The only recipe you will need for making idli and dosai batter at home. Recipe with step by step pictures and video.
Idli and Dosai Batter revisited I have already shared my trusty idli recipe and dosai recipe. However many of you have messaged me over the years for a trusty batter recipe that’s good for idlis as well as for dosai. I have tweaked the ratios of dal and rice of my idli recipe to arrive at this multi purpose idli and dosai batter. This is my go to recipe nowadays and is a no-fail foolproof batter that keeps good for about 5 days. If you are a first timer or a beginner, check these tips before you start.
Here are some of the products used in this recipe that may be useful for you. Idli Rice https://amzn.to/3i48pRK Wet Grinder https://amzn.to/3AHH9ju Idli Cloth https://amzn.to/3zH3Jrc Idli Cloth 2 – https://amzn.to/3AHHYsA Cast Iron Dosai Pan https://amzn.to/39CtWfU
Here is the video of how to make all purpose idli dosai batter in a wet grinder
Here is the step by step pictorial of how to make all purpose idli dosai batter in a wet grinder
This is an all purpose batter that is good for making idli as well as dosai. The quality of ingredients is of utmost importance. Use only parboiled rice and unpolished white whole urad dal for making the batter. Do not use split urad dal. Wash the rice 2-3 times in water until the water runs clear. Washing the rice is very important for the resulting idlis to be softer and whiter. Soak for 4 hours.
Wash the urad dal once and soak in water. Soak for 4 hours.
Soak the fenugreek seeds in 100ml water. We will use the same water while grinding too. Soak for 4 hours.
Grind fenugreek seeds along with the water used for soaking. Grind for five minutes. Grinding the fenugreek seeds separately contributes for a very fluffy batter.
Add the soaked and drained urad dal to the wet grinder. Remember the ground fenugreek is still lying in the grinder. Just dump the dal on top of it and add 100ml of water. The tip in grinding urad dal is to add the water slowly. If you add all of the water at once, it wont fluff up well. Add water in 3-4 intervals. The dal should fluff up and fill the grinder. It should have increased about 2-3 times of its original volume. Grind for at least 20-30 minutes. After 20-30 minutes, transfer the dal mixture into a bowl and set aside.
We use Idly Rice for making idly batter. Par boiled rice is the only way to go for idli. Its also called as Salem Rice in Tamilnadu. Grind the soaked and drained rice for 20-30 minutes until smooth.
Grind the aval / poha to a powder and add it to the grinder. Sprinkle the aval using a spoon. Do not dump at once as they may clump up. Adding aval will help in making the fluffiest idlis. Aval is an already cooked product. So it will help in better fermentation.
Add 400 ml – 500 ml water in two intervals while grinding. Depending on the age of the rice, you might need to add a little bit more water while grinding. Add extra water if the batter is very thick.
After 20-30 minutes, transfer the rice mixture to the bowl and set aside. The batter should be smooth but so slightly like sand.
Finally add in the salt and mix well to combine. Ferment the batter for 6-12 hours. If its summer, it will take about 6-8 hours. In winter, it will take a longer time. If you live in a very cold place, leave your batter in some place warm. Leaving your batter inside your oven with the pilot light on works great if you live abroad and your place is cold. Once the time is up, the batter should have increased in volume. Take a ladle and mix it well. Your batter is ready. Refrigerate the batter after fermenting. Use within 4-5 days.
To make Idli Fill two inches of water in an idli vessel and put it on medium flame. Wet a cloth and line an idli plate. Ladle the batter on the plate and steam for 6-7 minutes. After the said time, unmold the cloth. Sprinkle water while unmolding. To make Dosai Dilute the batter with little water to pouring consistency. Heat the dosai griddle until medium hot. Add 1/3 cup batter and swirl to cover dosai griddle. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of Indian sesame oil / peanut oil or ghee. Cook until underside of the dosai is golden brown, about a minute. Flip once. Cook for a few seconds. Remove dosai from the griddle and repeat with remaining batter. Serve hot.
