Ammas Restaurent - Philadelphia

IDLIS: WHOLESOME FOOD FOR WEIGHT CONTROL

Indian cuisines are known for their spices, flavors, and herbs. Everyone drools when hot rasam, papad, spicy sambhar, and dosa are served, whether they are children or adults. At the same time, people prefer having idlis in breakfast. These steaming hot ‘flying-saucer’ shaped discs are simply out of this world!  Idlis can be classified as colorless, odorless, and tasteless on their own. But, they are best with a plethora of accompaniments, particularly the unrivalled trio of Sambhar, Chutney, and Molagapodi (gunpowder). Sambhars are a combination of vegetables and dal, with some tamarind added for tang.

Warm and hearty, idlis are traditionally eaten for breakfast as they are easy to digest and keep full for the next couple of hours till one reaches the lunchtime. They hold well at room temperature and can be packed for picnics, trips and lunch boxes. 

Idlis are filling and keep the weight under control when it comes to nutritional value. Idlis are a common breakfast item in most south Indian households. The batter is ground the day before and allowed to ferment for 6 to 10 hours, depending on the weather.

Chutneys that accompany idlis can vary as tomato chutney, coriander chutney, coconut chutney, or mint chutney. Tomato Chutney has a nutty texture and is a bit orange-red. This South Indian chutney is prepared with onions, coconut, spices and of course, tomatoes. The taste is on the tangier note and blends perfectly with the taste of fluffy idlis, and hot sambhar. Garlic added to the chutney just makes it irresistible right from the fragrance to its taste. 

Coriander Chutney is green in color and is prepared with coriander, lemon, tamarind, and yogurt. With coriander as its base, the chutney becomes refreshing and completely nutritious. Coriander has various health benefits and is rich in magnesium, protein, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, potassium, carotene, thiamine, niacin, phosphorous and also a bit of calcium is found in it. 

Coconut Chutney is one of those chutneys that is blended with roasted chana dal and garnished with red chilies, curry leaves, and mustard seeds. Mint Chutney keeps the body cool and mind refreshed. It helps in digestion.

Idlis need only three ingredients but those ingredients are very specific ones and cannot be substituted. Urad dal has the black skin and the two halves of the dal are split. The special culinary property of this dal is that when ground or cooked it has an unusual thick, sticky texture. This makes it a key ingredient in idli batter. Idli rice is a specific variety of rice that is starchy, medium-grained rice and is processed / parboiled to reduce the soaking time needed before grinding and to gelatinize the starch.  Methi or fenugreek seeds are ground into the batter to aid in fermentation and to obtain a good batter consistency.

Relish idlis with sambhar and chutney at Amma’s South Indian Restaurant. It is certainly healthy, and wholesome to begin your day with. 

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