‘Dissolve in the hot chai and ruin it’: Shashi Tharoor strongly reacts to ‘dunkable’ idlis

Shashi Tharoor observed that the idli looked overly dense and lacked the airy, soft texture he associates with the dish.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is once again making waves over his love for idlis. A recent interaction on X drew attention after he reacted to a photograph showing idlis served alongside tea.

The post had caught Tharoor’s attention, prompting him to respond with humour on what makes a proper idli.

Tharoor remarked that the idli shown in the image did not appear to meet his expectations. He observed that it looked overly dense and lacked the airy, soft texture he associates with a well-made idli. Further, he stressed that a good idli should be light, fluffy, and snowy white instead of chewy or rubber-like.

Tharoor also commented on the pairing of idlis with tea. Although he described himself as an ardent chai lover, he said he preferred enjoying tea separately from the dish.

“I’m a massive chai fan myself, but I’ve always been a firm believer in the ‘separate but equal’ policy: I prefer my chai alongside or after eating, rather than dunking anything in it. Anyway, a truly good, soft idli would probably just dissolve in the hot chai and ruin it, whereas a ‘dunkable’ idli would be too rubbery for my taste and not worth eating,” he wrote.

The exchange later took a lighter turn when the user clarified that the idlis in the picture were homemade and marked her first attempt at cooking the dish.

See the post here:

Oh, I see what you’re doing here! Aside from provoking me, that is.

I have to be honest: that idli looks a bit too solid and dense for my liking. And the discolouration in the pic is not very appetising. There’s something about a perfectly soft, snowy-white, fluffy idli that… https://t.co/O9GsGAGPa6

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) June 7, 2026

The interaction has since gone viral, igniting a deluge of reactions. “Chai and Idli, two of my favorite things but dunking idli in chai is sacrilegious. A nice fluffy idli with some coconut chutney with chai on the side, now we are talking,” a user wrote. “As an ardent idli aficionado, I personally feel it is disturbing and kind of blasphemous,” another user commented.

“The idli looks less like an idli and more of a frozen cheese,” a third user chimed in.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is once again making waves over his love for idlis. A recent interaction on X drew attention after he reacted to a photograph showing idlis served alongside tea.

The post had caught Tharoor’s attention, prompting him to respond with humour on what makes a proper idli.

Tharoor remarked that the idli shown in the image did not appear to meet his expectations. He observed that it looked overly dense and lacked the airy, soft texture he associates with a well-made idli. Further, he stressed that a good idli should be light, fluffy, and snowy white instead of chewy or rubber-like.

Tharoor also commented on the pairing of idlis with tea. Although he described himself as an ardent chai lover, he said he preferred enjoying tea separately from the dish.

“I’m a massive chai fan myself, but I’ve always been a firm believer in the ‘separate but equal’ policy: I prefer my chai alongside or after eating, rather than dunking anything in it. Anyway, a truly good, soft idli would probably just dissolve in the hot chai and ruin it, whereas a ‘dunkable’ idli would be too rubbery for my taste and not worth eating,” he wrote.

The exchange later took a lighter turn when the user clarified that the idlis in the picture were homemade and marked her first attempt at cooking the dish.

See the post here:

Oh, I see what you’re doing here! Aside from provoking me, that is.

I have to be honest: that idli looks a bit too solid and dense for my liking. And the discolouration in the pic is not very appetising. There’s something about a perfectly soft, snowy-white, fluffy idli that… https://t.co/O9GsGAGPa6

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) June 7, 2026

The interaction has since gone viral, igniting a deluge of reactions. “Chai and Idli, two of my favorite things but dunking idli in chai is sacrilegious. A nice fluffy idli with some coconut chutney with chai on the side, now we are talking,” a user wrote. “As an ardent idli aficionado, I personally feel it is disturbing and kind of blasphemous,” another user commented.

“The idli looks less like an idli and more of a frozen cheese,” a third user chimed in.