use ice water for grinding the urad dal so the dal doesnt get heated up when ground. Hi, My Idlis are sticking to teeth after eating. I fermented idli better for hrs. I observed rice was not completely grinded.

What could be the reason of sticky idlis to teeth? Exact water measurement but batter was not exactly doubled after fermentation. Hi my idli batter fermented very well but with a light yellowish film on top. After steaming my idli turned in brownish red.

I used poha, rice, white whole urad Dall, salt. Hello, Thanks for this informative article. I live in Canada and for the first time I found pink spots on the top layer of my batter. However, batter looks fluffy and soft. I would appreciate if you could share your insights.

The pink spots are ok. It happens when the weather is too cold and the batter takes a little longer to ferment. Hi, We are doing packed lidi dosa batter business,is there any way to extend the fermentation time,without using fridge? Hi, For dosa batter do I need to keep the oven lights on for entire 12 hours or i can just turn the lights on for hrs and leave the batter inside the oven for 12 hours?

In winter, I keep for the entire time in the oven with lights on for hours. It will be fermented in that time. I am planning to start a idli batter venture. Also trying to understand if you have idea on consumption patters of idli state wise. I am aware bengaluru has the highest consumption of idlis. Hi Suguna, please let me know a good method to keep idlis piping hot for serving at a party. I find that the idlis stick to the pan when I keep them in chafing dishes.

Hello, is it important to stir the batter after fermentation process, just before putting batter to the mould? Hi Suguna, Thanks for the tips. I live in New Zealand. Sometimes when I steam the idly, it turns orange colour. Nott sure why? Any idea? I have followed all your suggestions for softer idlis using the mixie recipe.

I find that batter rises very well but idlis are still not as soft as I would like them to be- I steam them for minutes on high flame and let them rest before scooping them out. Should idlis be steamed at high flame or medium? Have tried everything so if you could suggest…I am living in India so using gas stove. Do not steam for more than minutes. Try reducing the water in the batter. Very liquid batter also wont give soft idlis and try using good quality idli rice.

For softest idlis, grinder is the best. Hi Suguna am overwhelmed after finding your website.. I am unable to make paper dosa from dosa batter when other friends of mine doing same easily..

Please advice me. Than you. You will need to dilute the batter for paper dosa. I am feeling very happy because of you give such deep knowledge of receipy of dili.

Very thankful for spreading worth knowledge to all others. Hi I m from south i use to prepare batter which comes out well but nowadays batter gets ferment but on the top it gets pusanam y so?

I would like to know…after the batter fermented, do I give it a good mix or just just sccop the top portion for idli and leave the bottom portion for dosa.

I have been making idlis for decades and usually they are fool proof. But I recently changed my Idli pan to one of those huge idli coolers that hold 21 idlis at the same time. Any pointers? It negates the purpose of getting a idli cooker if the bottom two plates are getting soggy. Hi I have been making idlis in the mixie, and they were never soft. Please help! I am a marketing person in idli batter company….

I need to know why the batter packets getting bulge in summer time.. I have been using your idli recipe for quite sometime now. I tried many different recipes in the past and yours is the most successful every time. Thank you. Only this time, I added more fenugreek as you have suggested and in the past I have used only half of it.

Also this time I used Kosher sea salt. The result my idlis came very orange. Is it the salt or fenugreek that changed the color. Idlis are still super soft. I want to start idli dosa batter business. When I need to pack batter. Is before fermentation or after fermented.

Because we have some time to deliver to shops. All the day auto will travel all city. Can u suggest how to pack. The plates are kept properly, do you know what could be the problem?

Hi Srini, I am not sure why the idlis in the middle are not getting cooked. The whole urad dal with peel is un processed and unpolished. So its healthy and is good for making idlis. Great comprehensive article on idly. I always thought it was yeast and not the bacteria that is needed for fermentation.

I think adding fenugreek is to manage the batter culture, bitter keeps unwanted stuff from multiplying, similar to hops in beer. You can also learn what is with idly and dosa batter. This video did a time travel on me to little kid helping my grand mom grind batter on a hand stone grinder. After packing and selling in the market, the cover gets bulged like pillow.

What is the solution? Is that because of sour. Can you tell me the remedy to reduce the sour. I recently moved to the US and having a tough time making the batter. The first time it came out well with one cup urad dhal and 2 cups idli rice with little fenugreek and poha. I placed the mixer ground batter in the oven with light on and it fe4mented well.

I followed the same procedure the second time around but my dosa is tasting slightly bitter and the batter is a little fluffy and airy. Can i use this batter or is something wrong? But the thing i miss is the taste. It never taste like those idlis which are sell by idli street vendors. Their idlis have some unique taste. I use simple rice and urad daal in with tablespoon of fenugreek seeds. Hi Kannama…thankyou so much for the detailed recipe.. Hi Suguna, Thank you for the detailed instructions.

