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Murugan Idli Kadai Idli Recipe-Soft Idli Recipe

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The only South Indian restaurant in Singapore TH and I seem to visit now is Murugan Idli Kadai. Ironically, I’ve tried their idlis only once and they were… okay. I still prefer homemade idlis and would pick their masala dosa over idli any day. For a detailed post on how we make idlis at home, please check the regular idli recipe post.

Anyway, the one time that we did eat idlis at Murugan Idli Kadai, I happened to ask for the recipe. It was cheeky, but I did it anyway. As many pointed out later, this recipe is also posted on their website.

Murugan Idli Kadai Idli Recipe

Here’s how that story went. We were eating away to glory wondering whether we should ask someone for yet another refill of chutney when the chef came out for something, smiled at us and said “chutney venuma?” (would you like some chutney?). I said “vendaam” and after a pause “idli romba super aa irukku, idhukku entha proportion-le arisi uluthamparuppu arappeenge”. (No thank you. Btw, your idlis are superb, what proportion of rice to urad dal do you use for the batter).

Murugan Idli Kadai Idli Recipe

Now I don’t need to tell you that this question is quite cheeky. It’s almost like going into KFC and asking what goes into their fried chicken crust. But surprisingly, the cook didn’t even hesitate before saying “veettule pannaa namma arisi jaasthi poduvom. naange inge pannumbothu ulutham paruppu konjam jaasthiya poduvom, athuthaan ungalakku nalla soft idli tharum. 2 glass arisi edutheenganna oru glass ulutham paruppu podunga. appadiye, oru chinna spoon menthayam, apram oru pidi soru. correct aa varum“*

This was the first time I was hearing about adding cooked rice to the idli batter but who was I to argue with the cook at Murugan Idli Kadai. I nodded happily, came home, and forgot all about it.

Murugan Idli Kadai Idli Recipe

Eventually, my memory did kick start again and I tried idli as per his recommended recipe. It was strictly average. Then I tried again and the second time, it came out brilliantly.

Murugan Idli Kadai Idli Recipe

Preparation time: 3 hours
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Makes ~ 20 idlis

Ingredients for the Idli Batter:
2 cups of par-boiled ponni rice
1 cup of whole, husked urad dal / ulutham paruppu / uzhunnu parippu
1/4 tsp of fenugreek seeds / menthayam / uluva
A handful of cooked rice
Salt to taste

How to Make Idlis:

1. Soak the rice and dal separately, the dal for about an hour and the rice for about 4 hours. Add the fenugreek seeds to the urad dal while soaking.

2. Grind the urad dal first, with just enough water to grind it to a smooth paste. Once done, remove and set aside.

3. Next, grind the soaked rice. When its almost done but still grainy, add the cooked rice and salt. Grind until smooth and add to the already ground urad dal.

4. Fold together until well combined. Leave in a warm place undisturbed for atleast 8 hours or overnight. Leave enough room in the vessel for the batter to ferment and rise.

5. Once fermented and risen, mix well to let all the air bubbles to escape and the batter to come together well. Don’t overbeat, and if its too thick, add a little water. For idlis, the batter should be slightly thick but of pouring consistency.

6. Pour into oiled indli moulds and steam for not more than 12 minutes. Overcooking idlis can result in very hard idlies and a dry crust on top. Its better to undercook them even, but make sure you don’t overcook idlis.

Murugan Idli Kadai Idli Recipe

Serve hot with chutney and sambar.

Makes about 20 idlis

Notes:

– the urad dal : rice proportion is always debatable. Although this recipe seems like the equation is very skewed, the idlies came out super well for me. If the quality of your urad dal is very good, you can get away with adding more rice.

– I made dosa with this batter the next day and they turned out ok but I would prefer more rice in my dosa batter. This works better for idlis.

– Make extra idlis, store in the refrigerator and microwave with some sprinkled water on top. Serve immediately.

* the translation for that roughly is: when we make idlis at home, we tend to add more rice. Here, we add more urad dal. The proportion is 1:2 and I also add a small spoon of fenugreek seeds and a handful of cooked rice. Try this, it will come out well.

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  1. Hello, what is the ratio of rices and dal when I use sonamasoori,Boiled rice and Urad dal.I am always getting hard idlis.

    Reply

    • try 3:1 as a start greeshma. a lot depends on the quality of the urad dal, especially the softness of the idlis

      Reply

    • ponni is a variety of rice that comes in both raw and par-boiled form. use any kind of par-boiled rice for idli or dosa batter if you are not able to get the kind used for idli / dosa

      Reply

  9. I usually make Idli batter in a grinder(infact I prefer to use a grinder for batter using udid dal), and the proportion of rice that can be used is more than that in a mixer – usually its 1:3, but have never tried using cooked rice- I guess this receipe talks of using a mixer than a tilting grinder – right? Since my daughter is in the US, I'm sure she can try this receipe with this proportion – but I think the idlis the batter of whichis mixer ground can use rice in the proportion of 1 1/2:1,would using cooked rice make the difference. Do let me know

    Reply

    • I have used a wet grinder for this and you are right, when using mixer, you have to use a smaller portion or rice. For this, I'd recommend lessening the rice and the cooked rice proportion to get an even batter for the idlis.

