South Indian
Idli (Steamed Rice and Lentil Cakes)
Idli (Steamed Rice and Lentil Cakes) is South Indian home cooking, eaten at breakfast and dinner. On the plate it is the dish at the centre. Below is what usually sits beside it, what it does and does not contain, and what else to cook once you have made it.
Ingredients
- 4 cups idli batter (rice and urad dal, store-bought or home-fermented)
- 1 tsp neutral oil
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 tsp salt
How to cook it
- Most households steam idli straight from batter picked up fresh that morning from the local store; if fermenting at home, mix rice and urad dal batter with the salt and let it sit overnight until doubled and faintly sour.
- Grease the cavities of an idli mold lightly with oil and ladle in the batter, filling each about three-quarters full.
- Bring the water to a rolling boil in the base of an idli steamer, lower in the stacked molds, cover, and steam over medium-high heat for 12 minutes.
- Test with a wet spoon; if it comes out clean the idlis are done, so lift out the stand and let it rest for 2 minutes before unmolding.
- Run a wet spoon around the edges to pop out the idlis and serve them hot.
Serve it with
A South Indian dinner is a plate rather than a single dish. These are the courses that normally sit beside Idli (Steamed Rice and Lentil Cakes), read from the same composition Dinejot builds a real meal from.
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What it is eaten with
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The sharp little thing
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Something cool and fresh
A course labelled with another kitchen's name comes from a cuisine in the same family, which is where this plate usually borrows it from.
Safe at your table
Dinejot tracks ten allergens and tags every one of them by hand. Idli (Steamed Rice and Lentil Cakes) carries none of them. That is a checked answer rather than an ingredient list nobody read.
| Allergen | In this dish | Cook this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Peanuts | No | |
| Tree nuts | No | |
| Dairy | No | |
| Gluten | No | |
| Shellfish | No | |
| Eggs | No | |
| Soy | No | |
| Fish | No | |
| Sesame | No | |
| Coconut | No |
These tags are set by a person rather than inferred from an ingredient list, and they describe the recipe as written here. Read the labels on whatever you actually buy.
What it brings to the plate
Bands, not numbers. Dinejot does not weigh anybody's food, so it says light, moderate or hearty and stops there. This dish was read and set by hand.
- Calorie band
- Light
- Protein
- Low
- Food groups it covers
- Grains and Pulses
- How this was set
- Hand audited
When to cook it
Idli (Steamed Rice and Lentil Cakes) takes about 25 minutes from a cold stove to the table, and the cooking itself is easy going. It is eaten at breakfast and dinner. Nothing in the calendar rules it out, so it is a year round dish.
Watch someone make it
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More to cook
Cooked from the same things
Other dishes built on rice and urad dal.
From the same kitchens
More cooking from South India.
Does the same job on the plate
Swap any of these in when you want a meal the same shape.
Cook this with your whole family
Dinejot plans breakfast, lunch and dinner as whole plates, built around the cooking you call home and filtered for the allergies at your table.
Meal suggestions support your goals. They are not medical advice. Please ask your doctor about your family's health needs.