Idli Steamer


Idli Steamer with Trays Idli Steamers are a household essential in South India and the Tamil regions of Sri Lanka. Idlis are soft steamed cakes made from a fermented batter of Rice and Urad Dal. They are particularly served for breakfast, usually with Chutneys, or a spicy Sambar or Rasam, but are also a popular street food farther north in Mumbai.

These pans normally have a stack of four trays, but six tray ones are available. Going that high may risk uneven cooking from bottom to top. Some, The photo specimen is Premiere brand and available for 2020 US $37.99 from Amazon. The trays are nonstick coated, which is fine for this device, as it will never be exposed to high temperatures, and the trays can be easily cleaned with a soft plastic scouring pad. Those that are bare stainless steel will need more of a wipe of oil, but I recommend a light wiping with oil for the non-stick as well

note the whistle on the lid. This is very important, as it allows you to accurately control the boiling when you can't see it. If it's not whistling, it isn't steaming, but if the whistle is too loud, the boiling is too intense and may splash water up on the lower tray.

More on Kitchen Gear.

Dish of Idli with Rasam Dip

To make Idlies, Rice and Urad Dal are separately soaked, Then they are separately ground to a thick batter. Finally, they are mixed and set out to ferment. In very warm regions this can be as little as 5 hours, but overnight is better, and in cooler regions, longer. Finally, the batter is poured into lightly oiled Idli Molds and placed in the steamer. Steaming usually takes 12 to 15 minutes.

This is the same batter used to make Dosa, thin lacy pancakes, except the proportion of Urad Dal is usually higher for Idli, and it is quite a bit thicker. Dosa batter needs to be thinner to spread in the properly on a hot griddle, comal or tava. For full details see our recipe Idli - Rice Cakes

The best machine for grinding these batters is an Indian Mixie, or for larger production, a Wet Grinder. If you don't have one of either, you can make the batters in a powerful blender, though with a little more hassle, and the batter might not be quite as smooth.
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