Idly - a dish which has a thousand year history behind it

And you know,the humble idly I believe has a history,which is more than thousand years old.Idly is made out of rice and dal,grounded a day ago,and left for fermentation.The batter is usually poured over a plate which has holes,beneath and it is steamed in a pressure cooker.That is why it is considered healthy and it is also fed to the patients,who are on recovery mode.It is served piping hot,along with chutney and sambar or dosa podi(a powder made of dal/dry chilly and mixed with oil/ghee).Idli's come in various avatar's,lke the plain idly,rava idly,kanchipuram idly and so on.And ofcourse the chutney's are made of coconut,mint leaves/pudina,tomato,groundnut,....it is a feast for the senses.One can easily have about half a dozen idly's(if it is home made) and in hotels 2 or 3 no's.Idly's are also served with non veg side dishes,like paya,mutton kurma,egg curry and chicken kurma.This simple but lovely food called 'idly' is done in most of the South Indian homes and hotels.