"IDLY" and the secret !!!

A boring, three days a week lousy breakfast; this is how most of us would define idly.  Thanks to the western influence and the effective marketing campaigns of multinationals, we perceive brown bread and corn flakes to be better things to start our day with.

But not for the International Food Council; our own lousy Idly has taken an important note in their recent food policy.  The reason for this is backed by very strong research findings from their department of ‘Food Science’.

The secret that makes it so special is its simple recipe. Rice and Urad dal soaked in water for hours and grinded together to batter that is steamed cooked in pressure.

Why rice and Dhal combo? 

     Rice a cereal grain and urad dhal (lentils) a pulse; we all would know they are rich in carbohydrates, also both have different amino acids 'methonine' and 'lysin' respectively.  The blend of these two amino acids make a balanced protein that can be easily broken down and absorbed unlike many other types of protein.  It is for the same reason why many of our south Indian dishes has this combination Pongal, Sambhar Rice etc...

What is it about soaking them in water?

     60% of the urad dhal is of carbohydrates which breaks down to 'Oligosaccharides' during digestion.  This saccharides need 'galactose' for effective digestion, which is absent in the small intestine.  Soaking the uradh dhal in water removes the 'oligosaccharides' which otherwise enters the large intestine splitting into Co2, Nitrogen and Methane thereby causing gastric trouble.

     And finally, why steam it?

    The process of steaming restores the vitamins. For instance 'Thiamine' an important vitamin gets evaporated on heating or frying but not by steaming.  Urad dhal also has some 'tripsin blockers' that blocks the absorption of proteins and anti-nutritive factors. By steaming these factors are removed.

If a simple Idly has so much of science hidden into it_____________ :)

  

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