Kadubu

Steamed rice flour dumplings — rice flour mixed with hot water, salt, and a drizzle of coconut oil into a smooth, pliable dough, divided into portions, shaped into smooth cylinders or formed into small cups with a thumb impression, and steamed in a tiered bamboo or metal steamer until the exterior is dry and firm and the interior is soft and slightly chewy. Served immediately with coconut chutney and huli; the kadubu must be eaten hot as it hardens on cooling. Sweet variants (sihi kadubu) are filled with a jaggery-coconut-cardamom paste before steaming for festive occasions. The Udupi kadubu is the rice flour counterpart of the Tamil idli — lighter, more hand-shaped, with a different texture from the mould-steamed idli. Eaten for breakfast with coconut chutney and sambar; a Gowri-Ganesha festival offering in every Udupi household.