Savoury cake

As a soft, pillowy steamed wonder, idli, wins hands-down as an all-time healthy meal option, writes Vivek Phadnis

When we speak of simplicity, the humble idli takes the cake as it is healthy, sumptuous and easy-peasy to make. In spite of ticking all the boxes, there are some — like British professor Edward Anderson — who don’t seem to warm up to this savoury rice cake. Knowing South India’s craze for idlis, Anderson made a grave mistake in calling it the most boring food in the world. After being bombarded on Twitter, the man was forced to eat humble pie.

This simple breakfast dish has very few ingredients but is what the masses crave. The ingredients might just be rice and urad dal but it is an all-time favourite in the southern parts of India.

There is more to just the ingredients. Using them in the right proportion, the kind of rice used, how long the rice and dal are soaked and fermented, whether they are ground in a mixie or grinder, the technique used, how much water and when it is added makes it the fluffiest dish ever. Even after the batter is ground, fluffing it well with the hand so that air bubbles are formed and its softness retained, are ways to ensure that the final product is perfect and can be relished with chutney, sambar or podi (spicy lentil powder).

Though idlis largely contain rice, they are considered the ideal breakfast because the carbohydrates in them provide ample energy to start a day’s work. It is the same with the dosa, which is made with rice and lentils.

Even the humble idli has not been spared of variations. Apart from the regular idli, there is the thatte (plate) idli, which looks like a plate, acrey (acre as in the measure of land) idli and it is called so because one of these is sufficient for about four people, mini idli dunked in sambar, mallige (jasmine) idli that has nothing to do with the flower but is just fluffier than the regular idli and the khushboo idli, again similar to the mallige idli, but made in Tamil Nadu.

Most restaurants steam idlis in gas-fired stoves, but there are some very old eateries that still use decades-old wood-fired stoves. Naturally, these idlis get that smoky aroma and are far more thrilling to eat. However, these are a bit rare to find these days.

In fact, recent trends show that though idli is primarily a breakfast item, it is quickly becoming popular for dinner too as it is light on the stomach.

(The author takes refuge in food after a tiring day with cars and gadgets.)