1 tumbler = 200 ml
5 tumblers (1 liter) idli rice / puzungal arisi 1 tumbler (200ml) whole unpolished white urad dal / vellai ulundu 2 tablespoon ( 30 ml) fenugreek seeds / vendayam 1/2 tumbler (100 ml) thick aval / poha / beaten rice 2 tablespoon ( 30 ml) rock salt
Total Water – 800ml – 100 ml water to grind fenugreek seeds (use soaking water) – 300 ml water to grind urad dal – 400 ml water to grind rice
Making the Batter
Wash the urad dal once and soak in water. Soak for 4 hours. Soak the fenugreek seeds in 100ml water. We will use the same water while grinding too. Soak for 4 hours. Grind fenugreek seeds along with the water used for soaking. Grind for five minutes. Grinding the fenugreek seeds separately contributes for a very fluffy batter.
Add the soaked and drained urad dal to the wet grinder. Remember the ground fenugreek is still lying in the grinder. Just dump the dal on top of it and add 100ml of water. The tip in grinding urad dal is to add the water slowly. If you add all of the water at once, it wont fluff up well. Add water in 3-4 intervals. The dal should fluff up and fill the grinder. It should have increased about 2-3 times of its original volume. Grind for at least 20-30 minutes. After 20-30 minutes, transfer the dal mixture into a bowl and set aside.
We use Idly Rice for making idly batter. Par boiled rice is the only way to go for idli. Its also called as Salem Rice in Tamilnadu. Grind the soaked and drained rice for 20-30 minutes until smooth. Grind the aval / poha to a powder and add it to the grinder. Sprinkle the aval using a spoon. Do not dump at once as they may clump up. Adding aval will help in making the fluffiest idlis. Aval is an already cooked product. So it will help in better fermentation.
Add 400 ml – 500 ml water in two intervals while grinding. Depending on the age of the rice, you might need to add a little bit more water while grinding. Add extra water if the batter is very thick.
After 20-30 minutes, transfer the rice mixture to the bowl and set aside. The batter should be smooth but so slightly like sand.
Finally add in the salt and mix well to combine. Ferment the batter for 6-12 hours. If its summer, it will take about 6-8 hours. In winter, it will take a longer time. If you live in a very cold place, leave your batter in some place warm. Leaving your batter inside your oven with the pilot light on works great if you live abroad and your place is cold. Once the time is up, the batter should have increased in volume. Take a ladle and mix it well. Your batter is ready. Refrigerate the batter after fermenting. Use within 4-5 days.
To make Idli
Fill two inches of water in an idli vessel and put it on medium flame. Wet a cloth and line an idli plate. Ladle the batter on the plate and steam for 6-7 minutes. After the said time, unmold the cloth. Sprinkle water while unmolding.
To make Dosai
Dilute the batter with little water to pouring consistency. Heat the dosai griddle until medium hot. Add 1/3 cup batter and swirl to cover dosai griddle. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of Indian sesame oil / peanut oil or ghee. Cook until underside of the dosai is golden brown, about a minute. Flip once. Cook for a few seconds. Remove dosai from the griddle and repeat with remaining batter. Serve hot.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 24h
1 tumbler = 200 ml
5 tumblers (1 liter) idli rice / puzungal arisi 1 tumbler (200ml) whole unpolished white urad dal / vellai ulundu 2 tablespoon ( 30 ml) fenugreek seeds / vendayam 1/2 tumbler (100 ml) thick aval / poha / beaten rice 2 tablespoon ( 30 ml) rock salt
Total Water – 800ml – 100 ml water to grind fenugreek seeds (use soaking water) – 300 ml water to grind urad dal – 400 ml water to grind rice
Making the Batter
Wash the urad dal once and soak in water. Soak for 4 hours. Soak the fenugreek seeds in 100ml water. We will use the same water while grinding too. Soak for 4 hours. Grind fenugreek seeds along with the water used for soaking. Grind for five minutes. Grinding the fenugreek seeds separately contributes for a very fluffy batter.