      Reply

  11. Nice job on the effort of picturing a closeup shot of the idli. Lemme guess…there is a fork/some kinda stick holding the idli up from the rest, am I right? Well great job on the food blogging, Photography(as they 'You eat with your eyes first'), capturing sensational pictures with thoughtful backgrounds….. inspite of a full time job. I love looking at almost all of your pictures…….and the best ones that caught me was the one at Newyork with steaming hot idlies/Pongal on a table with a muted red tablecloth…& the yard in your Mom's home with Kerala's cooling greenery and table roses…….Awesome job..Keep up the good work…….You make many of our lives live beautifully and tastefully……

    Reply

    • thank you so much gita! yes you guessed right about how i took the picture. was just a crazy at-the-moment-thing i did when clicking the idlis. idli and pongal (homemade) is my favourite breakfast ever! have you tried this idli recipe?

      Reply

  12. i also read this recipe, i agree 100%, for me the best ponni rice comes from the reliance fresh store. = i swear! and when i make the dosas with the same batter, i make them small and thick with molagu arachathe abd tea= heavenly.

    Reply

  13. I never made idli/dosa ever in my life…. But this recipe made me super-duper in making awesome, soft idlis and crispy dosas……. Batter is good for both idli/dosa….

    Reply

    • making idli or dosa batter at home is super easy as you can see. this recipe is quite foolproof but i have better luck making idlis with it than dosa. i have another idli or dosa batter recipe that works really well, will post soon! πŸ™‚

      Reply

  14. Another lil secret to share from an expert named Muthusamy, who started off selling idlis on a small cycle across the streets of Dadar/Matunga area, now a billionaire and a reputed caterer for S.Indian specialties in Mumbai – He says never mix the idli batter once it raises. Let it stay airy ; if u mix it, the batter sits & the idlis become hard once cold. We tried this at home & ever since hv been following it. Result: Idlis stay as soft even if left over through out the day!

    Ps. I personally prefer his idlis to Murugan idlis. He uses the proportion of 3:1 of Pulanga arasi:Uzhandhu parrupu and adds some vendayam seeds too.

    Some people add soaked awal (puffed rice) into the batter while grinding it. Hvnt tried it, but supposed to make idlis soft.

    Reply

  15. amazing recipe.. i tried this.. my first idli batter grinding :).. idlis were nice.. except some idli s were not cooked inside . i believe i hav to keep some more time.. when we went to chennai last time we had idli from " murugans idli" so i am also familiar with their taste.. πŸ™‚

    Reply

  16. Hi Nags,
    I do not have a wet grinder here in the US. I have made idli many a times in my home (India). It will be soft as I followed my mom's spec on the rice:ulundhu proportion (3:1). I recently got a a nice mixie and followed the same old proportion. But the idli was little hard. I was wondering why it's happening like this. Then yesterday I tried your proportions of 2:1 and the idlies came out exactly how it used to be in India. Thanks so much girl! πŸ™‚

    Reply

  19. nagalakshmi- i got the best compliment from my husband that idly is so soft and tasty to thanks for the recipe.i tried with idly rava many times but never got them as expected.i saw this recipe and gave an attempt and they turned out too good.

    i love the way you write ,keep going and you rock

    Reply

  20. Hello Nags

    I made this today!! And it is a superhit! πŸ™‚
    My first very attempt in making idli batter.It tasted just like how my mom makes it for me :)The ones she makes melts in my mouth just like this one did.She stays in bangalore and me in bombay.And to really get this authentic south indian idlis is like winning a lottery!! πŸ˜‰

    Thank you for this wonderful recipe! πŸ™‚

    Reply

  22. Hey… I was browsing good recipes for making idly and I stumbled upon your website, tried your recipe, I must tell you that it came out really well.

    This is the first time I made idly in life! thanks for the recipe. I would defo come back to get recipes of some authentic Indian stuffs!

    Reply

  23. Hi Nags..
    tons of thanks for this wonderful recipe.. it was my first visit to madurai where i fell in love with Murgan idli near minaxi aman temple..
    imp. update: in udaipur, temp. at night is around 16 deg cel. it lead to poor fermentation, first three batches were poor, sticky on lower side , but by the time almost 20 hrs we got our first dream idli..i think 8 hrs is less time in north india esp in winters..

