Idli often takes the top spot as everyone’s favourite South Indian cuisine. The fluffy and white rice cakes are a comfort food for many and aren’t exactly what one would call a full meal.

While they can be eaten without any toppings, some coconut chutney and hot sambar elevate the taste from amazing to divine. Now you can either make these at home or hit the streets as you look for a South Indian restaurant or food cart that’s serving these round treats. 

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In Bangalore, however, there’s a vending machine that will make you fresh, piping hot idlis in minutes. Fascinating to be sure. We’re not the only ones who think this machine is pretty neat. Ever active on Twitter, industrialist Anand Mahindra shared a video clip of the vending machine on his account. 

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In the video, a woman uses a QR code to open up a menu with all the options available from which she selects idli and vada. After completing her payment, the ‘idli ATM’ begins preparing the food, which can be seen through a glass panel. The idli is packed into a container before being dispensed through the collection window.

“So many have attempted to create robotic food prep/vending machines. Presume this meets FSSAI standards and the ingredients are refreshed adequately? How is the taste, Bengaluru folks? I’d love to see this pop up in airports/malls globally. Will be a major ‘cultural’ export!” Mahindra wrote on Twitter while sharing a clip of the machine. 

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However, many netizens were of the opinion that a machine like this were missing the human touch that many have come to know and love when it comes to cooking. 

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“Few things required human touch and affection, food is one of them, we should not make everything automatic.” wrote one user.

“Nothing beats the the taste of old celebrated idli eataries and also this idli is also costlier and not a heavy meal so this wont become a steady alternative,” wrote another.