Instant Pot Idli

Instant pot idli is the easiest version of making the fluffiest South Indian idli. The instant pot version cuts down the fermentation time and makes the best batter. Presenting my version of pressure cooker idli. 

Idlis are my all-time favorite. I enjoy them a lot with sambar and chutney. If you want some recipe ideas for sambar and chutney, here are my versions:

• Instant Pot Sambar

• Walnut Chutney

Since my dad loves south Indian food so much, idli was frequently served in breakfast in my home. Since childhood, I enjoyed my idlis dunked in sambar and chutney on the side. These steamed rice cakes literally have no flavors unless you pair them with chutneys or sambar. That's the best part of idlis. They soak the flavors from all sorts of sides really well. Plus, idlis are versatile, which means you may enjoy them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

How to make instant pot idli from scratch?

Making idli in an instant pot is easy and quick when you have the batter ready. Once the batter is ready, it can be refrigerated for up to a week. After that, it takes a few minutes to steam the idli in the instant pot.

For softer and fluffier idli, you need a well-fermented batter.  The entire process of fermentation may take up to 12–14 hrs, and in winters it takes even more time. You may use fresh batter too, but the fresh ones don’t yield the same results/ soft idlis. So fermentation is an important process in idli/ dosa batter.

Ingredients Of Instant Pot Idli:

3.5 cup Idli rice / par boiled rice (soaked), ½ cup idli sooji / rava/ semolina, 1 cup skinned black gram lentils / urad dal (soaked), 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds/ methi dana (soaked), 2 teaspoon sea salt, Water (non-iodized), as needed, Oil – 1 tablespoon (for greasing the moulds)

Method/ Instructions of Instant Pot Idli:

Making the batter:

Step 1 – Soaking

• Rinse and soak rice and dal in separate bowls as both require different grinding times and consistency. The batter won’t be smooth if both of these soaked together. So it’s important to soak rice and lentils in separate bowls.
• Add fenugreek seeds to the bowl of dal for soaking. Let it soak for 6 – 8 hours or overnight.

Step 2 – Blending

• Drain the water and transfer rice to a high-speed blender. Add a little cold water (~ ½ cup). Coldwater is necessary to prevent the heating of dal batter, which may hinder the fermentation process. Blend it to smooth consistency.

• Repeat the same with urad dal. Add little water to the blender and blend to smooth batter.

• Now pour the batter into a large bowl and mix the batter well. Give it a nice stir. Add non-iodized salt (rock salt) for better fermentation. If the mixture is too thick, add ¼ - ½ cup water more for a thick flowing consistency.

• For better fermentation process, use your hand as natural heat from our hand help speeding up the process.

Step 3 – Fermenting in instant pot

• Transfer the batter to a large bowl and place it near warm place for fermentation. Cover it with a lid.

• In normal or warm climate/ places, you can ferment the batter on the countertop. It can take anywhere from 8 – 12 hours to ferment the batter. It also depends on the outside temperature.

• Fermenting batter in cold places or cold weather is difficult than warmer ones. But with help of instant pot or oven this is much easier than the traditional way.

• To ferment the batter in instant pot, transfer the prepared batter to the instant pot steel insert. Place it inside and start with yogurt mode. Set timer for 12 hours. Cover instant pot with a glass lid and let the batter ferment.

• After 12 hours, when the batter is fermented well, transfer it to another air-tight container. The batter is now ready to make idli. Also, you may refrigerate this for up to a week.

Step – 4 Make Instant Pot Idli

• Keep the instant pot on sauté mode and add some water. Bring it to a boil.

• Simultaneously, grease the idli moulds with little oil. Add a tablespoon of batter in each mould. Don’t over-fill the moulds. There needs to be room for idli to expand while cooking.

• Place the idli stand in the instant pot. Close lid. Keep it in the steam mode in venting position.

• When the instant pot is in the venting position, the timer won’t work. So manually keep track in 10–12 minutes. Check after 12 minutes.

• Remove the idli stand and allow it to cool naturally for some time. Then scrape out the idli from the mould with the help of a spoon.

 Why fermenting batter is essential?

Fermentation is an essential step for making idli/ dosa as it makes the batter airy and idli becomes softer and fluffier. If you make the idli from fresh batter, it may not turn out to be as soft as with fermented batter.

What type of salt is used?

Rock salt, that is pure salt. The iodized or table salt has other compounds that delay the fermentation process.

Which grinder is best for making the batter?

Grinding dal or black gram lentils is tougher than rice. It requires a high-power blender like Vitamix. A wet grinder is also a good option than a mixer grinder. This is because the batter heats up easily during the process. Since the mixer grinders are not high-power gadgets and it takes a longer time. Also, it makes the batter too hot while grinding, which may hinder the fermentation process.

Why should you add ice while grinding?

While grinding in a wet blender or mixer grinder, it heats the batter too much. So adding ice cubes while blending prevents over-heating of the batter.

Why my idli is not soft?

IF the batter is very runny and not with desired consistency, idli will not rise more and won’t be fluffier too. So a proper consistency is required to make soft idlis.

What is best consistency batter for making soft idli?

The batter of idli should not be very thick or should not be very runny. Otherwise, the idlis won’t be soft. The consistency should be medium thick and flowing consistency. If the batter is too thick, you may add a little water slowly and gradually until to get the desired consistency.

How do I know my batter is fully fermented?

Normally fermented batter rises in volume. And if the volume of batter is doubled after the process, which means fermentation is successful. It may rise to three times the volume of the batter.

Few Tips & Tricks for Best Instant Pot Idli:

1. Soak Rice and lentils in separate bowls.

2. Also grind them separately as both require different time and water while grinding.

3. Don’t add more water while grinding the rice and lentils. Just add little water that is required for a smooth blending. Adding too much water during this process won’t result into smooth paste.

4. If the consistency is very thick (after mixing rice and lentil paste/ batter), you can add water.

5. In case you have added a little more water, and the batter becomes runny, add sooji or semolina and let it sit for a while. It will soak up some water and give a better taste as well. You can also add some ground poha.

6. For mixing batter use hands as the natural warmth of hand helps in better fermentation.

7. Ratio of rice to lentil should be 3:1

8. Use filtered water. Chlorine and fluorine in water prevents good bacteria/ yeast to grow hence affecting the fermentation process.

9. Add salt before fermentation. Add 1 teaspoon salt for every 1 cup of dry ingredients.