Pictures: When foodies savoured 40 idli varieties in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi - Chefs Ajith Kumar John and Sreekandan Nair - with help of seven others - made these lip-smacking idlis.

Idli - a steamed rice cake - is a staple breakfast food that's popular throughout India. And no wonder there's a World Idli Day to honour this light-rounded stuff.

Hot Idlis with smabhar (lentil-based vegetable stew) - and varieties of chutney - make for an unbeatable combination on any mouth-watering menu.

The UAE Capital celebrated the World Idli Day on Friday, with some 40 varieties of idlis prepared by chefs at LuLu Hypermarket in Madinat Zayed Shopping Centre.

Chefs Ajith Kumar John and Sreekandan Nair - with help of seven others - made these lip-smacking idlis.

"It was three days of planning and preparation. We never thought about the final number but focused only on ways to satisfy the taste buds of a mix of customers coming here. Idly varieties were done with spinach, carrot, beetroot, pomegranate, pineapple, grapes, banana, jackfruit, mango, lemon, herbal, mushroom, chat, rava, mixed, upma, szechwan, spicy, manchurian, stir fried, with egg, white, dates, dry fruits, cashew, Thanjavoor, vegetable, masala, coconut, mini, chilly, sweet, rainbow, vermicelli, potty fruity, ghee, tomato, onion, ginger and chocolate," John noted.

Also, there were six different chutneys made as a combination to the variety of idlis.

And the response, chefs said, was unbelievably overwhelming with customers being "spoilt for choice".

"All of this was sold out in 2-3 hours. We never expected such reaction from our customers. They loved every type of idli," John added.

ashwani@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi