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Soya-Urad Idli with Sambar

A modest amount of defatted soy flour in the batter raises idli protein while keeping its soft, spongy texture; drumstick sambar completes the plate.

Region

Tamil Nadu

Status

Adaptation — traditional idli-sambar with soy flour added to the batter

Diet label

Strictly vegetarian, egg-free

Time

Soak 5 h · Ferment 8–12 h · Prep 20 min · Cook 30 min

Serves

4 (3 idlis plus 150 ml sambar each, about 315 g)

Difficulty

Moderate

Good for

Weekend breakfast, family meals, tiffin

Tags

Good source · Dairy-free · Whey-free · Meal-prep friendly · Gluten-free* · Lower-fat

Allergens

Soy

Nutrition (estimated)

Calories

380 kcal

Protein

18 g

Carbs

65 g

Fat

4 g

Fibre

11 g

Headline values are per serving, as written.

Good source · 5.0 g per 100 kcal. 6 g protein per 100 g. Soy flour uses a typical defatted-soy-flour label value (about 50 g protein per 100 g) — check against the brand used. Values checked against IFCT 2017 on 14 Oct 2026.

Ingredients

• Idli: 200 g idli rice (parboiled) · 80 g whole white urad dal · 3 g methi seeds (½ tsp) · 40 g defatted soy flour · 6 g salt (1 tsp)
• Sambar: 60 g toor dal · 250 g vegetables (drumstick, pumpkin, onion, tomato) · 10 g tamarind · 10 g sambar powder · 10 g groundnut oil · mustard seeds, curry leaves, hing · salt
• Optional: roasted-chana (pottukadalai) chutney

Method

1. Soak rice in 600 ml water, and urad with methi in 300 ml water, separately for 5 hours.
2. Grind urad until light and fluffy (10–12 minutes in a wet grinder, or in short bursts in a mixer), adding about 150 ml cold water. Grind rice to a fine rava-like texture.
3. Combine both batters with salt. Whisk in the soy flour, 1 tbsp at a time, until no lumps remain.
4. Cover loosely and ferment 8–12 hours in a warm place. Ready when risen by about half and pleasantly sour. Soy flour may reduce the rise slightly; this is expected.
5. Pressure-cook toor dal with 300 ml water for 4 whistles; mash. Cook vegetables in tamarind water (100 ml) with sambar powder and salt for 10 minutes. Add the dal and 200 ml water; simmer 5 minutes. Temper mustard seeds, curry leaves and hing in the oil and pour over.
6. Grease idli moulds lightly. Fill three-quarters full. Steam on medium-high for 10–12 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.
7. Rest 2 minutes, unmould, and serve with sambar.

Protein optimisation

• Urad and soy flour each give about 4.5–5 g per serving, toor dal in sambar about 3 g, rice about 3.5 g.
• Boost: 20 g roasted chana (pottukadalai) chutney per serving adds about 4.5 g protein and 75 kcal — a traditional pairing.
• Avoid going above 15% soy flour in the batter: idlis turn dense and slightly bitter.

Variations, serving and storage

• Regional: Kanchipuram idli — temper pepper, cumin, ginger and cashew in 5 g ghee and fold into the batter.
• Substitution: if soy flour is unavailable, replace with 40 g more urad dal (about 2.5 g less protein per serving than the soy version).
• Storage: batter keeps 3 days refrigerated; steamed idlis keep 2 days refrigerated; sambar keeps 2 days refrigerated.
• Food safety: reheat sambar until boiling; reheat idlis by steaming for 3 minutes.
• Meal prep: excellent.

Nutrition values are estimates calculated from the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (ICMR-NIN) and typical product labels. They have not been laboratory-analysed and will vary with your ingredients, brands and cooking. Recipes are for healthy adults and are general information only, not a substitute for advice from a doctor or qualified dietitian. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, cooking for children, have food allergies, or live with kidney disease, diabetes or any other medical condition, please take professional advice about your diet. From the collection Protein-Rich India by Dr. Shantanu Deshpande · drshantanudeshpande.com