Last Updated on August 5, 2016 by Babita
Couple of weeks back I had promised my friends and readers that I would test out my Ninja Ultima Blender. I was curious to try out Indian recipes, because some of the ingredients need heavy duty blending. Ingredients that I use daily like coconut, rice, lentils etc., need a powerful blender to crush them to a desired consistency.
The recipe that I selected to test out with Ninja Ultima Blender is a batter that I use to make either Dosa or Idli. Dosa is basically is a crepe which is made from grinding up urad daal (lentils) and whole rice. It is a breakfast food, which is popular all over India and also abroad (among Indian population). Growing up, my mom made it every weekend. However, reproducing it during my earlier years here in NJ proved to be difficult for two reasons. First one; the blenders that were available in the market were not equipped with enough power to grind rice into a smooth and creamy consistency. Secondly during winter months, finding a warm place for the batter to ferment and rise was a difficult task to achieve.
At least I solved my first problem by bringing a heavy-duty blender from India and that was years ago. Nowadays however, many of my Indian friends do not have the luxury to bring it, as it can take up a lot of space and weight while flying out. For those friends of mine, I thought it would be great to test out the Ninja Ultima blender to see if I could use them to grind and blend some of my toughest Indian ingredients.
So I stepped out of my comfort zone (I don’t like to be in front of the camera) and made a video to test out the Ninja Ultima’s blending and grinding capabilities. When you have the time check out this video and let me know what you think.
If you saw the video, then you know by now that the Ninja Ultima blender not only worked, but it worked great. The thing that sets Ninja apart from other blenders is their Dual Stage Blending, which is I found is perfect for grinding rice. The blades rotate at 5,000 RPM, which can crush anything from ice to whole fruits, vegetables and seeds. The bottom blade rotates independently at 24,000 RPM, which has the ability to liquefy ingredients into a smooth consistency in matter of seconds.
So I can happily say that the Ninja Ultima blender passed the test with flying colors. I did end up with a perfect dosa batter. For those interested in the recipe, the ingredients and preparation is listed below:
Ingredients:
1 cup Urad Daal (split black gram)
3 cups of Idli rice
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tbsp salt
water as required
Preparations:
- Soak urad daal, and rice & fenugreek seeds in a separate bowl with water overnight. Rinse, drain and set it aside.
- Grind them separately with some water (as required).
- Once done, pour each of the batter in a large pot and mix them. Add salt and water as required and mix them thoroughly again.
- Cover the pot and place it a warm place for 24 hours to ferment and rise.
- When ready, pour a spoonful of batter in the center of a hot non-stick pan or griddle (see video). Spread it outward in a circle until you have a thin crepe.
- Allow the top part of the dosa to cook for few seconds. Remove and serve it hot and crispy with some coconut chutney on the side.
I have to say I am super impressed with this Ninja blender. Not only did it grind a difficult ingredient, but the whole process was quick and effortless.
In the next few days or maybe next month, I am going test it with coconut (another one of the tough ingredients). If you want to find out more about Ninja Ultima Blender check out their website at Ninja Kitchen (click here), and don’t forget to visit back for more Ninja blending action.
Disclosure: I received this product complimentary. However, all opinions here are honest and my own.
Keep Your Hands Warm with NatraCure Arthritis Mittens
Hi mum, today i bought nutri ninja bl682, can i use this for grinding idli and dosa recepie with above using rice and dhal, im from australia,
Thanks
Selvarajkolandayan
Hello Selvaraj, Unfortunately Nutri Ninja is too small to make idli/dosa batter. You need a regular size blender for idli/dosa batter.
Thanks for sharing! We’ve been looking for something that gives us even consistency with pastes and something that we can use for dosas.
This is great! I am curious to know how you fermented the batter? I live in Boston and had a hard time trying to ferment the batter.
Fermenting in Northeast is difficult but not impossible. One thing I do, is switch on the oven and pre-heat it at 200 degrees for around 15 mins. I then switch off the oven and place the batter inside. The residue heat acts as a heating environment for the batter to ferment. Over a period of 12 hours, I repeat this process about two times. This method has always helped for me.
This would be nice to have this fine blender.It is nice and very high quality, and would make a fine blended drink.
That look so amazing! I wish to have one too
This is a really fancy blender. I would love having one like this because I make smoothies so frequently!
Oh that looks so nice! I love the Dual Stage Blending!!! I would love to pick up one of these for our family!
I’ve been considering getting a Ninja Blender and Coffee Machine. They look cool and seem to work really well!
I’ve never heard of Dosa. Sounds like an interesting food. I have the Ninja Coffee Bar and the Nutri Ninja. The Nutra Ninja is at work and we use it often to make smoothies. I’d love to own the Ninja Blender as well. I think the brand of products is high quality.
Haven’t tried this yet… Thank you for the idea!
I own a cheap one from a garage sale. Would be nice to be blessed with this.
I would love a ninja blender!
Wow, impressed with this Ninja Blender! It seems very quick and durable. When my current blender hit the dust I will look into this one!
Looks like a great blender! My husband just broke ours so I’m in the market for a new one. Endless possibilities with recipes!
I have a Vitamix which I think could also do this.
My husband has been wanting me to buy one of these to make him smoothies. Gad to know it works really well.
This sounds like an amazing blender.
Love that you found a blender to make dosa batter the way you wanted it. I have a Ninja Kitchen System 1200 and love it.
Wow-that must be one powerful blender to be able to grind up what you put in there! Although I don’t need that powerful a blender it would be nice to have just in case.
I have been wanting to try a Ninja Ultima Blender for a while now. There are so many great recipes you can make with it.
I just checked out a NINJA coffee maker.
This looks like a very strong product maker – I love the rugged yet modern look of this blender!
I have always wanted a NInja blender. This one looks so awesome.
I love ninja brand! I use my little one every day!
I have heard great things about the Ninja. I like the size of this, it’s not too big and does not take up a lot of counter space!
I would love to try that Ninja. We need a new blender and that sounds amazing!
I’m pretty sure I need that blender in my life.
This blender looks powerful! I am thinking of replacing my old blender and I would surely consider this one.
I have heard great things about this blender. If I didn’t have the Vitamix I’d get it!
Nice. I have seen the Ninja blender. They look amazing. Great for a healthier living.
Wow, it’s amazing that the Ninja Ultima handles the rice so well. It sounds like an amazing blender!
That blender looks amazing! I have to start making more smoothies and I need to get me one of these blenders!
My daughter loves Dosa. How cool that you can make the batter in your Ninja! She has one of those.
I have been looking for a blender to use for smoothies, recipes etc and am glad I saw this. Look like ti will do what I need nicely
1. Love the video and 2. that Ninja blender sounds AWESOME. I need to get one.