Mallige Idli

Preparation

• Rinse the lentils with enough water and soak it along with rice flakes for at least 4 to 5 hours. Use sufficient water for soaking.
• Similarly rinse and soak rice plus sago pearls separately with sufficient water. Let them soak for at least 4 to 5 hours.

Method

1. After good hours of soaking, take the lentils and rice flakes in a mixer jar. Grind them together to fine, pluffy and light batter. Add water as needed while grinding. Then transfer the batter in to a large vessel.
2. Next take soaked rice and sago pearls in a mixer. Grind them together in to little coarse paste. Add little water for ease of grinding.
3. Mix both the batters together in a large vessel and keep it covered in a warm place for about 10-12 hours. This resting time helps the batter to ferment properly.
4. After fermentation, the batter would have raised up. Next take idli mould and pour a ladle full of batter in to each of the mould. Steam such idli moulds in a steamer for about 10 minutes.
5. After steaming, the idli would have puffed up. You can check for the done-ness by inserting a toothpick. If it comes out clean the idli would have steamed to the perfection. Using a spoon, carefully remove idli and serve.
6. Very very soft mallige idli is ready to serve with chutney and sambar of your choice.

Notes

• If you have a wet grinder, use the same to grind lentils. Because grinder gives fluffy batter with good volume.
• Do not add too much water to grind lentils and rice. Idli batter has to be little thicker than dosa batter.
• Do not reduce soaking and fermentation time. If so, the sago wouldn’t grind smoothly and idli wouldn’t be soft.
• In warm place the fermentation time can be reduced to 7 to 8 hours but cold places need more time for the same.