The Omnipotent Idly

Scene 1-Take 1,2,3.....
[The dialogues mentioned here in Tamil are an exact reproduction of the multiple times the same scene has been canned during my growing years...]

Mom: Sapda va...evlo nerama koopadradu
Me: Vanduten ma...2 mins...seri, enne pannirkey?
Mom: Idly, Sambhar
Me: Ayyo, varathukku oru naal Idly panlena onakku thokamey varadey....Sunday aachuna maavu arachu vechidu....grrr, vendaam...kanjiye kudu porum.

To the uninitiated, especially of the Tamil language the above scene just translates to my mom calling me for breakfast and atleast one morning a week[during my days as a schoolgirl/college maiden/footloose singleton...I mentioned all of these options 'cause the same scene got repeated over all these years], I find Idly on the table for breakfast. Sniggering at this breakfast option, I choose the porridge over the super soft pearly white Idly mom has made and Sambhar to go with it.

Scene 2-Take 1,2,3,4,5,6[This just means the 6 years I have been married...]

Hubby: Whats for breakfast today?
Me: Idly, chutney, sambhar
Hubby: I thought we had a cook[this was only after suffering outside food due to long work hours and my inability to cook dinner owing to tiredness, that we engaged a cook]...yet I get to be served only Idly eh? Jeez, I am ok with oats porridge today...How many times I told you, am ok with dosas anytime of the day but not Idly...
Me: Sigh! What goes around comes around...:-(

Well, the moral of the story is not "History repeats itself"...If thats what you are thinking, then I guess you didnt really read the title of this blog properly.

Idly...The humble 3 inch by 1.5 inches thick rice cake[Dimensions might include/vary not just thickness and diameter but also height and volume in some cases when it is made by a novice], which is a speciality of South India finds many a takers and many a form. The power of the Idly is most realised only by a working woman. All it takes[if the batter has set well overnight] is ladling a few spoons into the steamer plate, steam it for 8-10 minutes. Voila! You have a winner on hand. You might wonder why I am extolling the virtues of a breakfast that I once turned away from earlier. But then, only when I started running my own home, I figured the wondrous qualities of the Idly.

It is a weightwatcher's delight and can be consumed as breakfast/snack/lunch or even dinner. You just need the right accompaniment to go with it. I have even seen it being served as a starter in some high end hotel that preferred to call it Idly Manchurian[single Idly cut into 4 quadrants and fried in oil and rolled in chilli powder]with a toothpick stuck into it for ease of pick-up.

From being an "I hate Idly" rebel, I have become an Idly-fan. Because I have saved time countless number of times preferring to make the idly rather than the tasty but time consuming Dosa[Indian pancake]. It seemed a Godsend option for not only becoming breakfast that day, but also helping finish the previous night's leftover sambhar in which I let the Idly swim for a few minutes before serving. All I had to do was top it up with a dollop of ghee and you have "Swimming Idly's". I would like to list the side-dish combos I have enjoyed with Idly over these years as a tribute to this humble non-self-praising-yet-loved-by-many and one of the most popular breakfast options to zillions of my fellow country/state-men/women in this world.

Coconut Chutney
Peanut Chutney
Chettiyar Vengaya Chutney
Plain Sambhar[As a side dish or with your idly swimming in it]
Arachu-vitta Sambhar
Kurma
Vada-curry
Milagai podi-Nalla ennai
Milagai podi-Nei
Vengaya Thogayal
Pudina Thogayal
Kothamalli Thogayal
Takkali Thokku
Takkali-Vengaya Gotsu
Kathrikkai Gotsu[served mostly in weddings]
Thoram-paruppu Kurma[My mom is the best in this dish]

I have personally made each one or more of these side-dishes when making Idly in the past few years and can vouch for the added taste it brings in to the entire meal. [I will be publishing the recipes of these side-dishes in my blog soon and will provide a link to this post. Until then you can enjoy my other recipes, if you so wish...http://maamiskitchen.blogspot.com/]

Long Live Idly...The Working Woman's saviour!!!