2020/12/19 whole urad idli with coconut tamarind chutney

Toast
headupinclouds on 19 Dec 2020 at 19:54

This is the basic process for a just-sprouted whole urad idli w/ coconut tamarind chutney.  See the making-dosa-starter discussion for more detailed writeups.

  • 1:2 ratio of white rice to whole just-sprouted urad dal -- I believe 1:3 is most commonly reported, but I typically aim for 1:1 or 1:2 to increase overall protein (I used 4 cups rice to 2 cups urad, which makes a very large batch so I can keep left over batter in the fridge for dosas)
  • pre-soaked urad overnight, drained, and waited for micro-sprouts in a colander w/ frequent rinsing throughout the day (I placed the just-sprouted urad in the fridge overnight to slow things down, as my experiments with longer sprouts have resulted in a mushy mess w/ an excessively sour taste)
  • parboiled 1/2 of the rice for three minutes and strained it (first attempt at DIY approximation of parboiled rice)
  • blended urad and rice separately to create thick batters in small batches with w/ one or two ice cubes per batch to lower temperature -- in lieu of a wet grinder, having a high power blender with enough power to blend dense grains to a thick batter w/o over-hydrating is critical, and an attachment to prevent batter build up on the side prevents frequent occurrence of a free spinning blade and makes things go much more smoothly (BlendTec Twister Jar, Vitamix w/ tamper, etc)
  • mixed batters together w/ 1/2 tsp salt per cup of whole dry ingredients
  • fermented overnight in crock placed on top of the warm fridge (the addition of a lid and small light bulb on top under an inverted mixing bowl kept the temperature around 80 F) w/
  • bring large pot of water to boil, oil idli tins liberally w/ semi-solid coconut oil using a silicon brush, fill idli molds to approximately 2/3 leaving room for expansion, lower pot to moderate boil, keep covered and steam idlis 10-15 minutes until firm, then remove and carefully scoop out idlis (a silicone spatula is helpful here) and let them continue to dry and set for a few minutes in a strainer or similar