Idly

Idly ranks highest in the list of simple South Indian breakfast items.
 
Ingredients
2 cups idly rice
¾ cup urad dal (black gram)
¼ cup cooked rice
Salt to taste

How To
Wash and soak the idly rice and urad dal separately for 6 hours. Grind idly rice to a fine consistency and keep aside. Grind the urad dal. Add the cooked rice to this and again grind for a couple of minutes. Mix the ground idly rice and urad dal mixture thoroughly. Keep this batter in a warm place for 10 hours. Once the batter has risen, add salt and mix well. Add a small amount of water gradually to adjust the consistency (the batter should not be too thick or too watery). Grease the idly plates and fill each of the moulds with 3/4th full of batter. Steam cook idlis on medium flame for 10 minutes. Serve with sambar or coconut chutney.
 
Notes: Adding cooked rice during the grinding phase will make the idlis extra soft. To know whether the idly is cooked, insert a toothpick in the middle. If it comes out clean, the idly is well done.