Why everyone in Kottayam is lining up for the soft, layered bun porotta at this Thirunakkara eatery

At Sabari Kovai Idly in Kottayam, time moves differently. The restaurant doesn’t follow a clock, but the rhythm of the Thirunakkara Temple nearby. When the temple bells ring, the kitchen begins to stir.

Mornings are for the traditional vegetarian breakfast fares for the devotees who stream into the temple and office goers: idli, dosa, pongal, upma.

But the evenings are for the connoisseurs. They come and wait for the soft, thick, and buttery bun porotta served with a generous scoop of vegetable kuruma or channa masala. This fluffy delicacy makes Sabari a hot hangout for foodies.

The porotta that became a ritual
Around 6 pm, as the temple bells chime for 'deeparadhana', foodies start to gather at Sabari. Excitement rises as bun porottas land on plates. When the intricate layers soak up the curry, porotta becomes a tender, melt-in-the-mouth treat.

Customers break the porotta by hand and eat it slowly, like a small ceremony of their own.

Unlike the ubiquitous porotta, the bun version is puffier, softer, and carries the mild sweetness of ghee. The bun porotta at Sabari’s has built its own fan base in Kottayam. Some drop by every evening for it, others take parcels home for dinner.

“People wait for the porotta in the evening,” says founder Purushothaman. “It has become a habit for many.”

Morning idlis to evening porottas
Sabari Kovai Idly opens early, serving idlis, dosas, pongal, upma, and strong filter coffee. But as soon as the Sreebali ritual at the temple ends, breakfast gives way to lunch. The mini meal - dal rice, veg biryani, lemon rice, curd rice, chapathi, papad, and vada - runs from 11.30 am to 3 pm.

The bun porotta makes its appearance only in the evening.

Simple food, steady crowd
The menu keeps changing throughout the day, but the taste remains homely. Along with bun porotta, there are popular fusion items like fried idli, idli manchurian, and chilli gobi 65. Inside, framed pictures of gods line the walls. The faint sound of temple bells mixes with the chatter of customers.

The man behind the counter
Purushothaman has been in Kottayam for 38 years. He also runs a wholesale tobacco shop in the main market. “We opened this restaurant on the first day of the Thirunakkara temple's annual festival,” he says. “Our aim was to serve good vegetarian food near the temple. We have different types of idlis - chilli, pepper, even Chinese-style. But bun porotta and spicy dishes are our main evening crowd-pullers. We also serve classic 'filter kaapis' made with good quality milk.”

He hopes to open a sweet shop soon. “We want to make ghee-based sweets. Keralites may not eat a lot of sweets, but the ones who love them, really love them.”

For many in Kottayam, the bun porotta at Sabari Kovai Idly isn’t just a dish, it’s part of their daily rhythm, just like the temple next door.