Iddly

Iddly plate

Iddly
Ingredients:

• 3 cups rice ( no specialty rice needed)
• 1 1/4 urad dhal
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbs whole black pepper or slightly crushed (optional)
• 1 tbs cumin seeds/zeera (optional)
• 1 tbs channa dhal (optional)

Method: Rinse and soak rice and urad dhal in separate containers for a couple of hours. Blend urad dhal with about the same amount of water as the dhal into a smooth paste. Blended contents should be very fine and viscous. Pour the contents in a large dish. Then blend the rice with 1 cup of water into a fine, coarse liquid. Add the contents to the blended urad. Add salt, pepper, cumin, channa dhal. Mix everything till it forms a smooth pretty viscous mixture. Store in a warm place. Let the dough rise overnight. In cold weather, wrap a thick towel to keep the dough warm. The dough could also rise and spill over. Place the blended dough in a large pot or place a large plate below to catch any spills.


Iddlies

Cooking Tips: The iddly dough should expand and rise by next day. Very gently mix the dough with a spatula. Bring about a cup of water to boil in a large pot with a heavy lid, or use a iddly maker pot to bring water to boil and steam. Spoon in the dough into the iddly maker plate. Assemble the plates on to the stand and place the stand in the pot or the iddly maker pot. Cover the lid. Continue to steam the dough for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove lid and test the iddlies with a fork. If the fork comes out without dough sticking to it, then the dough is cooked through and the iddlies are ready. If not continue to steam till the iddlies are cooked. Using a cotton towel or tongs, remove the iddly stand carefully from the pot and place on a cutting board or a plate. Let cool for a few minutes. Or else. run the plate back and front, quickly through cold running water to cool. Then, using a butter knife or a small flat spoon, scoop out each cooked iddly carefully into a serving dish.
Serving Tips: Serve iddlies hot with a dollop of ghee on the top. Coconut or channa dhal chetni on the side with potato onion sambar are a favorite combination to go on the side. Serving urad vade with this combination would be even more heavenly.