After debuting in Bollywood with co-actor Ranveer Singh, there was no looking back for Anushka Sharma. She forayed into diverse genres and proved her talent through each performance. Friends, family, and food—most importantly—are close to her heart and constantly motivate her. Surprised much?
Recently, Anushka took to her Instagram stories to share a glimpse of her South Indian indulgence, and we couldn’t stop drooling over it. She shared a photo of the thatte idli covered in podi masala, which she was devouring. On the side, we could also spot some red-hot chutney to go with it. She tagged @thethalesserygirl on this picture, Marina Balakrishnan, who is a South Indian chef. Placed on a banana leaf, the food looked absolutely amazing.
Source: Screengrab of Instagram Stories/Anushka Sharma
Thatte idli is a special kind of steamed rice cake that is larger and thicker than regular idlis. Podi masala is also known by other names such as gunpowder, Milagai podi, etc. It is a classic South Indian spice mix that is a combination of various lentils and spices, including Bengal gram, split gram, curry leaves, chillies, black pepper, sesame seeds, etc. A spoonful of this masala is often mixed with a teaspoon of ghee and paired with idlis, uttapams, dosas, and vadas.
It acts as a side dish or condiment for a variety of dishes, and the popular gunpowder that is available in many markets these days is a dried red chilli variant of that. Moreover, it wasn’t just Anushka who was devouring this heavenly combination. Malaika Arora also tagged the same chef and thatte idli with podi masala in her Instagram story. It looks like Bollywood has a new-found obsession with South Indian food.
