Last Updated on January 2, 2018
I got many mails asking me to post the recipe for idli and dosa batter. So here I am with the batter which stays in our house since I am a kid. Amma makes this batter every week in bulk quantity and stores in fridge for that whole week. This is a life saver during busy mornings...
The main thing which you should keep in mind is the proportions for this batter. The propotion is 4:1 (ie) 4 parts of rice to 1 part of urad dal. And the second thing is the fermenting time, Amma usually makes this batter in the morning and leaves it on the counter the whole day and put it in the fridge during night.
I hope you will love our traditional recipe and off you go to the step by step recipe with pictures..
Ingrediants:
Rice – 4 cup / 4 part
Whole Urad Dal without Skin / Ulundam Paruppu-1 cup / 1 part
Rock Salt- to taste ( See Notes below the recipe)
Water as needed
Method:
Soak your rice and dal separately for 5-6 hours.
Now in a blender or wet grinder take your dal first and start grinding it. Add some water to help grinding. Grind till it is smooth.Remove this in a big air container and set aside.
Now take rice in the same blender and start grinding. Add some water to help grinding. Grind till it is smooth and soft. Remove this in the same container where the dal batter is kept in.
Now wash you hands completely with soap. Add some salt in the batter and start mixing with your hands. Make sure you mix this completely.
Please note that you don’t fill the batter half way above the container which you store this because it do rise a lot while it ferments. You can also put this is several containers to ferment.
Cover the container with a lid and leave it on counter top for 8-10 hours to ferment. Once the batter is fermented mix it completely with a spoon so that everything is mixed properly and then put it in the refrigerator.
While you are ready to make dosa or idli. Mix the batter once again and you could add some more water if you need and make your favorite dish.
You can use this to make the perfect idli and dosa.
Important Notes:
1)For fermenting the batter in cold places..Preheat the oven to 200 degree farenheat and switch off the oven, Now keep this bowl inside the oven and leave it overnight..If you don't have oven, you can leave it for 2 days on countertop this will make the batter to ferment.
2)Don't use iodised salt, since this will delay the fermenting process.Use rock salt or non-iodised salt.
Pictorial:
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| Take rice and urad dal in separate bowl |
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| add water and let it soak |
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| first add urad dal to grinder |
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| and let it grind |
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| pour some water to help it grinding |
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| grind till smooth |
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| can you see how smooth it is |
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| remove it in a big container |
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| now add rice in this and start grinding |
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| grind it till smooth |
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| remove it in the same container |
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| now add salt in this and mix with your hands..This is because the warmth from your hand make the batter ferment faster.. |
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| all mixed up and fermented... |
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| Now make crispy dosas |
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| MMM..YUM |
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| Or you could make spongy idli's out of this.. |
Nalini's Kitchen
Ummm...spongy idly and crispy dosa.
Biny Anoop
after all that i want to have it now.....dont have btter going to the nearesr dosa corner
Indulge
very nice pictorial.. one question for your mom, I am in NJ, USA and it is really cold here and my house is also cold, the batter never ferments, tried all tricks, like blanket wrapping, oven light. no luck.. nay other thing .. my kids love idli's..any help will be truly appreciated,
Love Ash.
Gayathri
If at all you use a room heater, try putting somewhere near that..
foodnthings
I had the same problem of batter not fermenting at all... One of my friend suggested that I should use a plastic container, use a big container so that there is enough room for the fermentation process. And also keep it in the pre heated oven not too hot just warm enough.. And keep the container in a warm water bath. See if this helps.. And yes use black or sea salt
Hamaree Rasoi
Thanks a lot for sharing with us the step by step method to prepare batter.
Deepa
Hamaree Rasoi
Hari Chandana
Woww.. looks too good.. very useful post dear.. gr8 job !!
Indian Cuisine
faseela
too informative dear...........
Aarthi
@indulge..Thanks for your comment..For fermenting the batter in cold places..Preheat the oven to 200 degree farenheat and switch off the oven..Now keep this bowl inside the oven and leave it overnight..If this don't work, you can leave it for 2 days on countertop this will make the batter to ferment.
Roshni
Aarthi.. good description and photos of the process. it is in my list of things to post. i just noticed that in the description, you have said rice first and then dal - though you have corrected in the pics as dal first. Thought I will point out as you know the order is important 🙂
Anzz
Aarthi, have an award for you at my place. Do collect it. Am adding to your site as a follower. Keep up the gr8 work.
Vatsala.
excellent dosa and idli.
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Suja
Crispy and yummy..perfect and tempting breakfast
Viki's Kitchen
Very nice post and delicious idly dosa....yummy!
Curry and Comfort
I have never made this.. but I thank you for the step by step method. I shall share this with my mother (I call her Amma too) and see if we can make it as wonderful as yours looks. 🙂
Mythreyi
The dosaa are looking crisp... didn't know we can make idly also with this batter, will try...
I also add i tsp Baking soda before putting it in the oven, it helps the fermenting process faster...
-Mythreyi
Yum! Yum! Yum!