I used to make idlis based on the mixie method and it used to come out good. I bought a wet grinder and grinding the daal for 30 min, but not fluffing up. What could be the reason? Thanks for your quick reply.

One more thing I want to know regarding fermentation. Hi Suguna I am Sneha, I almost loved your explanation on idly making and also the various informative aspects on the texture of Idlis. My question is when I make idlis in my idli maker of 24 plates, the lid of idli maker opens up a little after some time and vents out steam inspite of having a separate outlet for steam.

I want to know whether because of this are my idlis turning hard or less spongy? So my question is do we need to soak the rice n lentil first if yes then for how long , then to grind it n then let it ferment by adding any acidic liquid? Plz can you explain the process step by step. Thanks Kannamma! I came across your site during my google search on how to make soft idlies in mixie and living in cold weather of C.

I was tired of the seeing the idlis getting hard. Thank you for the thorough explanation liked the science bit about the heterofermentive bacteria! Hi, your article is very informative, thanks for the tips.

I ended up adding more water while grinding, will it ferment? Any tips on that? The idly batter has poha in it. Is it ok to make thosai with it. Will the thosai be different from the normal thosai. I make batter at home that comes out perfectly. This time I bought from market to try brand Chennai caters and it has light pink layer on top and smell over fermented.

Should I discard it or use it? Any suggestions. Hi Kanamma. Thank you so so soooo much for taking the efforts to write this article. Idlis have been THE most favorite of mine and I have been trying to understand the mechanism of making perfect idlis for so long now.

I agree Thuni idli is the best. I have not tried making it yet. What do you think is the contribution of the cloth for making a perfect Thuni idli?

Hi Kanamma, First of all thanks a lot for such a superb and detailed post. And avery nice looking blog as well. Very nicely designed! Anyway, my query is this…what happens if I ferment the batter for too long? Does it go bad? Asking cos sometimes I have left the batter out overnight when fermenting and the idlis taste bitter meaning the batter has probably over fermented and gone bad. So does the batter get bad so quickly if left just overnight to ferment?

By way I get super fluffy idlis every time…i grind in the usual mixer and soak the water and rice together but will try to soak them separately after reading this post of urs and see the difference. Hi Vismay, if the batter has risen, it has fermented. No need to extend the time after the batter has risen. Always refrigerate after fermentation. Also what rice do you use? The quality of rice will always impact on the final taste. Hope this helps. Such an amazing informative article…thank so much for the detailed information.

Hi Kannamma.. Thanks for brief explanation. I tried as per your comments. It came out very nice. My husband and in-laws are fond of idly n dosa. But I want the ratio for 6 members if my in-laws visits.. So Pls suggest. Awaiting for your reply. Hi Fouzia. Please use this recipe and you can double or triple the recipe as per your needs. Hi kannama 1. You are an excellent cook, and your approach towards cooking is commendable.

So divine and pure is your work. Cooking is an art, and you have dealt it like a genuine artist. Sometimes even if you have done everything right, and the batter has fermented well, the idlis can collapse after rising. This usually happens, if you have over-mixed the batter after fermentation, because with excess aeration in the batter, after steaming — the idlis might rise and then collapse quickly too.

Like I mentioned in the post, there are a few different ways to make idli batter, in terms of choosing how to grind it grinder vs blender , and how to ferment it traditional way vs instant pot method. These choices depend on the few factors mentioned above in this post. However, you can choose to go with alternative methods mentioned in the post, if you prefer those. You can use idli batter as a base to make a wide variety of dishes and variations like different kinds of dosas, appams, and uttapams.

As always, I hope you found this recipe useful. Such a brilliant and well written Post Shantala. As a south Indian, I understand the nuances of getting the batter right for those fluffy and soft Idli. I too do it in a stone grinder and get the best results.

Fermenting gets a bit of an issue in winters, but I try to keep it in the sun as and when possible. Havent tried the oven light on method or the instant pot. I have a preethi instant pot. I usually make a large batch so that it lasts for a few days. If it gets too sour towards the end, make it into little appes in the appe pan:. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

What to do if idli batter does not ferment or rise? How to prevent idli batter from over-fermenting and turning sour? Idlis not rising well during steaming or collapsing after rising.

Idli Batter Recipe. Course: Breakfast, Kitchen Basics. Cuisine: Indian, South Indian. Prep Time: 30 minutes. Cook Time: 0 minutes.

Total Time: 30 minutes. Servings: 50 idlis. Calories: kcal. Author: Shantala Shenoy Nayak. Instant Pot Duo Nova. Let it soak for a minimum of hours, but ideal to leave it to soak for hours. The dal is now ready for grinding. Method 1: Grinding Urad Dal using stone grinder Wet the grinder with a little water, and then add in the soaked urad dal and methi seeds, along with fresh COLD water to grind the dal.

