Idly Idli

A week or so ago, I felt like making idli for dinner. For those of you who don't know what idli is, it's a type of steamed cake made out of grounded rice and urad dhal paste that has been fermented. Fermentation process in this case is just a simple one where you just put your idli mixture on your kitchen counter until it starts foam on the top. When it does, it's ready to use.

Idli takes a while to prepare because of the waiting time basically. So, plan this ahead of time :) This recipe is great for idling the time away while you wait for it to be ready, hence the name Idly Idli for the subject.

What you need is:
3 cups parboiled rice (washed and soaked overnight)
1 cup urad dhal (washed and soaked overnight)
1/2 tsp. soda bicarbonate
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin
salt to taste

Method:
1. With a food processor, process the rice and the dhal separately before combining them together with the rest of the ingredients.
2. Let them sit on the counter of your kitchen for no less than 7 hours, better if you could leave it overnight. Cover it with plastic wrap, of course.

Once you see that the mixture is frothy ontop, your idli mixture is ready.

3. I used ramekins to make my idli, you can go ahead and use macaroon tin or something of that nature. Anyway, fill the ramekins up about 1/3rd of the way. Steam in a rice cooker or a bamboo steamer for about 15 minutes. Your idli should come out clean when you poke it with a skewer. That means it's done :)

Serve with dhal curry, sambhar or with just about any of your favorite curries. I served mine with some dhal and spicy sweet potato chips :)

Teh Tarik or "pulled tea" (in Malay) which actually a Malaysian-like Cappuccino, would be great with this meal.