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Fermenting Idli-Dosa batter without using oven/baking soda

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My experiments with Idli-Dosa batter will continue as long as I stay in these snowy parts of the US. Yes, it’s end of March and it is still snowing. This snow season (December-March), I experimented on how to ferment idly-dosai batter without using baking soda/powder. I also experimented how to aid the fermentation of iddli-dosa batter without using oven during severe snow season. I took this experiment so serious that I even created a folder named ‘Idli-Dosai batter fermentation experiments – USA’ in my laptop. I already armed you with sack full of information to deal with the idli-dosa batter if they had attitude problems. Yet few of my readers contacted me to know how to ferment idly-dosai batter without using an oven or if they do not wish to use baking soda/powder for fermentation. This is a special post for them.

I used my electric rice cooker’s measuring cup (see below picture) to measure the rice and urad dhal (ulundhu). I used mixie (Indian blender) to grind the idli-dosa maavu (batter) since I do not have a wet-grinder. If you’re looking for how to achieve soft idli by grinding batter in mixie, click here. The link has step-by-step pictures showing how to grind idly-dosai batter in a mixer grinder. The link also has few tips on how to ferment idli batter without using oven.

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Once you finish grinding the idli-dosai batter, close the vessel. Keep the vessel inside your cupboard/oven. [Remember, if you are using your oven, double check that your oven is switched OFF. You need not preheat your oven. You need not keep the oven lights ON.]

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Now run the hot water tap to its fullest. Wait until steaming hot water starts to pour from the tap. Fill a large bowl with this hot water. If you do not have running hot water facility, boil a large bowl of water.

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Keep this bowl of steaming water in your cupboard or oven (need not preheat or need not switch on the oven lights). I place the steaming water bowl just below the batter vessel. If it’s your cupboard, place the steaming water bowl little near to the batter vessel.

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Close the cupboard/oven immediately. Do not open the cupboard/oven for few hours because we do not want the steam to escape. Do not disturb the batter too in the name of checking for fermentation.

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Change this bowl of water with fresh steaming water every 6 hours or so.

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This tip works like a charm. However this tip has a limitation. The limitation is, it takes 24+ hours (yes, 1 full day + 3 to 4 hours) for the idli-dosa batter to rise and ferment. Also, since we are closing the oven/cupboard we’ll tend to forget about the batter. So better set alarm, to check the batter Nerd smile.

After this 24+ hours of fermentation time, open the batter vessel. The iddly-Dhosa batter will say a ‘Good Morning’ to you with a happy face. Take required amount of batter for your use and store the remaining batter in refrigerator immediately.

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Do you see how beautifully the batter has risen in the below picture? A close-up shot.

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Throughout this snow season I prepared Idli-thosai batter using this experiment of mine. It gave me same result as that of my previous experiment result. Even after arming you with all these results of my Idly-Dosai batter experiments, if your batter still denies to prove, inform me. I’ll send in my commando force to deal with the problem in your kitchen Hot smile

Idli-Dosa batter fermentation

  • PREP TIME: 30 h
  • COOK TIME: 0 min
  • TOTAL TIME: 30 h
  • DIFFICULTY: easy
  • RECIPE TYPE: Batter for Idli/Dosa (main dish)

Ingredients:

  • Idli rice – 3 cups (leveled – used electric rice cooker cup to measure – 3 cups rice = 485 gm/1.07 lb)
  • Urad dal (Ulundhu/Ulunthamparuppu) – 1 + ¼ cups
  • Fenugreek seeds – ½ tsp.
  • Salt – 4 tsp.
  • Ample amount of water to grind.

Mangala from Cooking.Jingalala.Org Eat Well !

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