Idiyappam is a steamed noodle-like dish popular in Sri Lankan and South Indian cuisine. It is made from a dough of salt water, ghee, and wheat or rice flour, and served with savory side dishes. It is often used as a base for other dishes and is popular in the southern region of India.
Idiayppam is a common staple in Sri Lankan cuisine and popular in many areas of South India including Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is served as a series of noodle-like bunches that are pressed into a ball of dough and steamed. The noodles are thin and usually rolled into balls or whorls when formed for cooking. These white, noodly bunches are often served on a large platter alongside an array of savory side dishes such as spiced lentils and curried meats. Idiyappam noodles are also sometimes called hoppers.
Idiayappam bunches are usually hand formed and hand pressed, starting with the dough from scratch. The dough used to form idiyappam is made from salt water, ghee, and wheat or rice flour. The formed and shelled dough is pressed into thin bunches of noodles using a tool called an idiyappam presser. The bunches of pressed dough are then steamed, often in banana leaves, and served with a spicy side dish.
Ghee is a common ingredient in Indian cooking. Also known as ghee, ghee is butter that has been treated to remove milk solids. It is usually made from cow’s milk and has a translucent, yellowish appearance. Some types of ghee are sacred and are used in religious rituals. In Sri Lanka, idiyappam is made without ghee.
Since it’s prepared without many spices, idiyappam has a fairly neutral flavor, making it a good match for many Indian side dishes. This means that idiyappam is often used as a base to serve as a canvas for other savory side dishes, much in the way that rice might be eaten with spicy side dishes. It is also eaten plain or with a pinch of finely grated coconut.
Although many Indians are vegetarians, non-vegetarian food is easy to find in some parts of the country. The southern part of India has many non-Hindu residents, increasing the chance of finding non-vegetarian food in this southern region of India as compared to other regions. A wide variety of side curries are popular in this area, including vegetarian, fish and meat dishes. South India also boasts a plethora of coconuts, making coconut in its many forms a common ingredient in food in this area.
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