Meera loves idli (steamed rice cakes) or PoLo (dosa). Any given day we have one of these ready at home. If we have idli, than the next day M would make roasted idli (or also called idli fry). Simple roasting on a pan, transforms the idli taste dramatically.
How to:
- We start with idli made the south india way, steamed in small steel bowls.
- Idlis are split with a bread knife and heated on a pan, with a few drops of oil (or tuup, clarified butter), or butter.
- Roast for 5-7 minutes till they are golden brown with crispy edges.
- Dab a few drops of oil on the idlis and turn over.
- Roast for an additional 5 minutes.
- Serve hot, with spicy chutney. Meera loves it with simple Ketchup.
- Finish with piping hot Kaapi
Meera insisted her favorite Thomas train collection also be in the pic. Do you know your Thomas trains? Check.
Idlis are split and pan fried with a tiny bit of oil
Idlis are pan fried till they are golden brown
Meera insisted her Thomas trains be in the picture.
Meera insisted her Thomas trains be in the picture.
More Idli:
& Dosas:
Arun Shanbhag 
Hello professor,
I faintly remember the Thomas train series from my days growing up. Is it the same one which also had an engine / train named Gordon. The latest computer games involving train simulations fascinate me to this day !!!. There is some joy about watching trains chugging into stations, leaving them, the engines and how they are operated, the way they change tracks watched from the passenger windows and so on. I’m happy the fascination is seen with kids of today also.
I also happened to read about your post on the Murugan Idli shop. Truly amazing place even for someone like who has been in Tamil Nadu all my life. It is interesting that most of the popular restaurants in Chennai akin to Murugan Idly shop are run by people from the city of Madurai, which has led me to believe that most of the good tasty Tamil fare had its origins around that place. A lot of these places still retain their old vernacular names.
I’m guessing life has returned to normal after all the events of the past few days. Best to you, Meera and M.
Nachappa
Thank you N,
Yes, its the same trains set with Thomas, Gordon and many others. I think they keep adding more trains so parents have to buy more for their kids. Meera loves the Diesel_10 with the grabber on his roof. Yes, she plays a lot of imaginary games with her train & track set.
Interesting observation on Madurai based eateries. I have only been to TN once, but hope to visit more. I realize, in Mumbai, the best South India restaurants are all from Udupi or Bangalore, and also have traditional names. Yaay! My favorite is Kamats in Mumbai, and a tiny hole in the wall called, “Ramnath Ashram.”
Yes, looking forward to a “normal” boring week.
A