Thiruvananthapuram eateries work their magic on Idli

Growing up, Athira J was not a big fan of idlis. “If someone at home says we have idlis for breakfast, my whole mood will spoil,” she says. Now, however, Chaikari, the eatery she runs with her cousin Arun Kumar BS, sells around 2.5 lakh idlis a day through its five outlets in the city. The brand serves varieties of ghee like podi (lentil based masala) idli, karivepila (Curry leaf) podi Idli, butter podi idli, Elu (mole) podi Idli, Coriander podi Idli and Peri Peri Idli.

Chaikari is one of the many eateries in the city that has introduced different varieties of idli. From the almost pancake-shaped Ramassery Idli, which has its origins in a village in Palakkad district, to the variety of Idlis, the steamed dish is available in interesting variants, thanks to other outlets in the city like Suda Suda Idli, Modak Food and Podi Idlim Kattanam.

Idli, once dubbed “the world’s most boring thing” by a British historian on Twitter The latter responded on stage, saying, “Civilization is hard to achieve: the taste and sophistication to enjoy idli, enjoy or watch cricket.” Ottamathullal (A dance and poetic performance) is not given to every mortal. Have pity on this poor man, for he will never know what life could be.

For actor Venkatesh VP aka Venky, who co-owns Suda Suda Idli, located near Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple, cooking and serving idlis has a deep family connection. Her grandmother, Saraswati Ammal, ran an idli shop in the West Fort area decades ago, earning her the nickname Idli Amma. He considers it fortunate that he is now running an idli kiosk with his friends Sriram Krishnaswamy, Vignesh ji, Arun Kumar Biwi and Vijay Kumar.

The idea of ​​starting the shop came to his mind during a discussion with his friends when he returned to the city after a break from a Telugu film. “After about a month, we managed to bring our plan to fruition. I love idli. It’s my favorite after porotta and beef,” says Venky.

The outlet serves five types of idlis, including soya idli (soya pieces cooked in spices, added to idli batter), flat, thick butter idli. thatte There are two types of coatings on Idli. podi and mini podi Idli, fried in ghee, and dipped in sambar and chutney.

“I have always loved idli and found it to be a healthy option for breakfast,” says Arun Anirudhan, owner of Cloud Kitchen Modak Food, based in Kazhakkoottam. Formerly working in Bengaluru, inspired by what he tasted in Karnataka, he set out to become a foodpreneur, eventually including podi Their menu includes Idli, Butter Idli, Ghee Idli etc.

Kariveppila Podi idli, alu podi Idlis, heart-shaped idlis, ragi idlis, etc. are served by Modak, which began operations in May 2024. Idlis are available on food delivery apps throughout the day and are served with sambar, tomato chutney, coconut chutney and kesari at prices starting from ₹110.

A recent addition to the menu of Suda Suda Idli is Dum Idli, which Venky invented on the sets of the Vijay Devarakonda film. “It was eaten there, especially by the assistant directors and is made by mixing idli, sambar and uzhunnuwada (Urad Dal Pakoda) inside a container called Dum. You can eat it with ghee podi“We serve about eight portions of it every day,” says Venky,

He further says, ‘Earlier we used to have ghee in our menu. thatte Idli and Rasam Idli, which we thought were not working. we also served cheratta (Coconut Shell) Idli, but had to be discontinued due to longer cooking time. They are planning to include Paneer Idli and Pizza Idli for the weekend, which include toppings like paneer, tomato, capsicum, corn etc. Prices start from ₹40.

Two years ago Praveen Venky and his wife Rukmini started Podi Idliyama Kattanam, a vegetarian food stall opposite Bhajanpura Palace in the East Fort, after serving food exclusively during the Sabarimala season (November to January). “After leaving the job as a temple priest, we decided to open a permanent outlet. By then we were confident about the regular flow of customers,” says Praveen.

The outlet serves plain idli, sambar idli and Ramseri idli with five options of masalas such as curry leaves, mint, coriander, red chilli and black pepper depending on the availability of ingredients. All idlis cost ₹50 and ₹60 and plain idlis cost ₹10 per piece, says Praveen.

“We are going to introduce Muringayila (drumstick leaves) podi As a spice, which will also be nutritious,” says Athira. Neer is one of the special dishes in Chaikari. Idli, which is small idli soaked in Neer chutney (a Karnataka-style chutney made from coconut and roasted gram).

In Chaikari, idli is served with coconut chutney, green chutney made from mint, coriander and curry leaves, coriander seed chutney. plexus (Amla) Rasam, Sambar and Kesari. Idli price starts from Rs 149.

Varieties like Kheema Idli, Fried Idli, Chilli Idli, Sodhi (Tirunelveli style vegetable stew) Idli etc. are also available in eateries like Namma Veedu Vasanth Bhavan, Ariya Nivas etc. in the city.

With so many great options available to them, some consumers are finally giving idlis a try. “Generally, I don’t like boiled things, and I don’t like eating idlis at home. But now, when we go out, we eat different types of idlis and are willing to try more,” says Karthika JS, who works at a company in Technopark. “We also have a lot of North Indian customers who are not used to this food and are now enjoying idlis,” says Athira.