Deeksha
Thanks for sharing these tips. Very nice n useful.
Shanthi
Very nice pictorial. Will be useful for amateurs.
Ganga Sreekanth
so inviting..yummy
Archana
I never knew I could use the same batter for idli and dosa. Love that. Also i never tried prop of 4:1 will do so henceforth after all mom's know the best.
Anjana
very informative post,great job....thanks for sharing....
divya
yum Yum this looks so mouthwatering !
Archana
Amma and Amma ki beti thank you. This post has given me excellent idlis. Will try making dosa out of the atta tomorrow. The only change is that is used idli rava and ground it up too as I had to make idlis urgently and there was no time to soak the rice.
Thanks a million.
Vegetarian Surprises
Thanks...but why do we grind them separately? I always soak them & grind them together ...Im sure there must be some science behind it...I'm learning south Indian food, so just curious :)))
Aarthi
@Vegetarian Surprises
actually urad dal needs to be grinded till they gets fluffy, thats what helps in the fermenting process...So they grind it separately ..I think this might be the fact..
aayesha
which type of rice you use.i am a begginer to make idli .i made with store bought mix
your idli is very spongy yummy.
Hemavathi Murari
aarthi, this is great.
to have a diff kindly add a fist of toor dhal and 1 tsp of fenugreek seeds.
Anonymous
Hi..
You have the most amazing blog I have ever come across.I must say this is skill.Did you add anything else while grinding the batter for this hotel style brown coloured dosa?My dosas are always white.Please suggest.
Prema
Aarthi
@Anonymousno i din add anything else other than the one given in the recipe..try this recipe and let me know the results
Anonymous
Hi Aarthi,
I have a question, do you use the same water that you previously used in soaking the rice and dal in grinding, or you used a fresh one? thanks for sharing your recipe.
-Dina.
Aarthi
@AnonymousI didn't use same water..I used fresh water for grinding it..
Anonymous
Aarti,
Wonderful post.What kind of rice did you use? Is it sona masoori? Please specify.
Aarthi
@Anonymous
No it is not sona masuri..It is regular rice..We have a rice brand called chengalpattu.Amma uses that for making batter
Anantara
Your grinder is amazing -- makes the batter so smooth. I use a blender so it is not as smooth as yours. Is this type of grinder only available in India? Thanks for the recipe!
Aarthi
@AnantaraThank u so much. That is my mum's.I am not sure about that.
puma
ur recipies r very tasteful..thanks aarthi..
i tried in 4:1 ratio to grind idly batter..but idly's was not so soft rather it is too hard..
what i have to do?
Aarthi
@puma
The key thing is u should grind the urad dal till it is super soft.This may be one reason.
Another thing..May be you must have cooked the idly for long time..
Try again and tell me the results
Anonymous
hi....
It is superb recipe which can help to everybody...thanks a lot...i love ur blog so much...u r having great cooking skills keep going ....
can i use regular sona masoori rice for this...thanks
Aarthi
@Anonymousofcourse you can use any type of rice
Anonymous
hi aarthi..I luv ur blog..everything in detail..can u plse post the recipe of the chutney shown in this pic..so yummy..:)
Aarthi
@AnonymousHere is the link for it.
https://www.yummytummyaarthi.com/2011/10/andhra-peanut-chutney-verusenaga.html
Anonymous
thanks a ton for the link Aarthi..:)
Anonymous
Hi can you please tell me how to make soft and spongy basic idli...i have tried so many times but never got it....i have a steel idli steamer that is with 12 idlis...can make at one time..i use idly rice and i grind it in mixer grinder....please please help
Anonymous
You have showed the procedure for making batter in a big grinder. Can u show or say how to do idli batter in a blender for working women. how much should be the ratio for making it in the blender? Thanks.
Aarthi
@AnonymousThat will be a separate post of mine
Lalala
Hi aarthi.. I juz lovve ur blog.. All ur dishes are super delicious enough to stole my hubby's heart .. 🙂 u r doung really a great favour to many of us who r new to cooking.. Thankk u soo soo much n keep updating new new dishes. :)))))
meenakshi
how should i plan if i want to make dosas tomorrow for lunch like when should i soak the rice and all the procedure.what to do with leftover batter, if does not want to consume in 2-3 days? your guidelines will be great help to me.
thanks.
Aarthi
@meenakshiYou can prepare the batter the day before, say soak rice and dal in the morning, and grind it in the evening. Ferment the batter overnight and the next day it is ready to use. You can store the batter in fridge for upto a week. make sure you take only small portion out and use that, dont take the whole container out,
Kuldeep
Which rice do you use? Is it the parboiled rice or the normal sona masuri rice?
