1. Dosa
Dosa is a kind of pancake with its main ingredients rice and black gram. It is famous for a breakfast dish and is also often served as dinner. It is an important part of the South Indian diet serving as a necessity for every person residing in the Sub-continent. Amongst the various types served worldwide some are Paneer Dosa, Masala Dosa, Onion Rava Dosa etc.
2. Idly
It is the main breakfast dish and traditional item prepared in every South Indian household. The dish is prepared by steaming a batter consisting of the black lentils and rice. It is quick and delicious delight, completed with chutneys like coconut chutney and tomato chutney.
3. Upma
Upma or Uppittu is a Tamil as well as Sri Lankan breakfast dish. It mainly consists of Rava i.e Semolina. There are many ways to prepare it by varying spices to obtain different flavors. The common ingredients are ground wheat and rice along with garam masala or red chili powder.
4. Pongal
It is a rice dish originating from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The word “Pongu” means to boil over. At the time of the festival, Chakkara Pongal consisting of sugar and jaggery is prepared in a bulk or is seen in every household. Prepared in various types it is mainly found as Melagu, Puli, and Venn.
5. Biryani
It is a South Asian rice dish originating from the Muslims of the Medieval Indian Sub-Continent. It is popular throughout India with ingredients like spices, rice, and meat. Its exact place of origin is still unknown.
6. Uttapam
Ooththappam or Uttapam is another kind of pancake type dish from South India prepared by cooking all the ingredients mixed in the batter. It is not crispy like dosa but instead is thick having toppings like tomatoes, onion, and chilies. Its main ingredients are Urad dal and rice. It is preferably served with a combination of coconut chutney and sambhar.
7. Pulihora
Pulihora, known as tamarind rice is a preparation of rice. It is a common dish in the states of Southern India, also served as a Prasad in temples. This dish is popularly seen at the time of special occasions or festive times as Hindus consider turmeric powder as an auspicious thing.
8. Bonda
It is a South Indian snack that can range from sweet to a spicy version of it in various kinds depending on the regions. The process of making it involves potato filling in gram flour batter. People from Kerala prefer it as a sweet one called Sugiyan. Mangalore Bonda is another delicacy originating from Karnataka.
9. Vada
It is a term for various types of fried snacks in India. It is often perceived as a doughnut and is also known as Wada, Vade, and Vadai. The types are differentiated on basis of the ingredients ranging from legumes to potatoes. It is a breakfast dish and also sometimes serves as snacks with chutneys.
10. Tandoori Chicken
Tandoori Chicken is hard to resist which pleases every South Indian person as well as the outsiders. It is one of the Indian Chicken starters originating from Mughal cuisine and so has the name Murgh Tandoor with the spices and yogurt marinated over Chicken or Meat grilled in the oven. The addition of Chickpea flavor gives an aroma to this appetizer.
11. Aloo Gobi
Aloo Gobi is a vegetarian dish and had its origin from the Indian subcontinent with potatoes, cauliflower, and spices which are quite popular in Indian and Bangladeshi cuisines. It is yellow in color due to the addition of turmeric powder to give the taste and smell. It is best served with a seasoning of curry leaves. Other ingredients include ginger, onion, and tomatoes. Preparation styles may differ but the name remains the same.
12. Butter Chicken
It is an Indian dish which is even popular in many countries. It’s a grilled or roasted chicken in a creamy and spiced curry sauce, which is usually flavored with butter for the taste originating from Punjabi style of Cuisine but became quite famous in the Southern part. There can be many variations of the composition of the ingredients and spices of the sauce, and even the presence of cashew paste will give the taste.
13. Prawns Curry
It is known as Andhra Fried Prawns. It is very addictive and is not only famous among the local people but also for the tourists. Fried spices and onions with the addition of peeled prawns with a little water are the way for preparation. The recipe is simple and does not take much time to prepare, and you can surprise your guests with this delicious curry.
14. Chicken 65
Chicken 65 is a spicy, deep-fried chicken originating from Chennai. The flavor of this dish is due to red chilies, but the ingredients for the recipe can vary. The two variants of this delight; boneless or bone depending on your choice. For vegetarians, the dish is also available as Paneer 65 and Gobi 65.
15. Gulab Jamun
It has become one of the famous desserts of Andhra Pradesh and serves as a nice combination with ice cream mainly. Even as a buffet option, it became a trend for a nice way of concluding the dinner or lunch. The new variant of Gulab Jamun includes Halwa and jelly.
16. Jalebi
Having another name Zulbia, it is a sweet popular in South Asian countries. The recipe includes deep frying of maida flour and then soaking the fried circular shaped thing in sugar syrup. They have a crystallized sugary exterior coating, and sometimes the syrup might contain lime juice or rose water.
17. Kulfi
Kulfi is a dairy product, popular in the frozen state which has originated in India. It is also known as an Indian Ice cream. They have a lot of varieties including the popular ones Malai, Chickoo, Mango, and Pista. The taste has not changed since ages.
18. Lime Pickle
Lemon is an essential ingredient of any cuisine originating from India and there are many varieties such as sweetened lime or salted one. The preparation depends on region, but the basic principle remains the same. Also, the ingredients include mustard seed, chilli, and turmeric, which are tossed with salt placing in the sun for several weeks.
19. Onion Pakora
Pakoras include the ingredients such as onion, eggplant, tomato and chili pepper. Even at times, the dish is prepared with bread, chicken or fish. The ingredients are coated in a batter of chickpea flour and then are fried until the golden brown color appears on both the sides.
20. Ras Malai
It is a dessert originating from India. “Ras” means juice and “Malai” means cream. It consists of white cream added with sugar and yellow-colored balls of chhana in cream with cardamom for the flavor. The ingredients include milk powder, flour, baking powder and oil to make the dough which is then cooked in sugar syrup and milk with the addition of saffron for the taste.
