Ramaserri Idli Recipe

Recipe for Ramaserri style idli recipe made from scratch. Ramaserri Idli recipe with step by step pictures and video.

Ramaserri is a place near Palakkad where this style of idlis are famous. The idlis are made in clay pots. This style of idlis are steamed directly on the cloth instead of idli plates. I first came across Ramaserri Idli at Kappa Chakka Kandhari. The drama behind making the idlis in clay pots, steaming the idlis on the cotton / muslin cloth was really interesting that I wanted to try at home. Here is my version of Ramaserri idlis adapted to suit my home kitchen. I have used a bamboo steamer to steam the idlis.

Here some of the products used for the recipe. Click below to buy online.
Wet Grinder
Bamboo Steamer
Idli Steaming Cloth
Clay Pot
Unpolished White Urad Dal
Pink Salt
Here is the video of how to make Ramaserri Idli Recipe

Here is how to make Ramaserri Idli Recipe
The quality of the idlis will depend on the quality of the ingredients used. So make sure to use the right ingredients. You will be able to find most of the things online or at a South Indian grocery store near you. Idli rice is a short grained rice used for making idli and dosai. Its a variety of parboiled rice. If you cannot get idli rice, parboiled rice will be a close substitute. Please do not use raw rice, basmati rice etc… for making idlies. We will be soaking all the ingredients separately in water for four hours. Wash the idli rice in water 3-4 times until the water runs clear and not starchy. Soak the washed rice in water for four hours.

The next ingredient is Urad dal. You will need whole unpolished urad dal for this recipe. Do not use split urad dal / polished nylon urad dal etc.. for this recipe. Wash and soak the urad dal for four hours.

Soak the fenugreek seeds in water for four hours. Fenugreek seeds aids in better fermentation and is high in fibre and very healthy for you. If you want the whitest of the white idlis, you can omit the fenugreek seeds.

After the soaking time, drain the water used for soaking the rice and the dal. Add the fenugreek seeds to a wet grinder along with the water used for soaking. Add quarter cup of water while grinding the fenugreek seeds. Grind for five minutes. The fenugreek seeds would have become fluffy and pasty. Note: Add only the correct water quantity as described in the recipe (scroll to the bottom). Do not add more water as the resulting idlis will be flat and rubbery.

On top of the ground fenugreek seeds, add in the drained urad dal. Add a total of one cup of water for grinding urad dal. Do not add all the water at once. Add the water little by little in 5 minute intervals.

Using a silicone spatula, scrape the sides from time to time so there are no bits of dal sticking on the sides. Grind the dal for 20 minutes. The dal would have fluffed up and be very airy. Remove the ground dal and place it in a bowl.

Now add a cup of cooked rice (any rice will do) to the wet grinder. This is an optional ingredient but I have found that adding rice to the batter makes the batter ferment well and the resulting idli and dosai is phenomenal. Since cooked rice is already a cooked product, it ferments faster and a lot of good bacteria action takes place making it the best idli and dosai batter you will ever make. Do try adding a little bit of rice the next time you make batter at home. Grind the cooked rice for couple of minutes.

Add in the drained rice to the grinder and add in a cup of water at once. Grind for 20 minutes. Using a silicone spatula, scrape the sides from time to time so there are no bits of rice sticking on the sides.

The ground rice batter should be ever so slightly coarse like fine sand here and there. At this stage, remove the rice and add it to the urad dal batter.

Add in the salt and mix the urad dal batter and the rice batter together so its a homogenous mixture. Mix well by hand. Plain salt, rock salt, sea salt, pink salt – use whatever salt you have at home. It doesn’t matter.

Let it ferment for 6-8 hours in a warm draft free place. If the place where you live is cold, ferment inside an oven with the pilot light on. This is one of the best ways to ferment batter in winter weather. After fermentation, mix the batter well and store in the refrigerator and use it within 3-4 days. The same batter makes amazing dosai too!
Note: After fermentation, sometimes little yellow spots can appear on top of the batter and that is fine. If there is black spots, discard the batter and do not use.

Heat water in a pot (a clay pot preferably) until its boiling. Place a bamboo steamer and line it with a wet cotton cloth.

Ladle about half a cup of batter on the cloth and cover it with a lid. Cook for 6-7 minutes. Do not cook for long as the idlis might overcook and become dry.

The Ramaserri idlis are done when a knife inserted comes clean without any raw batter.

Gently invert the cloth (Caution – It will be hot) on a banana leaf or a plate and remove the cloth. If the cloth is dry, sprinkle a little water on the cloth. It will come off easily.

Super soft, fluffy and tasty Ramaserri idlis are ready. Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambar.

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