World Idli Day

What is World Idli Day?

The World Idli Day is all about the special breakfast that a lot of Indians love. The Idli is a type of savory cake made of rice which is made by steaming a batter composed of fermented black lentils and rice. Such process breaks down the starch components of the rice making it easier for people to digest the food. There are variations when it comes to idli depending on the region and area. The World Idli day celebrate this special delicacy.

When is World Idli Day Celebrated?

The World Idli Day is always conducted on the 30^th of March each year. 

The Backstory

If you have ever watched the Oprah show, you know that Oprah when she interviews her guests, one of her favorite questions she always asks her guest is “What do you know for sure ? “Well, if she has asked me that question, my absolute answer would have always been, “I KNOW that one day, Idli will take the world by storm! “

While Oprah show might still be in the making 😀 😀  the humble Idli has made it’s mark in the world ! Each time, I walk around the malls here and stop at a food court & look at the crowds lining up at McDonalds or a Pizza place, in my mind the question that always arises is, “Will they EVER know what they are missing in life ? If only they taste our Idli Sambar, then they will not look at another fast food place again!”. 

   The ever versatile Idli, is that comfort food packed with warmth and love, to grace your taste buds for time immemorial……you’d know it if you are a South Indian ! There is not a single day, that has passed that I have walked past these fast food joints & dreamt of the friendly lil’ boys who ushered in the guests standing at the doorway of my hometown’s famous restaurant,”Annapoorna Gowrishankar”calling out, to every passerby, “Akka,Anna, Thambi,Ayya, Amma vanga sapputu polam” which when translated from the South Indian language of Tamil, literally means ” Sister, Brother,Gentleman & Lady, please come in and taste our delicious food”….perhaps , it’s the affection with which it was packed in, or the loving way it was served in each restaurant & home, Idli will always remain my most favorite food of all & if you have grown up in South India, you probably are nodding your head in agreement.

From an infant, to a toddler, teenager, youth, adult and an edentulous senior, everyone’s favorite food is idli. It is soft, simple & tasty.What is there in an Idli, you might ask, a batter that gets better and better each day, made of rice and black lentils, fermented overnight & steam cooked…the healthiest food of all !

To learn that it is recognized world wide & today is the official World Idli Day, makes me feel so happy & proud .Yes, “We will, we WILL , ROCK It !!!”

One can prepare Idli’s or rice dumplings in so many different ways, here are some recipes of mine, I have shared on my blog,www.stirringmyspicysoul.com in the past……

Different Varieties of Idli’s

Idli with Cauliflower Kootu

Cauliflower Kootu, is a delicious and an aromatic vegetable stew made with lentils and cauliflower florets.It is a favorite among the South Indian recipes, especially among festive menus.It is served as a side dish with rice, Idli’s, Dosa’s and Chapati’s.

Idli Upma

Idli Upma is made using leftover Idli’s from the previous day.The idli’s are broken into small pieces or powdered and then spiced to be served as a delicious South Indian Breakfast.

Cocktail Idli’s

These colorful cocktail Idli’s were made as. apart of celebrating The Independence Day of my motherland.The colors represent the colors of the Indian flag.These mini idli’s or button idli’s are made with mixing tomato chutney(saffron/red), Cilantro chutney (green) and white (regular) Idli batter & steaming these rice dumplings

Nei Idli’s/Ghee Idli’s

Nei Idli’s/Ghee Idli’s are soft fluffy rice dumplings soaked in delicious spicy sambar and soaked with nei/ghee on top.A perfect and delicious breakfast for the cold winter mornings!

This is a collection of my tried and tested Idli Recipes, presenting to you today on this World Idli Day!

My sincere hope is you get to try them in one form or another & know for yourself how delicious these soft South Indian Rice Dumplings called Idli are!

Would love to hear from you, if you tried any of the recipes here.Do click a picture and share it on social media with #stirringmyspicysoul. Let’s make Idli’s global!