Tatte idli is a traditional South Indian dish from Karnataka, India but is now gaining popularity all over India. In Kannada, ‘Tatte’ or ‘Thatte’ means ‘plate’ or ‘flat’ and Idli is a steamed rice-based cake. Tatte Idli has its origins in Bidadi – an industrial suburb just outside Bangalore enroute Mysore. Tatte Idli is a super soft, fluffy, larger and flatter idli made in plates instead of the regular idli mould, hence being coined as plate idli too.
We travelled to Karnataka last year and while travelling towards Mysore, we noticed large boards and hotels selling hot steaming tatte idli for breakfast. Of course, being huge foodies we had to stop and try them! Soft, fluffy and served with a dollop of butter, with piping hot sambar, coconut chutney and malgapodi powder these idlis became a firm favourite for breakfast and my children asked me to prepare it when we returned home. Fortunately, the cook of the restaurant where we savoured these Idlis on the highway, was very kind and graceful to teach me a trick or two about these Tatte Idli. Firstly, and most importantly, the batter should be made with rice, urad dal and also rice flakes and tapioca pearls. Traditionally, tapioca balls are not used in traditional idli batter, and this is the main difference. The proportions of the ingredients play a huge role in getting any idli right and that’s true for tatte idli too, so I have tried and tested few proportions and this one gives the most soft, fluffy tatte idlis.
I love making idlis at home as they are light, delicious and nutritious. Idlis are rich in fibre and protein which delivers adequate dose of carbs, energy and calcium. Idlis are also rich in carbohydrates, proteins, enzymes, fats, amino acids and fiber. The plus point is it doesn’t contain any saturated fats and cholesterol.
Tatte Idli can be enjoyed with Homemade Butter or chutneys like Coconut Chutney, Tomato Onion Chutney and/or with Sambar and Paruppu Rasam.
