How To Cook Idli In A Steam Oven

The South Indian cuisine includes a wide range of idlis. Whether it’s instant rava idli, Tamilian thatte idli, Ramasseri idli, or Hyderabadi Spot idli, each variety has something special to offer. As for the traditional South Indian idli, it can be made with basic kitchen ingredients like rice, urad dal, oil, and a little salt.

Even though the traditional methods of cooking idli include an idli maker, if you have a steam oven, this is the time to leverage its many benefits. If you own Usha’s multi-purpose steam ovens, out of its 11-in-1 functions, one of its best ones is to make idlis. So, even if you don’t have an idli maker, you can follow the steps explained below to get soft and fluffy idlis in a steam oven. 

Steps To Make Idli In Usha’s Steam Oven

Prepare The Batter

The secret to making the softest idlis lies in a well-fermented batter. To perfect the batter, you can start by soaking rice and urad dal in a ratio of 3:1. After about five to six hours; you can grind off the soaked rice and urad dal to make a smooth batter. Then, let the batter rest, preferably overnight, for fermentation.

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Grease The Moulds

After letting the batter ferment, you’d notice that it must have increased in volume while also developing a subtle sour flavour. Next, you can take the idli moulds and grease them with a light layer of oil to prevent the batter from sticking. Once done, fill the batter in the greased moulds. But don’t fill them to the top. Leave about one-fourth of the mould empty to give the idli space to rise.

Preheat The Oven

Then comes the star of the show – Usha’s steam oven. Before steaming, make sure that you preheat the steam oven to 100°C for about ten minutes. Till then, you can fill the water tray in the steam oven and ensure that the level is below the heating element.

Steam The Idlis

Once the Usha steam oven has been preheated, you can place the moulds into it. Let the idlis steam for about ten to fifteen minutes. You can then insert a toothpick into the steamed idlis, and if clean, you can take the moulds out.

Cool And Serve

After taking the moulds out of the steam oven, you can allow them to cool for a few minutes. Then, you can remove the idlis from the tray using a wet spoon so that they come out clean. Set the soft idlis on a plate, and your homemade idlis prepared in Usha’s steam oven will be ready to serve.