The Essence of Idli

This morning my daughter wanted idli. decades ago, if a child asked for this, it would have to wait another day for the wish to be fulfilled or if the mother stored the batter in the fridge, then it could be catered to right away. If there is a store selling batter, thats a good situation too.
We looked up recipes and gave this one a try. In the first batch I forgot to add baking soda and no surprise, it didnt fluff. In the second round, the idlis did turn out fluffy. My father was surprised how we were going to have idlis without previous day's preparation. My husband looking at the idlis being cooked in the pressure cooker without the whistle on, wondered if I forgot to put it on. I told him that this is how it is done. I remember from my mom's cooking that you have to wait for 10 min. My daughter started looking at the timer and told me when it was time. For a good measure, I wanted then to wait for another 2 min. Then they questioned my 10 min timing.

In the end we had soft idlis. Everyone was very happy. I understood the essence of idli is not the flour with which it is made but the fluffiness and its softness, like the bread smells like yeast.
Later, I asked my daughter about the recipe and now idli as she knows it has suji and yogurt in it. Wonder if my mom would balk at this or if her ancestors made it some other way.