    Reply

  26. Hi Nags

    Thank you very much for sharing the recipe, for the first time in my life I have been able to produce spongy idlis following this recipe! even though I am from South India, it has always been a challenge for me to make idli and dosa as I live in a very cold and damp country- Scotland. I am flying in the sky right now, just like your 3D idli!!

    Tej

    Reply

  27. Hey Nags,

    I have no idea how i missed hopping on to your space this long. You have a magical space with mind blowing pics dear. So happy to follow you, murugan idli has been very famous everywhere that people will be standing in queues to eat there. I have had their idli with podi in madurai, very much delectable. Your idlis are perfect, pics are awesome.

    San

    http://sanscurryhouse.blogspot.com

    Reply

  28. Thank you for the recipe,it worked brilliantly!

    Strangely the batter continued to ferment even after I kept it in the fridge.(I kept it in the fridge after 15 hrs in my oven –
    that was switched off- and I live in good ol' balmy Singapore πŸ™‚

    -KuttisAmma.

    Reply

  31. I am feeling exactly like what you're trying to portray in that last pic of the 'flying' idli. I want to fly back home and eat a plate full of these from that restaurant you've mentioned. But, hey! You just shared the chef's recipe and saved me big bucks on the tix πŸ˜›

    Reply

  34. Hi,

    I went to Rajdhani after reading the review here at EA mall and loved it. I am not sure whether they changed the rates because unlimied thali was rs. 325 and they gave second helping of the all the three sweets when asked. Anyways, I would not have stepped into this restaurnt if I had not read the review here so thanks for that.

    Reply

  40. I love Murugan's idli, but I hate going there because they will never turn on the ac properly and it is sweltering. But oh the idlis!!! I am not going to make the batter (i buy the ready made batter from mustafa, shame on me), but well, if ever I do, I will keep ur tip in mind πŸ˜€

    Reply

  41. That is awesome… As others have already mentioned the pics are superb:) Thanks for sharing this recipe … I make the batter the same way but rice and dhal in 5:1 proportion… I have to try this proportion..:)
    Reva

    Reply

  44. these look yummm! we use the same ratio and adding of the cooked rice is common here in Bangalore or at least amongst our family and friends. increase the cooked rice to get even softer and melt in the mouth idlis. I've always used the same batter for idlis and dosas. prob that is why my dosas are not super crisp. so i do need to try ur suggestion of increasing the rice for my dosa batter.

    Reply

  47. Have been to Murugan Idli shop many a times..never thought of asking about the recipe..as I was a bit apprehensive, most of the chefs keep their recipes a secret. This is wonderful..would try this ratio and let you know.

    Reply

  48. Hi nags
    nice attempt
    even I make it the same way.
    if cooked rice is nt there then I add soaked poha to it.
    so idlis turn soft.
    But however, I read it in a magazine where they feature murugan shop.
    eventhough they shared the recipe but they said there are some secret tips too for that fluffy idlis. they said they use a special rice grown in some special farms which make idlis super soft and they were reluctant to share the secret.
    but whatever it is, I really love murugan idli shop !! masala dosas and oothappams are to die for !!!

    Reply

  49. Radhika, whichever method and proportion you use, idli can be made only after the first round of fermentation of the batter. After that, keep for dosas, and later, oothappams πŸ™‚

    Reply

  50. Hi,

    The idli surely looks tempting. I have been adding cooked rice to my idli batter sometimes, but after the first day the batter doesnt come perfect for idlis. Though I am not sure of the storage part. The matta rice(brown rice) from Kerala makes good idli batter

    Reply

  54. Hi Nags,
    Can you please tell me which brand of rice and dal you are using?I am staying near bedok and never got any good varitey of rice and dal.

    Thanks
    Divya

    Reply

  56. Nags, of everything I cant resist commenting on this post. Gutsy you, to ask the chef that. Stars know when I will every make batter – not in the next five years :P, but for some reason saved this post. Awesome!

    Reply

  58. I make idlis the same way :), you know what the last click is stunning, superb, I thought I am going to pick that up!, My God!, that's super duper click, absolutely beautiful, delicious looking idlis, I thought the Idli is flying haha :), I can't stop smiling at your click

    Reply

  63. Idlis looks really soft! We usually soak the dal and rice overnight or at least for 6-8 hours before grinding it and do not add cooked rice.
    Maybe that it the trick in helping the batter with such a short 'soaking' time.

    Reply

  64. WOW!! Loved the first click a lot!! I have added cooked rice. But I usually add poha which results in softer idlies even if the urad dal quality is not so good:)

    Reply

  65. i've heard that the trick is to not let the air bubbles escape…ie not to mix it before pouring into moulds πŸ™ anyway thanx for sharing the recipe πŸ™‚

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  67. Nags, You really had the cheek to go and ask for the recipe in a hotel but thanks for sharing this yaar. Freeyave murugan kada idli daily veetuleya saapidalam.

    Reply
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