Idiyappam & Kadalai Kurma (String-Hopper Breakfast)
Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu · market
- Days OpenOpen daily
- Entry FeeFree Entry
Long before the first pilgrims finish their bath at the theerthams, the steamers are already hissing in the tiffin kitchens of Rameswaram. Idiyappam, the feather-light steamed rice noodle known in English as a string hopper, is one of the signature soft-steamed breakfasts of the Ramanathapuram coast and the Chettinad hinterland behind it, sitting alongside idli, dosai and ven pongal on the same tiffin counters. Fine rice flour is scalded with hot salted water and worked into a soft dough while it is still almost too warm to handle, then pressed through a nazhi, a brass or wooden press fitted with a perforated plate, directly onto small woven trays in loose coils. A few minutes over steam sets the threads into a pale, springy nest that needs almost no chewing. That gentleness is the point: idiyappam is the food trusted for elders, for small children, and for pilgrims who have fasted overnight or spent a long pre-dawn hour in the temple's pillared corridors. It carries no oil, no frying and very little salt, which is also why it is the first solid food many households give a convalescent.
Where to Eat Nearby
- ✦Pure-veg tiffin messes on and just off East Car Street, Rameswaram — idiyappam with kadalai kurma or sweetened thengai paal from the early-morning batch; look for the 'pure veg' / 'suddha saivam' board and confirm before ordering
- ✦Pure-veg South Indian tiffin counters in Karaikudi and the wider Chettinad belt on a day trip — idiyappam with a thicker, fennel-forward kadalai kurma or coconut milk; check that the kitchen is fully vegetarian before ordering, as the belt is better known for non-vegetarian cooking
About
Long before the first pilgrims finish their bath at the theerthams, the steamers are already hissing in the tiffin kitchens of Rameswaram. Idiyappam, the feather-light steamed rice noodle known in English as a string hopper, is one of the signature soft-steamed breakfasts of the Ramanathapuram coast and the Chettinad hinterland behind it, sitting alongside idli, dosai and ven pongal on the same tiffin counters.
- Fine rice flour is scalded with hot salted water and worked into a soft dough while it is still almost too warm to handle, then pressed through a nazhi, a brass or wooden press fitted with a perforated plate, directly onto small woven trays in loose coils.
- A few minutes over steam sets the threads into a pale, springy nest that needs almost no chewing.
- That gentleness is the point: idiyappam is the food trusted for elders, for small children, and for pilgrims who have fasted overnight or spent a long pre-dawn hour in the temple's pillared corridors.
- It carries no oil, no frying and very little salt, which is also why it is the first solid food many households give a convalescent.
- Its classic partner here is kadalai kurma, built on white chickpeas, vellai kondaikadalai, soaked overnight, simmered until they yield, then folded into a wet-ground paste of fresh coconut, roasted gram, green chilli and fennel, with a whisper of cinnamon and clove.
- The result is pale gold, faintly sweet, aromatic rather than fiery, and it soaks into the strands instead of sitting on them.
- Kitchens commonly offer alternatives on the same plate: thengai paal, lightly sweetened coconut milk poured over the nest; grated coconut with palm jaggery or plain sugar; a thin mixed-vegetable kurma; or coconut chutney with a bowl of sambar.
- Order the sweet version and the savoury one together if you are undecided, since both are usually made in the same morning batch and portions are small.
- The same nest travels inland, where the seasoning shifts.
- Idiyappam appears on tiffin counters in Pamban, Thangachimadam and Mandapam, and again in the Chettinad towns, where the kurma tends to be thicker and more fennel-forward and the sweetened coconut milk is often the default pour.
- Those towns are a genuine day out rather than a morning hop: Devakottai is the nearest at roughly 120 km by road, with Karaikudi, Kanadukathan and Athangudi further on at about 140 to 160 km, three to three and a half hours each way.
- For a wider morning itinerary through the Car Street messes and the pilgrim-town breakfast canon, follow the Pilgrim-Town Tiffin and Filter Coffee Trail rather than treating this dish page as a route.
- Wherever you sit down, look for an explicitly pure-veg or suddha saivam board first: the pilgrim belt around the temple is dominated by pure-veg messes, but Rameswaram is a working fishing island, signage is inconsistent, and it is worth confirming that the kitchen is fully vegetarian before you order.
Timings & Entry Fee
Verified: August 2026
Location & How to Reach
Address
Pure-veg tiffin messes around East Car Street and the Ramanathaswamy Temple prakaram, Rameswaram, Ramanathapuram district, Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, 623526
How to Reach: On Rameswaram island the pure-veg tiffin kitchens that steam idiyappam cluster within about 500 m of the Ramanathaswamy Temple's East Car Street — about 1.5 km from Rameswaram railway station, a 15–20 minute walk or a short auto ride, and about 2 km from the town bus stand. The island is reached from the mainland at Mandapam: road traffic crosses on the Annai Indira Gandhi road bridge and trains on the Pamban rail bridge over the same channel. Madurai, roughly 170 km away, is the nearest airport and the usual rail junction. Inland, the Chettinad tiffin towns are a full-day trip, not a morning hop — Devakottai is nearest at roughly 120 km by road, with Karaikudi, Kanadukathan and Athangudi about 140–160 km northwest, some three to three and a half hours by car; Karaikudi Junction sits on the Chennai–Rameswaram line.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is idiyappam, and how is it different from sevai?
Idiyappam is a nest of fine rice noodles pressed from a soft, hot-water rice-flour dough through a perforated press and then steamed. Sevai is usually made by pressing cooked rice dough into strands that are then seasoned — with lemon, coconut, tamarind or curry leaves — and eaten as a savoury dish in its own right. Idiyappam is served plain and pale, and takes its flavour entirely from whatever is poured over it.
Is kadalai kurma vegetarian, and is it very spicy?
Kadalai kurma as made on this coast is a vegetarian gravy of white chickpeas simmered with a ground paste of coconut, roasted gram, fennel and green chilli, plus light whole spices — no egg, meat or seafood. It is mild and fragrant rather than hot; if you want it milder still, ask for extra coconut milk or order the lightly sweetened thengai paal version instead. As always, confirm with the kitchen that it is a fully vegetarian establishment before you order.
Can I take idiyappam away, or keep it for later in the day?
It travels reasonably well for a few hours if it is wrapped while still warm, and vendors will pack a portion with the kurma in a separate container. It does stiffen as it cools, so the usual fix is a short second steaming, or a splash of hot water and a minute back over steam, which brings the strands soft again. Reheating in dry heat or a pan makes it brittle. Eaten the same morning it is made is always best.
What time should I go, and will it still be available at lunch?
Go early. Idiyappam is steamed in batches from roughly 6:00 am and busy kitchens have sold out well before 10:00 am, with a lighter round returning from about 4:30 pm. At midday most places switch to a full rice 'meals' plate, so string hoppers are a breakfast or evening dish here rather than a lunch one.
How does idiyappam compare with Kerala's appam and puttu?
All three are steamed rice breakfasts, but the texture and the method differ. Idiyappam is pressed into fine threads and steamed, so it is springy and neutral. Appam is a fermented rice-and-coconut batter cooked in a bowl-shaped pan, giving a lacy rim and a soft, slightly sour centre. Puttu is coarse rice flour layered with grated coconut and steamed in a cylinder, so it is crumbly rather than stringy. On the Ramanathapuram coast idiyappam is by far the most common of the three, usually with kadalai kurma or sweetened coconut milk.
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