Idly is a good start up in 6 months. Since we are including urdhal in preparing idly batter, it is healthier for the babies as it is rich in proteins. The Idly batter preparation is slightly different as we should not refrigerate the batter for not more than 1 day. Sour batter is not good for the babies.

Making Idly is easy ,but the main part is cleaning the idly maker after use.Babies are going to feed one or two idlis according to size,So here is a very easy method to make idly in microwave on the go.

This idly is going to be slightly less on whiter side and going to be denser too,because we use different proportion of urad dhal to rice ,As babies need more protein urad dhal and rice proportion should be same unlike regular idlis, as the urad dhal is more ,it appears less whiter compared to regular idlis and it will be denser.


About Idly:

Idli ( Tamil: இட்லி) also romanized idly or iddly, plural idlis, is a traditional breakfast in south Indian households. Idli is savory cake of South India that is most popular throughout the southern part of India including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka. The cakes are usually two to three inches in diameter and are made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented black lentils (de-husked) and rice. The fermentation process breaks down the starches so that they are more readily metabolized by the body.
Most often eaten at breakfast or as a snack, idlis are usually served in pairs with chutney, sambar, or other accompaniments. Mixtures of crushed dry spices such as milagai podi are the preferred condiment for idlis eaten on the go. A variant of Idli known assanna (Konkani: सान्नां sānnāṃ) is very popular amongst the Goans and other Konkani people. Another variant known as "Enduri Pitha" is very popular in Odisha. For preparation of "Enduri Pitha", mixture of black gram paste and ground once-boiled rice is wrapped in turmeric leaf and steam cooked.



Ingredients:


Rice,preferably parboiled - 1/2 cup 
Urad dal(white one) - 1/2 cup
Fenugreek seeds - very few(may be 10)
Salt - To Taste


Method:


1.Rinse and soak the parboiled rice and urad dal in water separately for at least 2 hours.
Add fenugreek seeds with the urad dal.

 2.Drain the water and grind the urad dal first in a mixer by adding water in smaller quantities

3.The batter should be very smooth.

To check if the batter is done,add a ball of dough to a bowl of water if the ball floats then dough is ready,if it sinks grind it some more so the dough gets more aerated so the ball will float.

If you see the picture,Now the ball is not floating,its in bottom


After i grind it some time ,See the second ball floating .


 4.Now the dough is ready,time to add rice


 5.Add drained rice and grind,the consistency should be very finely gritty when u feel it with your fingers ,then the batter is ready,So grind to a smooth paste,then the idly won't be good it will be hard.


 6.Pour this batter into a big bowl ,leaving space for it to swell up and ferment.Keep it in a warm place to ferment like the bread dough we do in bread making.In cold countries For fermenting  you can add 1/4 tsp of yeast while grinding batter .This helps in fermenting.


7.Keep it over night or atleast for 5 hours for better fermentation. In hot countries ,If it is very sunny, please do not keep it overnight as it will make the batter to ferment more.

8.Next day add give the batter a good stir add salt (optional,as doctors tell not to give salt to babies)




9.Grease the bowls with oil and add 1 ladle of idly batter and microwave it for 1 to 1 1/2 min.(according to your microwave).Poke idly with a skewer or toothpick ,if it comes clean then idly is done.





9.Gently remove the cooked idly from the idly plate and make small pieces and grind it in a mixer by adding little curd , milk , apple juice or grape juice.



Take the idly puree and add sugar and feed it to the baby.

 If the baby don't lie sweet(like mine) ,  grind the idly with curd and add little rasam , or few teaspoons of whatever curry you make on that day .

After 9 months, we can try taking small pieces of idly without grinding and soak it in milk or rasam and try feeding the baby. This will help them to learn chewing instead of always making it as a puree.

Tips:


1.After grinding urad dal and rice ,the batter should be slightly grainy not too grainy ,then results in soft idly than polished hard idlies.


2.Dont grind batter in mixer for a long time ,the batter may get hot because of the mixer heat,this will spoil the batter.

3.Microwaving minutes vary according to microwave ,so start checking every 30 sec,once u get a hang of the time, u can set the min for next batches.

4.Keep the batter in refrigerator,when you are going to feed baby pour  a ladle of batter in bowl and microwave it for 1 min.

5.You can also make all idlis and place it in refrigerator,so there is no need to worry for batter to get sour .In that case make the idly size as one eating meal proportion of baby,so u can take one idly and microwave it along with some liquid(water ,rasam,milk) to bring back to its spongy texture and serve.