Hometown idlis

Head to Sri Muruga Vilas Iddli Shop for soft and fluffy idlis

November 23, 2014 05:39 pm | Updated 05:39 pm IST - Kochi

STEAMED WONDER: Idlis are the centre of attention at Sri Muruga. Photo: H. Vibhu

STEAMED WONDER: Idlis are the centre of attention at Sri Muruga. Photo: H. Vibhu

When N. Lakshmi Kumar came to Kerala from Theni in 2007 seeking job prospects, he was amazed by the ingenuity of the average Malayali. He grew to love Kochi, its language, its people and its ways. But he missed the idlis of his hometown.

He was not accustomed to the impersonal idlis that were fished out of large glass boxes in small eateries or those served on ceramic plates with tiny katories of sambar and chutney. He longed for the idlis of his childhood—pure white, soft and hot, placed on tender plantain leaves with generous quantities of sambar poured over them and plenty of chutney.

“Food makes us all nostalgic, doesn’t it? It is always the food one has eaten as a child that one longs for the most,” he says, sitting at his newly-opened Sri Muruga Vilas Iddli Shop on North Veekshanam Road. A plate arrives with a plantain leaf cut to fit it. The leaves are brought from Theni, Lakshmi Kumar informs. The idlis arrive soon with sambar and chutney, delicious and comforting. “The chutney has brinjal in it, can you tell?” asks Arunachalam, the manager. “This is one of our specialities,” he adds. The chutney, thick and grainy, sure does have a unique flavour.

The rice used for the idli and dosa batter is also brought from Theni.

Barely two months since it opened, Sri Muruga Vilas has been attracting a steady stream of idli lovers. However, the shop serves different varieties of dosas too. The eatery is a small, rectangular space, which does not provide seats in the ground floor. Counters built along the walls serve as tables and the eating has to be done standing.

“This is an idea I wanted to experiment with. For those who are on their way to work, a quick meal is relished, standing,” Lakshmi Kumar says. For those who want a more relaxed dining experience, the top floor has tables and chairs.

The eatery that opens at 7 a.m., shuts at 10 p.m. and through the day, it seems to be doing brisk business. Even at 10 p.m., the ground floor is packed with quick eaters. “I know that Malayalis love puttu. So, I wanted to try bringing in idlis in a big way. However, I thought I will start with the basic idli first and based on demand, move on to the special ones,” Lakshmi Kumar says.

Since his idlis did find takers almost instantly, one could expect a delectable array of “variety idlis” such as pepper idli, mini idli, sambar idli, chilli idli, vegetable idli and butter idli to start with. “Idli is almost like health food. It is steamed and is the perfect food for breakfast as it provides instant energy,” Lakshmi Kumar says.

The dosa varieties are already available, covering a wide range of fillings from the usual masala to paneer, mushroom and vegetables. “We use only gingelly oil. We do not use any artificial tastemakers or food colours,” Lakshmi Kumar says. The pongal and vada combination is another hit at the eatery at breakfast time. The snacks that are available include traditional Kerala ela ada too.

Lunch menu will be expanded to include different kinds of special rice dishes, such as lemon rice, sambar rice, vegetable rice and the like, all in true Tamil Nadu style.

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