From being a rickshaw puller to a Guinness record holder, Iniyavan's story is steamed with grit and guts.Having innovated 2,000 varieties of idli, he teaches people about the benefits of this soft, puffed rice cake
CHENNAI:As I entered The Society Restaurant at Ambassador Pallava, the aroma of steamed idlis reminded me of my mother’s kitchen. But what I instead stood gaping at, were 30 variations of the simple delicacy - in patterns and colours, that drew me to taste them. I soon found out that these were, however, only a few of the 2000 types of idli that Iniyavan, a rickshaw driver-turned-cook, had mastered.
As a part of World Idli Day celebrations, the restaurant had invited Iniyavan to present his innovations. Before the crowd could come in for tasting, Iniyavan sat at a table with me, to share his remarkable journey of courage and grit. At a tender age of 14, he dropped out of school and began working in a tea shop at his hometown in Coimbatore for a salary of `1.50 a day. “I went to school for the mid-day meals, and joined the tea shop too because they took care of my food,” he recalled.
In a few years, he rented a rickshaw and started riding in Coimbatore. “I learnt that I had to gain trust. There were a few regular customers who would call only me, because they knew my price was reasonable, and that I could be trusted. This soon became my identity,” he shared. With tightly pressed fingers, and an undistracted gaze, he goes on to tell me how making idlis soon became his identity.
One of his customers was Chandra amma, who made idlis at home and sold them to hotels in the are for `1. Iniyavan took a keen interest in her business, and in a month her sales increased from 250 idlis to 2,500. “Since she had school-going children to take care of, I would lend a hand in making the batter, and soon learnt the right way to make idlis,” he explained.
Later when there were enough hands to take care of Chandra amma’s business, he moved to Chennai, to make and sell idlis here. This was in the early 2000’s, and Iniyavan shares that they were the hardest years of his life. The floods made it hard for him to sell idlis from his hut, and he shares, “I would pack a few sample idlis, a pair of clean clothes, and with `20 in my pocket, would wade through the waist-level rain water. I’d change quickly before taking my sample idlis to hotels.”
By word of mouth, people heard of his idlis, and business moved from hotels to marriage catering. “But I began innovating only to make my children eat idli instead of pizzas and burgers. I first made elaneer idli and then made chocolate idli with beetroot, and ideas kept coming in,” he shares. There is a
sense of wonderment in his eyes, as he says that it was the same simple idli that made it to the Guiness Book of World Records. He holds the record for making an idli that weighed 124 kg.
As crowds poured in at the Idli festival, Iniyavan prepared to leave for the limelight. But with a humble smile he added that when people invite him as a guest, especially to schools and colleges, he always tears up on the stage. “When I dropped out of school in class 8, little did I know that many years later, I would stand teaching people, way more educated than I am, the benefits of eating idlis.”
Make the perfect idli
● If the batter has not soured right, your idli is bound to be hard and flat
● Soak and grind the rice mixture and urad dal mixture separately
● Let rice batter set over-night
● Add the urad dal mixture to the rice batter, only an hour before making the idli
● Wait for the water in your steamer to boil, before adding the batter
● Avoid using the last set of your batter as idli. Make dosas with it instead.
Try this recipe
Elaneer Idli
Ingredients:
● Idli rice: 2 cups ● Castor (or kottamuthu): 2 seeds ● Urad dal: 1/2 cup ● Water: 1 cup
● Elaneer: 2 cups ● Salt : to taste
Directions: Soak rice for half an hour and wash it 2-3 times. Grind it into a tight mixture with 1 cup water and 1 cup elaneer. Next morning, grind castor seeds and soaked urad dal into a fine paste and add it to the rice mix. Add another cup of elaneer and grind again. Pour the batter to your idli maker, once water boils. In 10-12 mins, steaming elaneer idlis will be ready to eat.
Types of idli you can try at home
● Idli pepper fry ● Schezwan idli fingers ● Thattu idli ● Navadhanya idli ● Chocolate idli
● Vermicelli idli ● Dhokla idli ● Kotte kadubu idli