Happy World Idli Day! Join us in the colourful and flavoursome celebrations marking this delicious South Indian staple – one of the most popular breakfast dishes throughout India, now making a well-deserved name for itself across the world. Soft, warm, fluffy, and comforting, an idli is like a pillow – a steamed and puffed up rice cake, eaten with chutney or dunked in piping hot sambar – a thick lentil stew made with vegetables, tamarind and spices.
Join the World Idli Day celebrations by trying a new Indian snack or giving your menu an Indian-style glow up with an exciting new mouth-watering breakfast offering.
What is idli?
It’s a South Indian breakfast dish, steamed so it’s healthy, filling and gut-friendly, thanks to the fermented batter of rice and urad dal. A real crowd-pleaser – since 700 CE.
And why do we celebrate this culinary delight worldwide every year?
Chennai-based caterer Eniyavan started to think that idli was under-appreciated, and he decided to bring the treat to life in 2015, making 1,328 varieties of idli’s as well as a massive 44kg idli that was cut by a government official. And so March 30th became the day the world woke up to breakfast that was so much more than a bowl of cereal or a piece of toast, and World Idli Day was born.
It’s out of this world
Not just a kitchen staple – idli has been taken on board the first Indian manned mission to space. According to the Defence Food Research Laboratory, small idlis are dried using infrared radiation at a temperature of 700º C. The moisture will be removed by microwaving but the smell and nutrients will be kept intact so the astronauts can enjoy a breakfast fit for the stars.
The history of idli
Food historians believe that idli originated in Indonesia, eventually found its way to India, and was reinvented in the south of the country as the steamed version in 800-1200 CE.
What are the best types of idli?
Cucumber idli – At Quattro Foods we love a cucumber idli. Cucumber in curry form? We can sense your incredulity. But it’s really lovely and is loaded with health benefits – rich in fibre which helps digestion and brimming with antioxidants which are good for us in a hundred ways.
Aloo suji idli – Aloo are potatoes, which are brilliant with pretty much anything and this delectable idli is quick to make and tastes like heaven.
Idli tikka is a perfect marriage of North Indian and South Indian cuisines. Dip idli pieces in a delicious masala batter and thread the idli chunks with onion and red peppers onto skewers, cooking on all sides till slightly charred.
Poha idli – Made with salt, water and rice – nothing fancy goes into it but the result is a truly outstanding fluffy and filling breakfast.
Kanchipuram idli – Make idli healthy and green with carrots, green peas and beans using parboiled rice, and adding ginger powder, soaked chana dal, green chillies and curry leaves.
So get creating in your kitchen and make an idli for everyone, for a healthy, hearty and delicious breakfast this World Idli Day.