Aarthi
@KuldeepIt is normal idli rice
Anonymous
Aarti I almost use the same ratio but off late dosa sticks to the tawa
NK
Hi Thanks fo the recipe �� Just one question instead of soaking and grinding rice can I use rice flour .I don't have a very good grinder so my rice stays coarse and may be that's the reason why my dosa comes out dry instead of
crispy
Aarthi
@NK
know you cannot use rice flour..If you want a crispy dosa, check my this version of dosa
https://www.yummytummyaarthi.com/2014/07/crispy-dosa-recipe-how-to-make-crispy.html
Anonymous
The rice is pachai arasi or pulugal arasI sis? Thx for all ur wonderfull mouthwatering receipes,
Aarthi
@AnonymousIt is pulugal arisi
Anonymous
Mam, why u don't add fenugreek (vendiyam) with urad ?
Aarthi
@AnonymousMy mom didn't use it..you can add
Anonymous
Hi Aarthi, can I use gramflour instead of urad dal?or any other dal?
Aarthi
@AnonymousNo you cannot add gram flour or any dal..Urad dal is must
Anonymous
Can plz tell me what will b the ratio if i have to use only 1cup/part of rice.....
Aarthi
@Anonymousfor 1 cup rice use 1/4 cup dal
Anonymous
My dosas are sticking to one another after making and putting in hotpot...why is it so dear
Aarthi
@AnonymousDosa have the tendency to stick. So what i do is, i make it and fold it then put it in hot pot.
renuka
Madam, what type of idli rice, cooking rice and urad dal are you using? I tried many recipes from your sites...its really nice and yummy... thanks madam.
Aarthi
@renukaI use my super market branded ones. Normal ones are good.
Aathi........
hi..i have a doubt..in my home we are only two so for us what will be the ratio how much rice i need to take(for 2 days making,maximum we need 10 t0 20 dosa)?
Aarthi
@Aathi........you can half this recipe
shoba
Hi can I use blender to grind?
Anonymous
Nice information.....very gud job
Aarthi
@shobayes u can use
Rajesh Kumar
Delicious yummy...your recipes....
Chowringhee Kamla Nagar
Chowringhee
Wonderful Recipe. Pretty much ideal .. Thanks for sharing...
Restaurant in South Campus
Anonymous
Hi Aarthi,
I have learnt so much from your blog! Thank you so much. On this dosa, can I use long grain Basmathi rice?
Look forward to your reply.
Aarthi
@Anonymousnormally idli rice or cooking rice is used..u can use long grain too i think
Anonymous
Hi can I use basmati rice? And also can I use eno to ferment the batter?
Thank you.
Aarthi
@Anonymousno eno cannot be used in this. Basmati wont give proper texture
Unknown
@Indulge
I live in Norway, extremely cold country too. I leave my batter near the water heater to help with fermentation because that area is warmer. Usually turns out ok.
Anonymous
HI, READ ALL THE COMMENTS, BUT DIDNT QUITE GET WHAT TYPE OF RICE TO USE? IS IT IDILI RICE OR DOSA RICE OR A MIXTURE OF BOTH ?PL HELP ME-THKS IN ADVANCE
Aarthi
@Anonymousu can use idli rice or dosa rice as well.
Dhanya
The idli came out fluffy, but it a rough texture and a glazed layer at top. Any suggestions. I used split urud dal
Anonymous
Hi aarti..thanks a lot for this post. I have to try this now fr softer idlis.
But 1 questn.i live in dubai and now its very cold here. So as u told..if i use oven, wont de batter hardens at de bottom because of the heat when i keep inside at 200f? And what kind of vessel should i use in such case..pls reply.
Aarthi
@Anonymousu have to turn off the oven, this will not make it hard
Aarthi
@Anonymousidlies will take around 5 to 8 mins to steam. you can place the mould once the water boils
Anonymous
Thank u aarti foe the reoly.can i add a pinch of yeast to help fermentatn in cold places?
Aarthi
@Anonymousyes u can
Anonymous
Hi Aarthi, dont we need to add little methi as well to the batter because i tried this and my dosas did not brown.
Anonymous
Hi Aarti, i just wanted to make sure that methi seeds need to be added in the batter for idli/dosa to get brown.if yes, how much methi should i be add.
Aarthi
@Anonymousyou can add methi to this
aroo ma
what rice we should use
Aarthi
Use idli rice if you can.
Anonymous
Can I use normal rice for this???
Aarthi
yes u can use
Geethanjali Gundu
Can I use split urad dal?
Aarthi
it wont make the batter that good
sumaiyya mirza
Hi.. It's really nice blog.. Thanks for sharing recipes.. I want to know the grinder which you have used in above pictures. What you call it or brand name how I can get it?
sumaiyya mirza
I want to know which grinder you are using in pics name and brand?
Anonymous
If i m not wrong the ratio is 4:1?? If i take 1 cup of rice then i will take dal 1 part of a cup??
Anonymous
Can i use microwave oven for this purpose as i use for pizza dough.
Gloria
Hi, shouldnt we wash the rice and urad dal before soaking?
Aarthi
you can wash it
Sha
I never have a luck from any batter I tried using store batter , I tried making ur batter but still they stick to d pan why? I used jaya para boiled rice . I cannot spread the moment I pour batter if I spread it get stuck to my laddel please help.