Best for making idlis and dosas, as well as kanji for babies and elders This is an all purpose batter that is good for making idli as well as dosai. The quality of ingredients is of utmost importance. Use only parboiled rice and unpolished white whole urad dal for making the batter. Do not use split urad dal. Wash the rice 2-3 times in water until the water runs clear. Washing the rice is very important for the resulting idlis to be softer and whiter. Soak Idli Dosa rice with ice cold water for 4 hours. Wash the urad dal once and soak in water. Soak dal with ice cold water for 4 hours. Next grind the rice and urad dal with enough ice cool water. We use Idly Rice for making idly batter. Par boiled rice is the only way to go for idli. Its also called as Salem Rice in Tamilnadu. Grind the soaked and drained rice for 20-30 minutes until smooth. Add 400 ml – 500 ml water in two intervals while grinding. Depending on the age of the rice, you might need to add a little bit more water while grinding. Add extra water if the batter is very thick. After 20-30 minutes, transfer the rice mixture to the bowl and set aside. The batter should be smooth but so slightly like sand. Finally add in the salt and mix well to combine. Ferment the batter for 6-12 hours. If its summer, it will take about 6-8 hours. In winter, it will take a longer time. If you live in a very cold place, leave your batter in some place warm. Leaving your batter inside your oven with the pilot light on works great if you live abroad and your place is cold. Once the time is up, the batter should have increased in volume. Take a ladle and mix it well. Your batter is ready. Refrigerate the batter after fermenting. Use within 4-5 days.