5 interesting facts about Idli
- 30 Mar 2017
- Sunaya
- Features
Things you probably did not know about the common breakfast food- Idli
The best food item in the world
Did you know idli is considered as one of the best food for breakfast in the world? Though it hasn’t been officially declared by any organisation- yes the news about UNESCO declaring it is fake- but it sure does have it’s benefits.
It is a good diet option
Research shows that people who ate Idlis for breakfast for a month straight actually experienced weight loss over people who did not. Since it’s made out of rice and urad dal, it is easily digestible. Also, since it is steamed, they don’t have a lot of calories.
Idli’s history dates back to 700 CE
Idli has been around for quite some time now, since 700 CE, to be exact. The earliest mention of Idli occurs in the Kannada writing called Vaddaradhane by Shivakotiacharya in 920 AD. The Kannada king and scholar Someshwara III, also included an idli recipe in his encyclopedia, 'Manasollasa', written in Sanskrit ca. 1130 A.D.
How to get the softest idli- the process
A 4:1 ratio is followed, with four parts of rice and one part of urad dal is left to soak overnight. Once it’s soaked, the mixture is ground into a fine paste and left to ferment. The batter is then poured into greased moulds and is steamed. Traditionally, leaves were used instead of moulds to steam idlis.
How to devour a perfectly cooked Idli
No serving of Idli is complete without its accompanying condiments. Sambar, chutney and a dry spice mixture also known as podi. There are several variants to the plain idli, like the rava idli and the Tatte Idli of Karnataka and Muday idli, a Mangalorean variant, among others.
Images: Various sources
