how to make idli batter recipe | idli batter for soft idli | thick idli batter | sour idli batter |
by Tarla Dalal
Added to 6 cookbooks
This recipe has been viewed 208326 times
how to make idli batter recipe | idli batter for soft idli | thick idli batter | sour idli batter | with 25 amazing images.
Use this how to make idli batter recipe to make soft idlis. This is a 100% tried and tested idli batter recipe made hundreds of times by one of our team from South India.
Typically idli batter is made in South Indian homes once or twice a week. If you store the idli batter in the fridge for more time, it can turn extra sour. Hence the idli batter is made twice a week. With the same idli batter you can make sada dosa at home. So your idli batter can be used to make masala dosa, uttapam and appes.
South Indian breakfast or South Indian dinner is made using idli batter. To make dosas from idli batter, you need to add a little water to adjust the consistency. NOTE that you cannot make idlis from dosa batter as dosa batter consistency is very thin. See our dosa batter recipe to make dosas.
To make thick idli batter, combine the urad dal and fenugreek seeds and enough water in a deep bowl and mix well. Cover and soak for 4 hours. Then combine the par-boiled rice and thick beaten rice and enough water in a deep bowl and mix well. Cover and soak for 4 hours. Wash and drain the urad dal and fenugreek seeds and blend in a mixer to a smooth paste using approx. 1 cup of water. Wash and drain the par-boiled rice and thick rice flakes and blend in a mixer to a slightly coarse paste using approx. 1½ cups of water. Add this mixture to the urad dal-fenugreek seeds mixture, add the salt and mix very well. Cover it with a lid and keep aside to ferment in a warm place for 12 hours. After fermentation, mix the sour idli batter well once again and you are ready to make soft idlis.
I would like to share some important tips to make the perfect idli batter for soft idlis. 1. Make sure while you are grinding the rice, the mixture should be fine coarse. Do not grind it till smooth, idli will not fluff while it is steaming. 2. Adding salt before helps in fermentation process.
Enjoy our how to make idli batter recipe | idli batter for soft idli | thick idli batter | sour idli batter | with detailed step by step photos.
For idli batter- To make thick idli batter, combine the urad dal and fenugreek seeds and enough water in a deep bowl and mix well. Cover with a lid and keep aside to soak for 4 hours.
- Combine the par-boiled rice and thick beaten rice and enough water in a deep bowl and mix well. Cover with a lid and keep aside to soak for 4 hours.
- Wash and drain the urad dal and fenugreek seeds and blend in a mixer to a smooth paste using approx. 1 cup of water. Transfer the mixture into a deep bowl and keep aside.
- Wash and drain the par-boiled rice and thick rice flakes and blend in a mixer to a slightly coarse paste using approx. 1½ cups of water. Add this mixture to the urad dal-fenugreek seeds mixture, add the salt and mix very well.
- Cover it with a lid and keep aside to ferment in a warm place for 12 hours.
- After fermentation, mix the idli batter well once again and pour spoonfuls of the batter into each of the greased idli moulds to make soft idli.
How To Make Perfect Idli Batter recipe with step by step photos
-
Tips for how to make idli batter recipe | idli batter for soft idli | thick idli batter | sour idli batter | Soaking both the ingredients is very important to make perfect consistency of idli batter.
-
Make sure while you are grinding the rice, the mixture should be fine coarse. Do not grind it till smooth, idli will not fluff while it is steaming.
-
Adding fenugreek seeds to the soaked urad is essential to make the idlis soft and fluffy.
-
Adding salt before helps in fermentation process of idli batter.
-
Try these 24 recipes using idli batter.
-
Put the urad dal in a bowl. Fresh urad dal is best suitable to get soft idlis. Current years harvested urad dal will be white in colour without pale yellow shades. So, make use of new urad dal for better fermentation and soft idly.
![]()
-
Add fenugreek seeds. It helps in fermentation and make soft idlis in case you do not find current years harvested urad dal.
![]()
-
Add water.
-
Wash it well. Drain it.
![]()
-
Enough water in a deep bowl and mix well. Cover with a lid and keep aside to soak for 4 hours.
