Soft idli
Idli is a staple breakfast in South India and SriLanka. It is a comfort food for most South Indians. It is one of the South Indian delicacies that is popular and enjoyed by people throughout India.
Idlis are made in two popular ways : using parboiled rice and using idli (rice) rava. The first method is traditionally followed by in Tamilnadu and Kerala while the second method is followed in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Here I will be sharing the one with parboiled rice.
These soft, spongy and savory rice cakes are made by making a batter of rice and black lentils, fermenting the batter and steaming it in special idli moulds. It is also served in weddings or other special occasions with sambhar, medhu vadai, chutney or idli milagai podi. It also goes very well with non veg gravies like chicken curry, egg curry etc and veg kurmas. Due to its soft texture it is given to kids as early as 6 months. Since it is steamed, it is healthy and gets easily digested. So it is also commonly given to ailing patients and old people.
Idlis are traditionally made in a special idli stand. It has a tree of idli plates that can be steamed in a idli cooker or pressure cooker or any vessel. These days idli stands are available in different sizes and forms. There is electric idli cooker, microwave idli stand, non stick stove top idli stand, mini idli stand etc. You can choose and buy one according to your choice. For those of you who do not have idli stand, you can still make idlis using stainless
