Supersoft Idlis with Sambar

Idlis are the most popular breakfast item in the South of India. They seem to have originated in South India(one version says that they date back to the time the Chola empire ruled over Tamil Nadu - pretty ancient!!) However, they have a universal appeal and are liked and relished not only all over India but even the world over. Idlis are basically steamed rice and lentil cakes served with a sambar(a spicy gravy) or chutney(a side dish with coconut as its main ingredient). Idlis are very healthy as they have a perfect combination of proteins and carbohydrates and are steamed. Thus they are very low in oil content. There are many many recipes that people follow but here goes my version.

Ingredients:

1 cup urad dal.
3 cups Par boiled rice/Kusubalakki.
1 cup regular rice(sona masoori)/ootada akki.

Method:

1. Wash both the varieties of rice thoroughly and soak them together for 4-5 hours.
2. Wash the urad dal thoroughly and soak it in water for 2 hours.
3. First grind the urad dal in the grinder till very smooth and fluffy. Add water gradually and intermittently to get a light and fluffy texture.
4. Now grind the soaked rice (remove the excess water used for soaking) into a fine rawa texture. It should be neither too coarse nor too smooth. Add water as required gradually.
5. Add the urad dal batter and salt to the ground rice mixture and run the grinder for 1 minute to ensure that both the batters and salt are mixed well.
6. Now tranfer the contents into a large vessel so that there is enough room for the batter to rise.
7. Allow it to ferment overnight.
8. Next morning, mix the batter well and pour into greased idli plates and steam cook in a pressure cooker for 15 minutes.
9. Once the idlis are done, remove them from the moulds carefully with the help of a flat spoon and serve them hot with ghee and sambar or chutney.

For the recipe for sambar, please refer to the entry "Sambar for idlis".

Variation: Instead of soaking and grinding rice, rice rawa can be used to prepare idlis. Soak the rice rawa in luke warm water just as you start grinding the urad dal. Once the urad dal is ground, drain all the water from the rice rawa, squeeze out well in your hands and add it to the smoothly ground urad dal batter. Add salt allow to ferment and make soft idlis the next morning. Use 2-1/2 cups of rice rawa for 1 cup of urad dal.