Idli (steamed rice cakes)
from http://www.tarladalal.com

See below for Uttappams (fried idli batter similar to pancakes).

This is a traditional idli recipe from South Indian Kitchens. The batter for Idlis needs to be fermented overnight, so prepare ahead of time.

In Indian special idli moulds are used to make these. Cups for poaching eggs could be substituted. In the days, when the idli mold cooking plates were not widely available, the thick idli batter was poured on a cloth tightly tied on the mouth of a concave deep cooking pan or tava half filled with water. A heavy lid was placed on the pan and the pot kept on the boil until the batter was cooked into idli. This was often a large idli depending on the circumference of the pan. It was then cut into bite-size pieces and eaten.

Serve hot with a chutney of your choice (coconut chutney is popular in South India) or Sambhar, a vegetable stew or chowder based on a broth made with tamarind and toovar dal, and is very popular in the cooking of southern regions of India especially in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

3 cups parboiled rice
1 cup split black gram (urad dal = Black Beluga Lentils, split and with skins removed)
salt to taste
oil for greasing

Wash and soak the rice and urad dal in lukewarm water for 2 to 3 hours. Drain, wash and grind to a smooth paste, adding a little water as needed. It should have the texture of wet fine semolina. Don’t make the batter very runny. Cover and keep aside overnight to ferment. [My friend Kartik from work says they place their batter in a warm place until it rises, then it is good to go. They make Uttappams with the batter.]

Add the salt and mix well.

Put spoonfuls of the batter into greased idli moulds and steam for 15 minutes.

Makes 30 idlis.

Fried Idlis (pictured to the left): leftover idlis can be cut into 4-5 slices crosswise, then fried in a tablespoon or so of oil until crispy.

Uttappams (not pictured):
If you have some extra batter, make Uttappams (similar to pancakes in looks), by spreading a big spoonful of dough using a circular motion on an oiled hot cast iron frying pan. For extra taste, you can sprinkle cut onions, tomatoes and peas on the dough while in the frying pan. An uttappam is thick and not filled, with ingredients cooked right into the batter. Serve hot with a chutney of your choice (coconut chutney is popular in South India) or Sambhar, a vegetable stew or chowder based on a broth made with tamarind and toovar dal,