Away from the competitive crowd of restaurants in Bengaluru, a small eatery ‘Babu Hotel’ in Halaguru village has been offering unique ‘chiblu idlis’ for nearly 70 years.
Established in the 1950s, the hotel owner Bhakta Vatsala says they have been making idlis in chiblus — small bamboo baskets used to steam idlis — for as long as he can remember.
Explaining the unique preparation method, he says, “Firstly, we pour the batter into the chiblus. We then place these small bamboo bowls into a large aluminium utensil using bamboo sticks for support. Then we let the idlis slowly steam over firewood.”
He shares that the rich aroma and flavour of these idlis make them distinctive from other cooking methods.
“The whole process of cooking idlis in bamboo baskets on firewood imparts a rustic aroma and flavour to the idlis,” he says.
Vatsala further informs that these aluminium vessels, which are around two feet in diameter, have the capacity to cook 80 idlis at a time.
At the Babu Hotel, hot chiblu idlis are served with generous amounts of homemade butter, palya (fried vegetable stew) and fiery chilli chutney.
Recently, this obscure eatery gained huge social media publicity, so much so that Vatsala says he might have to shut the business in a couple of years.
He says, “I’m 45 years old, my father is in his 70s, and my son is just five! Though popularity has come to our business, the timing has been unfortunate. It is becoming increasingly difficult for me to sustain this very hotel.”
“Now, I am scared of the social media reach because my only hope to keep this place up is if I get reliable employees or volunteers to share the load,” he adds.
If you wish to help Bhakta Vatsala keep ‘Babu Hotel’ running, you can contact him here:+91 98863 75522.