South Indian Soft Steamed Rice-and-Urad Idli (6 Servings)

Soak 1 cup urad dal in its own bowl with ample clean water for about two hours; soak 2 cups idli rice separately for about four hours. Use roughly 2L soaking water in all, largely drained afterward.

Drain the urad dal, add to a wet grinder and grind until airy. Add part of the roughly 400ml grinding water gradually, using a little more only if the machine cannot move the mixture.

Drain the rice and grind separately to a slightly grainy batter, adding remaining grinding water in small amounts. Combine thoroughly with the urad batter in a large vessel.

Leave enough headroom for the batter to roughly double, cover loosely, and ferment in a clean warm spot for about eight hours. Look for a risen, bubbly batter; discard if mold or an abnormal putrid odor develops.

Gently fold 2 tsp salt into the fermented batter without knocking out too many bubbles. Lightly grease idli molds with 1 tsp neutral oil.

Bring steaming water to a steady boil. Fill molds about three-quarters full, cover, steam approximately 10–12 minutes and check that a skewer inserted into the center comes out without wet raw batter.

Remove the idli trays, rest for 2–3 minutes, and lift out with a damp spoon. Divide the fully cooked cakes into six portions while warm.

Refrigerate leftover cooked idli in shallow containers within two hours at 4°C or colder, consume within 3–4 days, and reheat the center to 74°C.