Idli Dosa Batter Recipe

Easy to follow, fail proof, step by step guide for making the perfectly fermented dosa and idli batter, along with answers to frequently asked questions.

Course Cooking Basics

Cuisine Indian - South Indian

Prep Time 8

Fermenting time 12

Total Time 20

Servings idlis

Calories 35kcal

Author Manju

Equipment

Vitamix
Instant Pot

Ingredients

1 cup parboiled ponni rice or idli rice
¼ cup whole urad dal
½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 ½ teaspoon Himalayan rock salt

Instructions

Rinse the rice and dal separately till water runs clear.
Add the fenugreek seeds with the dal and soak the rice and dal in water, separately, for 8 hours or overnight.
Drain the water from the dal and add it to the Vitamix jar. Add about ⅛ cup of ice cold water to get it started.
Grind in smoothie mode, till the batter is smooth and fluffy.
Remove batter from the blender jar and move it to the Instant Pot inner pot.
Add the rice to the blender. Add about ¼ cup of ice cold water and a couple of ice cubes.
Grind in smoothie mode. Add more water if needed.
Grind till the batter is smooth.
Move this to the same pot as the dal batter.
Add salt to this and mix well with clean hands.
Close the Instant Pot with a plate and set the Instant Pot to Yogurt mode and adjust time to 12 or 13 hrs.
Let it ferment overnight. When the batter is all fluffy and have risen up in the morning, it is fermented and can be used to make idlis right away.

Notes

Note that the fermented batter will be a little thicker than the batter before fermenting.
Instructions in this recipe card are for the batter using a Vitamix for blending and the Instant Pot for fermenting. Details of other methods are in the post.
Please read the entire post for all FAQs, other tips and tricks - this is essential if you want to get this right.

Nutrition