Idli Sambar

Making Idli Sambar

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1. Soak the rice with the fenugreek in one bowl and the urad dal in another, both covered generously with water, for 5 hours.

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2. Grind the urad dal first with as little cold water as possible to a very smooth, light, fluffy paste. Then grind the rice to a slightly grainy paste, like fine semolina.

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3. Combine the two with the salt, mixing with your hand for 3 minutes — the warmth and wild yeasts on your skin genuinely help the ferment start.

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4. Cover loosely and leave in a warm place for 8 to 14 hours until the batter has risen visibly, smells pleasantly sour and is full of bubbles.

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5. For the sambar, cook the toor dal with the turmeric in 700 ml water until completely soft, about 30 minutes, then whisk smooth.

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6. Boil the vegetables in 400 ml water for 12 minutes, add the tamarind, sambar powder and salt, and simmer 8 minutes.

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7. Stir in the cooked dal and simmer 10 minutes more, loosening with hot water to a pourable consistency.

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8. Heat the tempering oil, add the mustard seeds and wait for them to pop, then the cumin, chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida for 15 seconds. Pour the whole lot over the sambar.

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9. Grease idli moulds, fill each three-quarters with batter, and steam over boiling water for 10 to 12 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Rest 3 minutes before unmoulding, and serve hot with sambar and coconut chutney.

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Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Choosing rice.

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Small Things That Help

• Ferment somewhere warm — an oven with only the light on works well in a cold kitchen.
• Do not stir the fermented batter aggressively. Fold gently to keep the air in.
• Leftover batter makes dosas after a day or two, when it has gone more sour.

Changing the Recipe

• Dried chilli flakes can stand in for the red chillies. Heat varies a great deal between chillies and between jars, so start with a small pinch and add more to taste.

What Goes With Idli Sambar

• Coconut chutney and tomato chutney
• Filter coffee
• Podi (gunpowder) with sesame oil

Keeping and Reheating

Batter keeps 4 days refrigerated, becoming more sour. Steamed idlis keep 2 days and re-steam for 4 minutes. Sambar keeps 4 days.

Idli Sambar: Questions and Answers

What's in a Serving

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (some ingredient lines cannot be read). Why some recipes have none.

Vegan when made with coconut oil rather than ghee. Dairy-free when made with coconut oil rather than ghee.

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