The other day I read in The Hindu Business Line paper about a food startup Idli Factory offering ready to eat fresh Idlis that are boxed and ready to go. The startup has been founded by Mr R U Srinivas who I knew earlier through my cousin brother. RU (as he is called) was earlier CEO of Caliber Point (the BPO arm of Hexaware – the IT Services company), so I was surprised to see him take up something on a completely different industry – food.
Today while shopping in T.Nagar Brown Tree shop for Dried Figs and Walnuts I saw a packet of The Idli Factory. It was of their Podi Idli (Chilli & Oil smeared on steamed rice Idlis). It was a pack of 6 Bar shaped Idlis costing Rs.50. Each pack comes with a making date and time (mine was 12th October 2014 8AM) and it was good to be eaten within 24 hours from that. Otherwise, they are fresh, no preservatives (with oil and chilli acting as natural preservatives during the day) and is ready to go. You buy it, open the pack, unwrap the butter paper, pick up the bars and eat it – that’s all. Nothing to mix or prepare or re-heat.
Podi Idlis are the staple food for many South Indians especially Tamilians when travelling by train or on road for daytrips. When my family was vacationing in Shimla earlier this year, we went for a canoe trip down River Sutlej and I requested Oberoi Wildflower hotel to pack Podi Idlis in our Picnic basket.
Coming back to Madras Bars, that’s what The Idli Factory calls their Podi Idlis, they were simply delicious. Right mix of Chilli Hotness, Turmeric, Dal and it was soft even when I was consuming it at 6PM now. Great going R U & team. All the best.
The box in the back carries their version of History of Idlis (below), I had earlier quoted from a book I read that the steaming technology probably came in from Indonesia Kedli.
The Idli Factory Madras Bars