Idli

Documented in Karnataka by the 10th century in the Kannada text Vaddaradhane, originally without rice — just black gram. Rice was added later; the modern recipe (rice, long fermentation, steaming) only appears in Indian texts after the 13th century (post-1250 CE). The steaming-on-perforated-trays technique likely came from Indonesia via maritime trade with the Srivijaya kingdom; food historian K.T. Achaya speculated the modern idli's method may have come from Indonesia (citing a dish he called 'kedli'), though no such Indonesian dish has been verified and the theory remains disputed.

Steamed rice-and-urad-dal cake fermented overnight — the lift comes from wild yeast in the dal skins, not soda. Mentioned by name in 920 CE Kannada literature; the modern soft version is a 1930s Tamil refinement.

Two or three white, slightly domed cakes the size of a hockey puck, steaming, soft and barely springy. Faintly sour from fermentation, no salt forward, almost no fat. Eaten by hand, broken and dipped into sambar and coconut chutney; a small mound of milagai podi (chili-lentil powder) mixed with ghee on the side. Heavy, gummy idli means the batter was over-blended or under-fermented.

The lift comes from wild fermentation, not yeast or baking soda. Black gram (urad dal) is the key — its proteins (globulins) trap CO2 the way wheat gluten does, which is why pure rice batter won't rise. The 8-12 hour overnight ferment in warm air populates the batter with Leuconostoc and Lactobacillus; cold climates need a warm spot or the idli stays dense.