Born in Madurai (small city in TamilNadu), I have been fed and sometimes force fed on a staple diet of Dosa, Idli along with Molaga Podi (spicy crunchy powder made with Chilli, Pepper and legumes) and Chutney very much like the way the Geese in France get fed before getting washed down one day as Foie Gras. History says they may have originated along Udupi region in Karnataka. But these dishes are quite popular in Tamil Nadu who have perfected it to suit their palate. Personally I prefer the Idli, Dosa in Tamil Nadu.
Though India isn't fond of fermenting food unlike many other countries, We do have the practice of briefly fermenting batters made of grains and legumes to make pancakes referred as Dosa and steamed puff cakes referred to as Idlis. Soaked medium grained rice and black gram (Urad Dal) are ground to a batter like consistency and then left to ferment overnight. It is the Lactic acid (the ones that acidifies the milk to Yogurt by digesting Lactose) and Yeasts that do the magic overnight to deliver that perfect batter for Dosa Or Idli. They feed on the sugars acidifying the batter and produce a wonderful aroma, carbon dioxide and make the batter more viscous and starchy for them to hold together well. The dosages of Rice and Urad Dal varies slightly for Idli and Dosa.
The key differences in the way Dosa and Idli are made in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka happens to be
a. Karnataka ones have more fenugreek added essentially increasing the fermentation. (Fenugreek are excellent in attracting Yeast from air)
b. Karnataka ones have less Urad Dal than their Tamil brethren ones.
c. Karnataka Idlis do have traces of Rava added to give a coarse texture
d. Most of the Tamilians cook their Dosa using Gingelly Oil (oil from sesame seeds) which imparts a delicious aroma and flavour to the cooked dosa.
Make sure the Rice used is always a medium grain rice, for it has the much needed % of the starch Amylopectin. This is the starch that gives the much needed thickness. For example, the Japanese Sushi uses short grained white rice which is more glutinous giving the stickiness needed.
Perfecting the Idli is a fine art in the temple town of Madurai that it draws comparison to the soft petals of the Jasmine flower. Let me share the recipe for great Idlis though it can be no match for the ones that are sold for less than a Rupee in bylanes of the temple town.
Recipe for Idli
Medium grained rice: 2 parts
Black Urad Dal: 1 part
Salt as per your need
1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds each tied into 2 bunches using muslin cloth like a bouquet garni for improving the fermentation (Fenugreek attract Yeasts. I'm advising a bouquet garni approach as I do not want the Fenugreek flavour to pervade the Idli)
- Rinse the rice and Urad Dal separately and soak them in water separately for 4 - 6 hours
- Remove the 2 muslin cloth bunch holding the fenugreek seeds and throw them away.
- Then peel off the Urad dal skins. Do not discard the water which was used for soaking Urad dal.
We will use it while grinding both the rice and Urad Dal. (Urad Dal water is rich in Yeasts and can aid fermentation)
Grind the Rice and Urad Dal separately. Feed them with the Urad Dal water while grinding. Grind Urad Dal to a fine paste.
Grind the rice to a slightly coarser texture.
Mix the Rice and Urad Dal batter and leave it to ferment overnight for a fluffy Idlis the next day. Pour them in the Idli maker plates and steam them and enjoy with Molagapodi and Chutney
Dosa Recipe
Same as the Idli recipe except for the following points:
- Rice to Urad Dal ratio should be 3 is to 1
- Rice should be ground to a fine paste unlike the case of Idli
Note: There are few other delicacies I would like to discuss in future. These include Dhoklas (a Gujarathi delicacy)and Pappadums (Pan India with each region specific variations) which are again ground legumes fermented and then cooked.
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