Sri Lanka is located below India in the Indian Ocean.
Idiayppam is a common food in Sri Lankan cuisine and is popular in many areas of South India including Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is served as a series of noodle-like curls that are pressed from a ball of dough and steamed. Pasta dough is thin and often forms into balls or swirls when it is shaped for cooking. These white bunches with noodles are often served on a large plate along with a variety of tasty side dishes, such as spicy lentils and curried meats. Idiyappam noodles are also sometimes called skipping rope.
Idiayappam bunches are usually shaped and pressed by hand, starting with the dough from scratch. The dough used to form idiyappam is made from salted water, ghee, and wheat or rice flour. The formed and rolled dough is pressed into thin noodle curls with a tool called an idiyappam press. The pressed noodle clusters are then steamed, usually in banana leaves, and served with a spicy side dish.
Ghee is a common ingredient in Indian cuisine. Also known as clarified butter, ghee is butter that has been treated to remove milk solids. It is usually made with cow’s milk and has a translucent and yellowish appearance. Some types of ghee are sacred and are used in religious rituals. In Sri Lanka, idiyappam is made without ghee.
Because it is prepared without much, if any, seasoning, idiyappam is fairly neutral in flavor, making it a good match for many Indian side dishes. This means that idiyappam is often used as a base to serve as a canvas for other savory side dishes, much in the same way that rice can be eaten with spicy side dishes. It is also eaten pure or with a pinch of finely grated coconut.
Although many Indians are vegetarian, it is easy to find non-vegetarian food in some parts of the country. The southern part of India has many non-Hindu residents, which increases the possibility of finding non-vegetarian food in this region of South India unlike other regions. A wide variety of side dishes are popular in this area, including vegetarian, seafood, and meat dishes. South India also has a wide variety of coconuts, making coconut in its various forms a common food ingredient in this region.