Ensure to use really cold water. This is especially important when grinding the dal using a blender, but best to use cold water even for grinder, because for soft and fluffy idlis, it's really important that the batter doesn't get warm during grinding.

You can even add the water in a few parts, to ensure the batter stays cold. This can take minutes depending on your grinder. Method 2: Grinding Urad Dal in blender In a blender, add the soaked urad dal and methi seeds, along with water to grind the dal, and blend till smooth. This should take only a few minutes. But if using a blender to grind soaked urad dal, it's critical to use really cold refrigerated water. Even better if you can use a few ice cubes.

Because while blender grinds the dal within minutes, it also heats it up quickly. And if the batter heats during grinding, then you are more likely to get denser and flatter idlis. Here it is especially important to not add all the water for blending at once, and add it in parts, to help keep the batter cool.

This batter will be more liquid-y as compared to the one you get in the grinder, but the end result will be just as good, if you follow all the steps above. I used to have a hard time getting the batter right. Sometimes it would not ferment and rise enough, and at other times it would be perfect, keeping me wondering what went wrong.

But eventually now I can make perfect batter evert time. Fermenting batter is difficult in colder places like the US, especially during the winter months. But guess what…the instant pot can come to the rescue here too. If you don't have an instant pot, you can use the oven to ferment batter too.

It does take some practice to get the batter right. Even if the batter does not come out perfectly fermented, it is always great to prepare dosa. Usually batter is prepared once for the week and used multiple times. Prepare idli's initially, as they come out soft with fresh batter.

When I prepare the batter, I first use it to make idli's, then to make dosas and any leftover batter to prepare uttapam. All of these meals, can be enjoyed with sambar and chutney.

Each state, or family in South India has a different recipe or proportion they prefer for the batter. Some also make different batter for idli and for dosa. I am sharing the recipe for Idli Dosa Batter that works for me. If you plan to make only dosa, check out this recipe for crispy dosa!

Idli rice are very different than basmati rice, they are short grain parboiled rice. Tip: Do not use these idli rice to make rice to be eaten with a curry. My mother-in-law was curious, so she tried and they do not taste good.

Urad Dal is skinned black gram lentils. You can use the whole lentils called urad dal gota or split urad dal.

I also add fenugreek seeds methi seeds when making the batter. This was a tip from my South Indian friends mom, that it helps with fermentation. Now the next thing is to determine the best ratio for dal to rice. The ratio of dal to rice is You can make batter with dal to rice ratio too, however the idli is not as soft as with the ratio. In a separate bowl, rinse and soak urad dal.

Add 1 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds to the soaked urad dal. It is important to soak the dal and rice separately. The reason is that they both need different time to grind, so if we soak and grind together we might not get the ideal result. In South India, people use a wet grinder to grind idli batter. However I personally don't want to have a separate gadget just to make batter, so I use a high performance blender Vitamix to grind the batter.

You need a strong grinder that can make the batter very fine, while not heating it up. In India, most people have a mixie short for mixer grinder at home. These mixie's are often not high performance, and can heat the batter too much can will hinder proper fermentation. If you have to use a mixer to grind the batter, then grind in small quantities and add ice cold water to keep the batter cool.

Drain the water from the soaked urad dal. Add the urad dal to the Vitamix and grind it to a smooth batter. Add cold water or ice as needed when grinding the batter. It is important to add cold water, as we don't want the batter to heat up as that can hinder proper fermenting.

The batter should neither be thick, nor runny. It should also not be thick, it should be fluffy. Transfer the batter to a large bowl or instant pot steel insert if fermenting in instant pot. Now drain the soaked rice and add them to the same blender. Grind the rice to a smooth batter, again adding cold water or ice as needed. I added about 1. Add salt and mix the batter well.

Use non-iodized salt rock salt , as iodized salt can hinder fermenting of the batter. I got the tip from my friend that you want to mix the batter well with your clean hands, as that adds a little warmth to the batter. The consistency of the batter should be as shown in the below picture. Flowing easily, but not runny and not too thick. If yours is thick, then add some ice cubes or cold water and mix well with your hands.

In normal or warm climate regions, you can ferment on the countertop. It can take anywhere from 8 hours to overnight to ferment the batter depending on the outside temperature. However in cold regions, you can keep the batter to ferment in the oven with the lights on. The light gives enough warmth to ferment the batter. When I keep in the oven, it takes about 12 hours to ferment the batter well. Start the instant pot in the "Yogurt" mode on normal setting. Press adjust until the display shows 8 hours.

Cover instant pot with a glass or steel lid and let the batter ferment. It is important to use a glass lid , and not the instant pot lid as sometimes the batter can overflow and lock the lid.

After 10 hours, the batter should have risen up, which means increased in volume. If it has not risen enough, place the glass lid again and leave for a couple of more hours. If you don't have an instant pot, you can ferment the batter in the oven. I usually just turn on the oven light, which gives the batter enough warmth to ferment.