All steamed up: On the versatile idiappam

Whether you call it sandhagai, sevai or idiappam, there are many ways to make it exciting

November 03, 2017 03:11 pm | Updated November 06, 2017 12:58 pm IST

The sandhagai can be made so many different ways

The sandhagai can be made so many different ways

One of my all-time favourite dinners while growing up was undoubtedly the sandhagai (as the sevai or idiappam is known in Kongunadu). It was fascinating to see this one ingredient being used in so many different ways.

Each of us had our own favourites. The one with the sweet tooth loved the thin soft strands best when tossed with grated coconut, ghee and sugar. I vacillated between the pale yellow lemon sandhagai and the vibrant red thakkali sandhagai while Dad just had to finish the meal with the creamy thayir sandhagai with its crunchy tempering of lentils, mustard seeds and the bite of the heat from the dried red chilli.

The flour for these string hoppers was always made at home and I remembered the fun of squeezing the last roll of dough through the wooden hand press when I chanced upon my idiappam press during a routine cleaning of my store room.

Sandhagai dinners are not frequent these days simply because I don’t remember to make the rice flour early enough. Somehow the commercially available flours don’t hold much appeal especially since I have gone back to hand-pounded organic rice.

But when the sandhagai craving hit, a quick search in the neighbourhood organic shops yielded just what we needed: A packet of flour made of handpounded rice, roasted and ground using traditional methods. Buying flour that has not been subjected to a refining process and going through the rest of the cooking process at home is a great way of keeping alive traditional practices that are beneficial to health.

The colour was a dull ivory, not the blinding white of refined rice flour. The instructions were simple: Add a cup of hot water to a cup of rice flour and stir vigorously.

The warm dough came together quickly with some kneading and was soon it was time for the fun part of squeezing it through the tiny holes of the perforated brass disc at the bottom of the wooden handpress.

We also added a quarter teaspoon of cold-pressed coconut oil to the dough so that it would not stick to the container. It helps to grease the palms and the insides of the press in a similar manner.

Soon we had a pile of soft steaming idiappams on the fresh banana leaf. Then came the decision of what flavours to add. In addition to the usual tomato, lemon and tamarind, my mother would make a few different savoury versions.

Keeping that in mind, we boiled some fresh country corn, added chopped green capsicum and small cubes of paneer cooked with onion and spices. It offered a great contrast to the thin tomato flavoured strands.

Also known as Kothu idiappam, this is a great meal to have at any time of the day and is most satisfying too.

By popular demand, breakfast the next morning was idiappam served whole with a side of coconut milk or ghee and jaggery. The soft noodle-like texture of the idiappam tastes just as great when infused with Thai flavours like coconut milk, lemon grass, turmeric, garlic, and chilli or tossed with minced meat and egg.

Steamed dinner options don’t really have to be bland and boring now, do they?

Handpounded Idiappam flour can be bought at Iyal Organic Store, #13, 50 Foot Road, Krishnasamy Nagar, Ramanathapuram. Contact them at 9842701946

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