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Grinding batter (wet stone or mixie)

te: రుబ్బడం · te: రుబ్బురోలు · hi: पीसना · en: wet grinding

Why it matters

Dosa, idli and pesarattu batters are ground wet: soaked grain and pulse are crushed with a little water into a smooth, aerated paste. The old tool is the rubburolu, a stone mortar with a stone pestle turned by hand; today most homes use a table-top wet grinder (stone drums) or a mixie (steel blades). The difference is heat and air. Stone grinds slowly and cool, and folds air into the batter, which is why idli from a stone grinder is softer. A mixie is fast but its blades heat the batter; grind in short bursts with cold water.

The texture you are after tells you when to stop: pesarattu batter is slightly grainy and pours like thick cream; idli batter is fine and fluffy; a pachadi is coarse and dry.

Steps

  1. 1

    Drain the soaked grain and pulse completely; keep the soaking water aside in case you need it.

  2. 2

    Add the drained grain to the grinder in batches no more than half the jar, with the aromatics (ginger, chilli, cumin) on top.

  3. 3

    Start with very little water — two tablespoons — and grind in ten-second bursts, scraping the sides down between bursts.

  4. 4

    Add water a tablespoon at a time only when the blades stop catching; too much water early makes a thin, lifeless batter.

  5. 5

    Rub a little batter between finger and thumb to check the grain — stop when it matches the texture the recipe asks for.

  6. 6

    Scrape the batter into a wide vessel and stir the batches together with your hand, which also seeds fermentation if the recipe needs it.

Tools

  • Wet grinder (stone) or mixie (blade)
  • Rubburolu — stone mortar and pestle (traditional)
  • Silicone or steel scraper
  • Wide steel or clay vessel for the batter

Recipes that use this technique