Idli seems to be back with a vengeance. More outlets are selling the traditional South Indian snack in different flavours. Ever growing health consciousness is also a factor for the increase in popularity of the snack. Even restaurants and outlets that serve an array of Indian fast foods and snacks like dosa and upma the snack that is being highlighted is the idli. A chain of food outlets is named “Idli n Idli”, but now the name seems to have become public property with others also giving the name to their food corners.
The multi-cuisine restaurant attached to Planet Fun, a gaming and food court, has increased the varieties of idlies on its menu from four to 20.
Other than the regular sambar idli and Guntur idli the restaurant is going to serve other spicy varieties like ‘palak idli’, ‘semiya idli’, ‘crispy idli’ and ‘chilli idli’. The bakery section of the food court has come up with strawberry, butter scotch, pineapple and chocolate idlies.
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Similarly there are idlies for the health conscious (wheat rawa and ragi), the herb aficionados (pudina) and the non-vegetarians (chicken keema). Only time will tell whether these exotic varieties of the snack will be savoured by the gourmets. Unique in the new variety of idlies are the sandwich and sweet and sour idlies. The sandwich idli is a regular sandwich made out of bread with idly as filling. The restaurant gets orders for idli even during lunch and dinner. In this way the customers are being provided greater variety. The restaurant to promote idli eating is conducting a idli eating contest at 5.30 p.m. on Saturday. There are gift coupons for those who can eat the maximum number of idlies in 90 seconds.