South Indian dishes are the dishes which satisfies your soul. As you read this, I will be walking through some nice locations in South India to have them. The places are awesome and everyone should visit it atleast once especially food lovers. Here we’ll go through some great delicacies of Southern India that changed the game of the food industry. These are dishes that were being consumed since ancient times. Ancient recipes, a factor which gives Indian cuisine its authenticity. It’s time we feel proud about the food we eat. Here are some dishes you should try once in your lifetime, for these dishes are here to serve your pallet.
1.Appam
Pancakes are very sweet and tender but there is other dish which is even softer than it. Ant here comes the Appam, which you get and popular in South India. I won’t regret giving her 3kgs of sugar every day when she knocks at our door. These are sort of like pancakes and you should definitely include them in your diet as many South Indian folks do. It’s their staple food and it is served as a breakfast item every morning with coconut milk and sometimes with egg curry or vegetables/chicken stew. It is generally made on ‘appachatti’ a utensil mainly utilized to prepare appam.
2.Uttapam
Maggie (instant noodle) claims they can be cooked in 2 minutes, let’s be real we took more than 8 minutes to cook them and don’t even get me started on health effects. But, uttapam can be an alternative to the Maggie, you can eat/consume it in the morning. It is a thick pancake with tomatoes, capsicum, onion and many more ingredients, so it’s pretty healthy! It is served with chutney and sambar. It is also served as a street food in many cities in India.
3.Idli-Sambar
Idli sambar name looks like a band name. *orders tickets for the concert*. Well, I don’t know if they were band or no, but they definitely sound delicious. Idlis have a special bond with sambar, which has been intact ever since they met. You can eat idli anytime and won’t regret it at all. Idli is traditional and a mealtime dish in South India. This is made by steaming the batter of rice and black lentils. It is served with chutney, and sambar which makes a perfect combination to have a tasty breakfast. There are many ways of idlis making like idli fry, rava idli, etc.
4.Dosa
Dosa is popular dish acros the India. It is available in any restaurant of both North and South Indian places. Dosa is made from rice and black gram as the main ingredients. It is then formed into a fermentable batter incomplete and served with chutney and sambar. Regional variations of dosa are present all over the country which includes masala dosa, rava dosa and many others..
5.Curd brown rice
Curd is a important thing to have during eating lunch or dinner to complete it for South Indian people. It is basically curd mixed with boiled rice which is seasoned with ginger, curry leaves, and chilies, and also, it is tempered with cumin seeds. Add the milk or yogurt and salt to your taste.
6.Pesarattu
This dish is famous in Andhra Pradesh. Yes! Andhra Pradesh is a part of South India, where pesarattu is prepared which looks like a thin dosa containing mainly ingredients like a green gram. It is made very easily and served with green chili chutney or tamarind chutney. This dish is can be eaten in breakfast and also consumed as snack.
7.Adai
It is a look alike dosa dish made from lentils, chickpea and green gram, served with chutney by the side. Adai can be improved upon by adding vegetables like methi and tomatoes.
8.Chakra Pongal
A dish popular in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. This dish is specially made during the Pongal festival in Tamil Nadu and Onam festival in Kerala. It is a rice based dish. Chakra Pongal is a sweet dish made from boiled rice, milk and jaggery and is traditionally made in earthen pots under wooden fire. It is generally given as prasadam in temples in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. It can be topped with coconut grating.
9.Pulihora
In Hindu mythology, teh turmerci is regarded as indication of auspiciousness. The people of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, shortly South Indians have placed turmeric in the dish in the form of Pulihora, a dish made from rice and turmeric powder sautéed with curry leaves and tomatoes. Easy to prepare the dish and tasty for sure.
10.Ariselu
A traditional dish from the Andhra Pradesh cuisine made during festivals like Diwali and Sankranti. It is a sweet dish made from rice flour and molten jaggery, the dough so formed is then made into flattened pieces which are then fried in ghee and topped with sesame seeds.
11.Hyderabadi Biryani
Hyderabadi cuisine is one of the most ancient cuisines. Hyderabadi biryani was started by Muslims in Hyderabad and is now the most popular dish around the world. It is a dish consisting of rice and lamb. It is specially prepared on festive or celebratory occasions. You now have a reason to score well in exams because you can’t resist this, can you?
12.Bisi Bele Bath
Bisi Bele Bath means hot lentil rice, which is introduced in Karnataka. This dish is prepared by cooking rice with various spices like tamarind pulp, asafoetida, and more. Then sauteed with veggies. It is served with raita and a great combination to taste.
13.Dharwad Pedha
Karnataka cuisine never leaves us disappointed. This delicacy originated from the households of the Thakur family who have a trademark over these. They sell this sweet in their own business line “line bazaar store” and now have expanded their business in different states and cities. Line bazaar stores provide the most authentic pedha and there are many shops who claim to provide the real Dharwad pedha, but they don’t. It is a dish made from thickened milk and sugar. The consistency of milk and sugar should be appropriate. This is the main factor to distinguish original and copied Dharwad pedha.
14.Mysore Pak
Originated in Mysore, it is a sweet dish prepared in ghee. It is a mouth-watering dish which makes you lick your hands even the sweets complete. The ingredients include gram flour, sugar, and cardamom. Thanks to that friend, and from that moment I knew Mysore Pak was the one.
15.Medhu Vada
It is that breakfast dish which you can eat every day and still won’t get bored eating it or is it just me? This vada has ingredients such as blend of black lentil and rice batter. It is seasoned with fenugreek, curry leaves, cumin seeds, and cocnut pieces. This is made into a shape of doughnut and then fried. This vadas are served with coconut chutney or sambar.
16.Payasam
It is a sweet dish which is mandatory in South Indian cuisine. Payasam is an alternative name for kheer and in Southern India, it is made by using coconut milk instead of sugar and cow milk. It is prepared by using rice, coconut milk and topped with cardamom and almonds. Payasam is made during special occasions in Southern India. Variations include the addition of fruits like jackfruit pulp. This variation is a part of Keralite cuisine and in Hyderabadi cuisine, it is made using rice and bottle guard and is served in temples.
17.Murukku
Murukku is a snack from Tamil Nadu which means twisted. It is a popular snack in India made from rice flour and black gram flour batter which includes either cumin seeds or sesame seeds which are made in a spiral shape using moulds. Variations of murukku include “chakli” which is made using chickpea flour.
18.Idiyappam
Idiyappam is a traditional dish in Southern India made from rice flour in the form of noodles. It is served as a main course with potato stew or egg stew and coconut chutney. It is generally made using the rice flour noodles steamed for some time and served with coconut milk.
19.Kothu parotta
Kothu parotta is a delicacy from Chennai, a city from Tamil Nadu it is made using parotta, a flatbread made from Maida, egg, ghee, salt and water and sautéed with egg, meat and spices, and sauces. It is minced and pounded and served with raita.
20.Papadum
A disc-shaped snack which is mostly called papad in most part of the country but called papadum in the Southern part. The states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu have a high production rate of papadum. It is made with black gram flour blended with cumin seeds, black pepper, jackfruits and rice that boosts the savor of papadum. It is consumed with meals and topped with chopped onion and tomatoes and served as an appetizer. And, if not cooked, it is mixed with curries and vegetable stew.