![]()
-
Drain it once it is soaked.
![]()
-
In another bowl, add par-boiled rice. For the homemade idli batter, we would highly recommend you make use of par-boiled rice which is a variety of short grained rice. Any variety of short or medium grained like sonna masoori, ponni rice works well. We wouldn’t suggest you to make use of long-grained rice like basmati.
![]()
-
Pour enough water and mix well.
![]()
-
Add thick beaten rice.
![]()
-
Cover with a lid and keep aside to soak for 4 hours.
![]()
-
After 4 hours, drain the soaked par-boiled rice and thick beaten rice. It will look like this.
![]()
-
Transfer the soaked and drained urad dal and fenugreek seeds to a mixer jar.
![]()
-
Add approx. 1 cup of water. Do not add all water at once, start with lesser amount and add water as needed. Traditionally, a stone grinder is used to prepare idli/dosa batter. If you have one, make use of it or you can also make use of a wet grinder or mixer grinder like us. Ensure the batter does not warm up while grinding. If your mixer jar gets heated quickly, make use of cold water while grinding. This will prevent the idly from turning hard.
![]()
-
Blend to a smooth paste.
![]()
-
Transfer the mixture into a deep bowl and keep aside. A light fluffy batter is a key to soft, pillowy idlis.
![]()
-
Similarly, transfer par-boiled rice and thick rice flakes to a mixer jar. Poha is optional but, it helps in giving a spongy texture to South-Indian idli.
![]()
-
Add approx. 1½ cup of water. Add enough water to grind the batter and don’t be scared of the amount because less water results in denser idli. Also, the quantity of water depends upon the quality of rice you use.
![]()
-
Blend to a slightly coarse paste.
![]()
-
Add this mixture to the urad dal-fenugreek seeds mixture. Open the mixer jar once in between, push down the contents and blitz it. For the idli to have a fluffy texture, it is important to soak and blend the dal and rice separately.
![]()
-
Add salt. There are conflicting thoughts about the addition of salt. Many people add before fermentation, many after. But, as per our observation the addition of salt helps in fermentation. Also, regular salt contains iodine which might interfere with the fermentation process so, many people use a non-iodized salt (rock salt or sea salt).
![]()
-
Mix very well with clean hands. Mixing with hands helps in the fermentation process so don’t skip this step.
![]()
-
Cover it with a lid and keep aside to ferment in a warm place for 12 hours. Idli batter requires a warm place to ferment. If you live in a warm place, you can leave the batter outside on your kitchen counter and it will ferment. However, if you live in a cold place, place the batter in the oven with the lights on or in a preheated oven. Depending upon the weather, the batter will require somewhere between 8-12 hours to ferment.
![]()
-
After fermentation, the idli batter | idli batter for soft idli | thick idli batter | sour idli batter | will resemble this. The batter will increase in volume and have a bubbly frothy layer on top. There will also be a typical faint sour aroma from the fermented idli batter.
![]()
-
Mix the idli batter | idli batter for soft idli | thick idli batter | sour idli batter | well once again. The batter should have a nice flowing consistency. It should neither be too thick or too runny. Now our idli batter is ready to prepare idli.
![]()
-
If not using the entire batter immediately, refrigerate in an air-tight glassware. Storing the idli batter in plastic or steel container, might make the batter sour. You can even make crisp dosa and fluffy uttapam with the same batter!
![]()
Other Related Recipes
Nutrient values (Abbrv) per cup
| Energy | 285 cal |
| Protein | 8.8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 61 g |
| Fiber | 2.6 g |
| Fat | 0.6 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 9.5 mg |
Review count
6 FAVOURABLE REVIEWS
The most Helpful Favorable review
Reviewed By
5 of 10 users found this review useful
See more reviews
No review of this type was found
6 FAVOURABLE REVIEWS
The most Helpful Favorable review
Reviewed By
5 of 10 users found this review useful
See more reviews
No review of this type was found
Helpful reviews for this recipe
Sign in to your account
Rate this recipe
Review this recipe (optional)
You are not signed in. To post a private recipe note requires you to
Sign In to your Gold or Silver account
Add your private note to this recipe