Add the soaked and drained urad dal to the wet grinder. Remember the ground fenugreek is still lying in the grinder. Just dump the dal on top of it and add 100ml of water. The tip in grinding urad dal is to add the water slowly. If you add all of the water at once, it wont fluff up well. Add water in 3-4 intervals. The dal should fluff up and fill the grinder. It should have increased about 2-3 times of its original volume. Grind for at least 20-30 minutes. After 20-30 minutes, transfer the dal mixture into a bowl and set aside.
We use Idly Rice for making idly batter. Par boiled rice is the only way to go for idli. Its also called as Salem Rice in Tamilnadu. Grind the soaked and drained rice for 20-30 minutes until smooth. Grind the aval / poha to a powder and add it to the grinder. Sprinkle the aval using a spoon. Do not dump at once as they may clump up. Adding aval will help in making the fluffiest idlis. Aval is an already cooked product. So it will help in better fermentation.
Add 400 ml – 500 ml water in two intervals while grinding. Depending on the age of the rice, you might need to add a little bit more water while grinding. Add extra water if the batter is very thick.
After 20-30 minutes, transfer the rice mixture to the bowl and set aside. The batter should be smooth but so slightly like sand.
Finally add in the salt and mix well to combine. Ferment the batter for 6-12 hours. If its summer, it will take about 6-8 hours. In winter, it will take a longer time. If you live in a very cold place, leave your batter in some place warm. Leaving your batter inside your oven with the pilot light on works great if you live abroad and your place is cold. Once the time is up, the batter should have increased in volume. Take a ladle and mix it well. Your batter is ready. Refrigerate the batter after fermenting. Use within 4-5 days.
To make Idli
Fill two inches of water in an idli vessel and put it on medium flame. Wet a cloth and line an idli plate. Ladle the batter on the plate and steam for 6-7 minutes. After the said time, unmold the cloth. Sprinkle water while unmolding.
To make Dosai
Dilute the batter with little water to pouring consistency. Heat the dosai griddle until medium hot. Add 1/3 cup batter and swirl to cover dosai griddle. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of Indian sesame oil / peanut oil or ghee. Cook until underside of the dosai is golden brown, about a minute. Flip once. Cook for a few seconds. Remove dosai from the griddle and repeat with remaining batter. Serve hot.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 24h
Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/idli-dosai-batter-recipe/
Traditional South Indian Style Meen Cutlets / Fish Cutlets made in an air fryer. Traditionally these are deep fried but have made a healthier version by air frying these cutlets. Video Recipe.
This is my family recipe. These legendary meen cutlets recipe is from Vinodh’s sister Padma Akka aka Babyka as we know her. She must have made thousands of these in her life and still counting. There is always a stash of these cutlets lying in the freezer ready to be fried when guests come, which is almost always everyday at her place. I just cannot keep up with her pace of handling guests but she does it so flawlessly. Superwoman!!! I had these for the first time in her house when we went for “kalyana sappadu” – the wedding feast just after our marriage. She started carefully deboning 3-4 kgs of fish at about 5pm for that night’s party while the cook prepped masalas etc.. and the kitchen was running on turbo. She is lucky as she has access to fresh fish that’s caught just hours before at Amaravathi Dam (She lives in Udumalpet). Party in Baby akkas place means it’s really a “party” filled with lots of people, lots of food and laughter. Everyone in the family loves these meen cutlets. I love all her food and this is a favorite of mine too. They are traditionally deep fried. I have tweaked the recipe a little and baked it and I am so pleased with the results. In the original recipe, fish is steamed, deboned, shredded and then made into cutlets. For baking these cutlets, I skipped the steaming part, used fillets, minced them and used it in the recipe. Steamed and shredded fish was making the cutlet dry after baking.
Note: If you are planning to deep fry these, here are some pointers. Steam the fish and then shred it. Use the shredded fish for making patties. I have used cornstarch slurry and rusk powder for coating. For deep frying, use beaten eggs / egg whites for dipping the patties and bread crumbs for coating as they yield better results.
