World Idli Day 2021

Today, 30th March is World Idli Day. What? A day for Idli, some might wonder. There could be others who wonder what an Idli is.

Let us address both the doubts. Started in the year 2015 by a caterer in Chennai called Eniyavan, World Idli Day has come to be celebrated on 30th March every year since then. Eniyavan, an exclusive idli caterer felt that this staple breakfast & dinner item of people south of the Vindhyas should receive due recognition. Not that idli is unknown in other parts of India or even across the globe, but it loses out in the popularity stakes to the Dosa which is also from the same stable or rather made with the same common batter. Hence a day to celebrate and give idli its place in the sun.

Idli is a round rice cake, which is bland or very faintly salty in taste. So it has to be taken with accompaniments like sambar ( made with pulses & vegetables) , a variety of chutneys ( tomato, coconut, groundnut, ginger, coriander, etc being ground together with chillies, salt, and seasoned with mustard seeds) or the dry Molaga podi also called dry chutney which is mixed with oil or ghee. Small children prefer taking idlis with sugar or curd. Age is no barrier for the idli, as it is a soft and easily digestible food, having followers from 1-year olds to nonagenarians.

Is the preparation of idlis a long-drawn process or does it involve exceptional culinary skills? Being a fermented food, it takes a while to prepare the batter but once it is ready, dozens of idlis can be churned out in quick time. Yes, a wee bit of skills do come into play in preparing the batter– getting the proportions right, grinding the grains to desired levels of consistency, time allowed for it to ferment and of course, preparing the right accompaniments is important. The traditional way of making fluffy idlis begins with taking coarse rice and urad dal ( black gram with husks removed) in the proportion of 3:1. a little salt is added too. The grains are soaked overnight and then ground separately and mixed. The stone mortar and pestle were used for grinding but now have been replaced by the wet grinder, mixie or better still people buy the batter off the shelves in supermarkets.

The batter is allowed to ferment at room temperature and after fermentation it almost doubles in volume, maybe after 8-10 hours. This batter can then be preserved for days on end in the refrigerator and small quantities taken out to make idlis using the idli stands where the batter is poured into small molds and then steam-cooked for around 10-15 minutes in a cooker.

While south Indians can rightly be called ‘idli-eaters’, its popularity does exist in all parts of India now, with the accompaniments tweaked to suit the local palate, like a sweet sambar in Gujarat. At the global level too, one can now order idlis at Indian restaurants in the UAE, Singapore, London, New York or Sydney. While each south Indian state may stake a claim to be the creator of the idli, historians do not subscribe to this. As per their findings, idli in whatever form came to India from Indonesia (where fermented food was popular) around 8—1200 CE. Pre-cursors to the modern-day idli find mention in Sanskrit literature under the name ‘iddarika’ and even in Kannada literature where it is called ‘iddalige’. It is said one should not look at the source or background of rishis and rivers. Same applies to idli. Just enjoy it.

Nutritionists and doctors recommend idli as it is steam-cooked, has no oil, has the right mix of carbs and proteins, provides quick energy and above all, is easily digestible.

Be it the modern woman who juggles career and home, a home-maker or even a husband working from home, find idli easy to make, if one forgets the long time in preparing the batter. Well, ready-made batter can be bought too.

The common man loves idli with sambar as it is the most economical and filling breakfast he can find at home or in any roadside eating-place.

Innovative chefs love idli too as it provides a canvas for a variety of culinary experiments using different ingredients or making add-ons to the conventional idli. You have rava idli, ragi idli, vegetable idli and even the horrifying Szhechwan idli.

Finally politicians too love idli ( whether they love eating it, am not sure) as idli is a symbol of their care and concern for the common man. Populist measures include providing a plate of idlis at a very low price and naming it as Amma Idli or Modi Idli.

Happy World Idli Day! Enjoy this healthy food.