Short answer
Idli is a round, soft, steamed cake made from a fermented batter of rice and split black lentils (urad dal). It is a staple South Indian breakfast, normally eaten with sambar and coconut chutney, and it has no frying involved.
Idli is a soft, round, steamed cake made from a fermented batter of rice and split black lentils (urad dal). It is a staple South Indian breakfast and tiffin dish, light and slightly tangy, and it is usually eaten with sambar and coconut chutney rather than on its own.
What is idli?
Idli is a steamed savoury cake from South India, made from rice and urad dal that are soaked, ground into a batter, fermented and cooked in a steamer. The result is white, pillowy and mild, with a faint sourness from fermentation.
The dish is eaten across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and the spelling varies: idli, idly and iddli all appear. Idli is a tiffin dish, meaning a light meal eaten in the morning or early evening, and it is also served at restaurants all day.
Idli is not fried and carries very little oil, so it is mostly a vehicle for the sauces around it. Sambar, chutney and spice powder are what give it character.
What is idli made of?
Idli is made of parboiled rice or idli rice, whole or split urad dal, water and salt. Some cooks add a spoonful of fenugreek seeds or a handful of poha (flattened rice) to the soak.
- Rice: parboiled rice, or a short-grain rice sold as idli rice, gives structure.
- Urad dal: split black lentils, sometimes called black gram, make the batter fluffy and help it ferment.
- Water and salt: the batter is ground with cold water, and salt is added before or after fermentation depending on the cook.
Ratios differ from kitchen to kitchen. A common home ratio uses about two to four parts rice to one part dal, and cooks argue happily about the best split. There is no single correct recipe.
How is idli batter fermented?
Idli batter is fermented by leaving the ground rice and dal mix in a warm place for roughly 8 to 12 hours, until it has risen and smells pleasantly sour. Wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria in the batter produce the bubbles that make idli soft.
The dal is usually ground to a fluffy, airy paste and the rice to a slightly coarser one. The two are mixed by hand, which is said to help the fermentation, though cooks disagree on whether this matters. In a cold kitchen the batter can take much longer, and in a hot one it can ferment in a few hours.
A well-fermented batter has risen to about double its volume and has many small bubbles. It should not be stirred hard before steaming, because the air is what makes the cakes soft.
How is idli steamed?
Idli is steamed in a tiered mould called an idli stand, which holds the batter in shallow round cups over boiling water. The batter is poured into greased moulds and steamed for about 10 to 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Grease each mould lightly with oil.
- Ladle batter into each cup without filling it right to the top.
- Stack the tiers in a pot with boiling water below the lowest one.
- Cover and steam on medium heat for about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Let the stand rest for a minute, then lift the idli out with a wet spoon.
Pressure cookers without the weight are a common home tool for this. Restaurants use large tiered steamers that cook several dozen at a time.
How do you eat idli?
Idli is eaten by tearing off a piece with the fingers, dipping it in sambar or chutney and eating it straight away. It is a soft food, so no cutlery is needed, though restaurants often provide a fork and spoon.
The usual plate looks like this:
- Sambar: the lentil and vegetable stew, poured around or over the idli.
- Coconut chutney: cool, mild and creamy, balancing the spice of the sambar.
- Tomato or red chutney: a sharper, hotter option.
- Podi: a dry spice and lentil powder, stirred with oil or ghee into a paste for dipping.
Some people add a spoon of ghee on top. Others prefer idli floating in sambar or rasam, which turns it into a small soupy meal.
What are the common types of idli?
The common types of idli are plain idli, sambar idli, rasam idli, podi idli, masala idli and mini idli. Regional versions such as kanchipuram idli, rava idli and thatte idli differ in grain, spice or size.
| Type | What it is | How it is served |
|---|---|---|
| Plain idli | Steamed rice and urad dal cake | With sambar and chutney |
| Sambar idli | Idli soaked in sambar | In a bowl, often with onion |
| Rasam idli | Idli in thin tamarind soup | In a bowl, sipped and spooned |
| Podi idli | Idli tossed in lentil spice powder and ghee | Dry, as a snack |
| Masala idli | Idli cut up and stir-fried with onion and tomato | Hot, as a main snack |
| Rava idli | Made with semolina instead of rice | Usually quicker to make |
| Thatte idli | A large, flat idli | Common in Karnataka |
Kanchipuram idli, from the temple town in Tamil Nadu, is spiced with ginger, pepper and cumin, and often has ghee in the batter.
Idli vs dosa: what is the difference?
Idli and dosa are made from nearly the same fermented rice and urad dal batter, but idli is thick, steamed and soft, while dosa is thin, spread on a hot griddle and crisp. The cooking method is the main difference.
Idli batter is usually thicker and a little coarser. Dosa batter is thinned with water so it spreads, and some cooks use more rice in it for crispness. Both are served with sambar and chutney.
How do you keep and reheat idli?
Cooked idli keeps in the refrigerator for a day or two in a covered container and reheats well in a steamer or a few seconds in the microwave. Cold idli firms up, so it needs steam or moisture to soften again.
Leftover idli is rarely wasted. Cut into cubes, it becomes chilli idli, podi idli or masala idli, three snacks that exist largely because idli is so often made in a big batch.
Which idli dishes are on the Maruthi menu?
The Maruthi South Indian Restaurant menu records plain idli (three steamed rice and lentil cakes), sambar idli, rasam idli, podi idli, masala idli, Chettinad idli and chilli idli. This is from the menu recorded for this guide in November 2026, and the restaurant should be asked for anything current.
Two combos also hold idli: Idli Vadai pairs idli with a lentil doughnut, sambar and coconut chutney, and Mini Tiffin is a sampler of idli, vadai, pongal, a mini masala dosa and kesari. Plain idli, masala idli and chilli idli lean toward three very different moods, soft, spicy and Indo-Chinese. The independent guide to the full menu lists everything else, and the hours and location page has when the restaurant is open, including its Tuesday closure.
Common questions
How many idli make a serving?
Two to four idli is a common serving at home and in restaurants, depending on appetite and what else is on the plate. The Maruthi menu records its plain idli as three steamed rice and lentil cakes.
Why is my idli hard?
Hard idli usually comes from batter that did not ferment enough, was beaten too thin, or was steamed too long. A well-risen batter with small bubbles steams into a soft, springy cake.
Can you eat leftover idli?
Yes. Cold idli is often cut up and stir-fried with spices, onion and tomato, or coated in podi and ghee. Restaurants serve this as masala idli and podi idli, so leftovers are a traditional use.
Is idli the same as a rice cake?
Not quite. Idli is a steamed cake of fermented rice and lentil batter, soft and slightly tangy. Plain rice cakes, such as puffed or pressed ones, are made differently and taste different.
Which chutney goes with idli?
Coconut chutney is the usual partner, with sambar alongside. Many homes also serve tomato chutney or a dry spice powder called podi mixed with oil or ghee.
Looking for the basics? Maruthi South Indian Restaurant address and opening hours are on the home page.
This article is general information from an independent guide, not from Maruthi South Indian Restaurant itself. For the store’s current details see hours and location.