Rising up, Athira J was not an enormous fan of idlis. “If somebody at residence stated we have now idli for breakfast, my complete temper can be spoiled,” she says. Nonetheless, now, Chaikaari, the eatery she runs along with her cousin Arun Kumar BS, sells round 2.5 lakhs idlis a day, via its 5 retailers within the metropolis. The model serves varieties corresponding to ghee podi (a lentil-based spice seasoning) idli, kariveppila (curry leaf) podi idli, butter podi idli, ellu (sesame) podi idli, cilantro podi idli and peri peri idli.

Chaikaari is among the many a number of eateries within the metropolis which have rolled out a variety of idli varieties. From Ramasseri idli, almost the size of a pancake with its origins in a village in Palakkad district, to various kinds of idlis, the steamed dish is on the market in attention-grabbing variants, due to retailers corresponding to Suda Suda Idli, Modak Meals and Podi Idlyum Kattanum, amongst others within the metropolis.

The idli, as soon as labelled “probably the most boring factor on this planet” by a British historian on X (beforehand Twitter) in 2020, despatched ripples throughout the web with Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor backing the rice and lentil-based South Indian breakfast dish. The latter retorted on the platform saying, “Civilisation is difficult to amass: the style & refinement to understand idlis, take pleasure in cricket, or watch ottamthullal (a dance and poetic efficiency) shouldn’t be given to each mortal. Take pity on this poor man, for he could by no means know what Life might be.”

For actor Venkitesh VP a.okay.a Venky, who co-owns Suda Suda Idli positioned close to Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, cooking and serving idlis have a deep household connection. His grandmother, Saraswathy Ammal, used to run an idli store many years in the past, incomes her the title Idli Amma within the West Fort space. He considers it destiny that now he’s working an idli kiosk together with his pals Sreeram Krishnaswami, Vignesh G, Arun Kumar B V and Vijay Kumar.

The concept of beginning the store popped up throughout a dialogue together with his pals when he returned residence to town following a break from a Telugu film. “Nearly a month after that, we managed to carry our plan to fruition. I really like idlis. It’s my favorite after porotta and beef,” says Venky.

The outlet serves 5 idli varieties, together with soya idlis (soya chunks cooked in masala folded into the idli batter), flat, thick butter thatte idlis coated with two varieties of podi and mini podi idlis, fried in ghee, and doused in sambar and chutneys.

Proprietor of Modak Food, a Kazhakkoottam-based cloud kitchen, Arun Anirudhan, says, “I’ve at all times appreciated idli and located it to be a wholesome alternative for breakfast.” Previously working in Bengaluru, he was set to change into a foodpreneur, impressed by what he had tasted in Karnataka, in the end together with podi idli, butter idli, ghee idli and so forth in his menu.

Kariveppila podi idli, ellu podi idli, heart-shaped idli, ragi idli and many others are served by Modak, which started operations in Might 2024. The idlis can be found all through the day on meals supply apps and are served with sambar, tomato chutney, coconut chutney and kesari at costs ranging from ₹110.

A current addition to Suda Suda Idli’s menu is dum idli, which Venky found on the units of a Vijay Devarakonda film. “It was eaten there, particularly by assistant administrators and is made by mixing idli, sambar and uzhunnuvada (urad dal fritter) inside a container referred to as a dum. You possibly can have it with ghee and podi. We serve solely round eight parts of it on daily basis,” says Venky.

He provides, “Earlier our menu had ghee thatte idli and rasam idli, which we thought weren’t working. We additionally served cheratta (coconut shell) idli, however needed to cease it for the reason that cooking time was longer. They’re planning to incorporate a paneer idli for weekends and a pizza idli, with toppings like cheese, tomatoes, capsicums, corn and so forth. The costs begin from ₹40.

It was two years in the past that Praveen Venky and spouse, Rukmini began a vegetarian meals stall Podi Idlyum Kattanum, reverse the Bhajanappura Palace, East Fort, after years of serving meals solely through the Sabarimala season (November to January). “We determined to open a everlasting outlet after I gave up my job as a temple priest. By then we had been positive about having a daily circulation of consumers,” says Praveen.

The outlet serves plain idli, sambar idli and Ramasseri idli with 5 choices for seasoning corresponding to curry leaf, mint, coriander, purple chilli and black pepper, relying on the provision of components. The idlis are all priced ₹50 and ₹60 and the plain idli prices ₹10 per piece, says Praveen.

“We’re going to introduce muringayila (drumstick leaves) podi as a seasoning, which shall be nutritious as nicely,” says Athira. Among the many specials at Chaikaari is neer idli, which is mini idlis soaked in neer chutney (a Karnataka type chutney made with coconut and roasted gram).

The idlis at Chaikaari are served with coconut chutney, a inexperienced chutney made with mint, coriander and curry leaves, a coriander seed chutney, nellika (amla) rasam, sambar and kesari. The idlis are priced from ₹149 onwards.

Varieties corresponding to kheema idli, fried idli, chilli idli, sodhi (Tirunelveli-style vegetable stew) idli and so forth are additionally accessible within the metropolis at eateries corresponding to Namma Veedu Vasanta Bhavan, Ariya Nivas and so forth.

With a plethora of those steamed goodness choices at their disposal, some clients are lastly giving idli an opportunity. Karthika JS, who works at an organization in Technopark, says, “Usually, I’m not keen on issues that are steamed, and I don’t like having idlis at residence. However now, once we exit, we go for the idli varieties and are prepared to strive extra.”Athira says, “We even have a whole lot of North Indian clients who should not used to this meals having fun with idlis now.”