Do you know about Southern Cuisine?

Hi folks... everyone of us know that food is a prominent feature in all cultures. Of course , Indian culture also gives alot of importance to food. For our Non- indian friends,i just briefly tell about our authentic Southern cuisine! Firstly India has two divides namely South India and North India. Our folks has just visited a few prominent and well known places in South India( TAMILNADU).

ok... mainly the southern cuisine has its staples in the dosai, vadai, idli, saambhaar and uttapam and etc for the breakfast. The great difference between North Indian and South Indian food springs from the use of certain basic ingredients that are particular to each of them. The Northern part od India relies heavily on the use of the wheat grain and milk (these have always been found in abundance in the great Northern plains of the Yamuna and Ganga, fertile enough to support double crops of both wheat, rice and even maize and millet).

On the other hand, Southern cuisine shows a marked preference for rice, which has always been abundant in the Southern belt. Coconut and tamarind are the other important ingredients and form the backbone of the Southern culinary tradition. Most of the dishes are prepared in coconut oil and grated coconut finds its way into most dishes, be they salty or sweet.

Most South Indians relish clarified butter (especially with rice), butter milk and curd too. In fact, no meal is considered complete without a course of rice with butter milk, pappadam (called papad in the north) and rasam. This is usually known as '' full meals'' in layman's term. South Indian food is relatively spicier than North Indian food though Rajasthani cuisine seconds none when it comes to a fondness for red chillies.

Spices that add to the uniqueness of South Indian cuisine and that are used ritually are asafoetida, tamarind, mustard seeds, and red chillies.
Coming to the breakfast items, our king is dosai and our kids and teachers had good restaurants that serves the right stuff . Here is what the dosai is all about:The regular dosai is made from a heady mixture of parboiled rice flour and ground urad dal that has been fermented overnight. . Across Tamil Nadu and other states like Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, the dosai comes in different styles, but is most often served with sambhaar and chutney ( liquid form):

Plain dosai: This is the regular one without any fillings, served with sambhaar and chutneys (coconut, tomato-garlic, and coconut-mint) of various kinds. If you go to Little India, you can feast on it!

Masaala dosai: This one is the healthier and lighter counterpart of the North Indian aaloo ka paraantha and is stuffed with a lightly spiced, mashed potato mixture. ( my personal fav).. hhah anyone can give me a treat too!

Rawa and Rawa-masaala dosai: These two are very similar to the two mentioned already, excepting the fact that they use rawa (semolina) instead of rice flour, making them even easier to digest, besides giving them a delectable crispness.

Mysore Butter Rawa-masaala dosai: This is an absolute treat and just right for the gourmet. Very rich and buttery, this dosai is a must have for every foodie worth his salt.
The list above is obviously not exhaustive and there are other variants of this grand Southern roll, depending on the kind of filling and proportions of the batter used. Alternative fillings (gunpowder chutney, cottage cheese, mushrooms, even keema or mince-meat for instance) can increase the range considerably and target foodies from across the spectrum.

Vadai (plain, masaala and medu) is a healthier alternative to the deep fried pakodas ( type of snack) and are served with steaming hot sambhaar and/or chutney.

Idlis are a big hit with people in the India just as the dosai and the vadai are. These fermented rice cakes are steamed rather than baked or fried and make a very healthy breakfast. Idli-sambhaar is definitely a tasty and healthier breakfast . Kids.. i heard that most of the guys enjoyed a heavy meal at MURAGAN IDLY SHOP which has a branch in Singapore too.

Likewise, Utappam (pancake) comes in three wholesome variants – onion, tomato and vegetable. .

Tomato rice and lemon rice are finger licking Southern rice dishes packed with nutrition and taste.

Sambhaar is a pulse-based, spicy vegetable curry with a dash of tamarind. Other variants include the simple but yummy onion sambhaar.

Avial is a semi-dry, mixed vegetable dish served with rice, sambhaar and papaddams, making an ideal combination that will never be too filling, even though one is bound to indulge oneself on it. .

Rasam and butter milk serve as wonderful appetizers. The former is a very spicy and tempting pulse and tomato based soup that I prefer to regular tomato soup for its taste and punch. Buttermilk is really soothing in hot summers ( April to July)

South India's non-vegetarian cuisine – though it does not meet the challenge offered by the grandiose mughlai tradition - impresses with its wide ranging array of sea-food.

ok... folks..I. hope that our Non-indian friends now know more about South Indian food and taste.. Anyone who is hungry for hot, spicy food. do join me in Little india restaurant!!

take care
kalai