Here is a picture of me, baby akka and her first son Ashwin.
Here are some products that might be useful for making this recipe Misto Oil Sprayer https://amzn.to/3uqMmtB Air Fryer / Air Oven https://amzn.to/3COvgIY
Here is the video of Meen Cutlets Recipe – baked NOT fried – Made in Air Fryer
For the Masala Paste
2 tablespoon fresh shredded coconut 1/2 inch piece ginger, roughly chopped 2 tablespoon gram dal – pottukadalai 1 pod garlic 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 3 pieces green chillies 1.5 teaspoon Poppy seeds 2 tablespoon water (for soaking poppy seeds) 1/2 cup water (divided)
Other Ingredients
1 tablespoon coconut oil 1 tablespoon curry leaves 1 cup , onion, finely chopped 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder 1 teaspoon red chilli powder 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder 3 tablespoon coriander leaves 2 medium sized potatoes, boiled, peeled and grated 250 grams Fish fillet – White Meat (Tilapia, Catfish, Halibut etc)
For the coating
10 pieces plain rusk – ground to a powder 2 tablespoon corn starch 1/4 cup water for making cornstarch slurry
Coconut oil for sprinkling on the patties
Prep 1
Grind everything listed under masala paste with quarter cup of water to a smooth paste. Soak the poppy seeds in water so it gets ground to a paste. Else it will just stay as is and can get grainy. Set aside. Adjust the green chillies according to your spice levels.
Prep 2
Boil, peel and grate the potatoes. Set aside. I boiled the potatoes in the pressure cooker for 10 minutes and allowed the pressure to settle naturally. You can grate or even mash the potatoes and use it to make meen cutlets.
Prep 3
Mince the fish to a coarse paste. Set aside. Make sure not to grind it to a fine paste. We need the fish in little bits. Any white fish fillet will work well for this recipe. Halibut, Cat Fish, Tilapia are all good for making these cutlets.
Cooking the Masala
Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the curry leaves and finely chopped onions. I like the flavour and aroma of coconut oil in these cutlets. Peanut oil / Olive oil can also be used for making these meen cutlets. Saute till the onions are soft. Add in the salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and the cinnamon powder. Saute for a few minutes. Add in the masala paste. Wash the mixie with 1/4 cup of water and add it to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes till the masala mixture looks dry. Remove from heat and set aside.
Preparing the Patties
Take a bowl and combine the grated potatoes, the cooked masala mixture and the minced fish. Mix well to combine. Set aside.
Take a bowl. Mix the cornstarch with little water and mix well to form a slurry. Set aside.
Run some plain rusk in a mixie to form a powder. Transfer the powder to a wide bowl. Set aside.
Take a golf ball sized fish mixture and make a patty. Dip the patty in the corn starch slurry and then coat it in the rusk powder. Set aside. Shape again to form firm and tight patties.
Sprinkle some coconut oil on the patties.
Air Fry the patties in batches. Fry them for 15-20 minutes at 200 ° C / 400 °F. The patties are very fragile. Rest them in the air fryer for a few minutes before removing them. Gently remove each baked cutlet to a serving plate.
Serve with ketchup and mayo.
Notes
Deep Frying
If you are planning to deep fry these, here are some pointers. Steam the fish and then shred it. Use the shredded fish for making patties. I have used cornstarch slurry and rusk powder for coating. For deep frying, use beaten eggs / egg whites for dipping the patties and bread crumbs for coating as they yield better results.
Freezing
After making the patties and coating them in rusk, they can be frozen for later use. Arrange the patties in a plate (do not crowd) and freeze them for 4-5 hours. Once the patties are frozen, transfer them to zip tote bags / box and freeze them for up to 2 months. Thaw: – Thaw the patties at room temperature for an hour. Line the frozen patties on a plate making sure not to line them one on top of other. Once thawed, sprinkle oil and bake. Serve hot.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 15m
- Cook Time: 30m
