SOUTH INDIAN FOOD cuisine usually encompasses the five Southern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh-Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Goa. Both the geography and culture of the South influence the region’s cuisine. As with most countries, there are large regional differences and each state’s cuisine can vary greatly even within a specific state.
There are typically vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes for all five states. Additionally, all regions have typical main dishes, snacks, light meals, desserts, and drinks that are well-known in their respective region.
South India has a hot, humid climate and all its states are coastal. Rainfall is abundant and so is the supply of fresh fruit, vegetables, and rice. Andhra Pradesh produces fiery Andhra cuisine which is largely vegetarian yet has a huge range of seafood in its coastal areas. Tamil Nadu has Chettinad cuisine, perhaps the fieriest of all Indian food. This style, too, is largely vegetarian.
From Kerala comes Malabari cooking, with its repertoire of tasty seafood dishes. Hyderabad is the home of the Nizams (rulers of Hyderabad), and regal Nizami food is rich and flavorful with tastes ranging from spicy to sour to sweet. Hyderabadi food is full of nuts, dried fruits, and expensive spices like saffron.
Important South Indian Spices and Ingredients
Typically, Southern Indian food will feature curry leaves, mustard, asafetida, pepper and peppercorns, tamarind, chilies, and fenugreek seeds. Huli pudi (also known as sambar powder) is also used to spice and flavor dishes.
Dosa
Rice and wheat are the top two grains consumed by Indians, with rice topping the list. Indians have taken this humble grain and transformed it into a plethora of sweet and savory dishes unlike any other culture in the world. The humble dosa is an ode to the never-ending love between the people of this country and rice.
Dosa is the ever-popular South Indian breakfast of crispy crepes made with fermented rice and lentil batter. It
is usually poured into a thin crispy crepe and served with a side of mashed spiced potatoes, lentil stew called sambar, and coconut chutney.
Idli – Idly
Idli or idly is a type of savory rice cake, originating from the Indian subcontinent, popular as a breakfast food in Southern India and in Sri Lanka. The cakes are made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented black lentils and rice.
Traditionally, each region has its own version, and it is usually served with sambar (spiced lentil stew) and coconut
chutney. Some of the new contemporary variations are button idli, tatte idli, sanna idli, rava idli, and masala idli.
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Vada
Vada is a category of savory fried snacks from India. Different types of vadas can be described as fritters, cutlets, donuts, or dumplings. Alternative names for this food include wada, vade, vadai, wadeh, and bara.
Vadas are legume based. The legumes (dal) are soaked in water and then ground to a batter. The batter is then seasoned with other ingredients, such as cumin seeds, onion, curry leaves (sometimes previously sautéed), salt, chilies, or black pepper grains.
Often ginger and baking soda are added to the seasoning in shops to increase the fluffy texture and improve fermentation for large batches. The mixture is then shaped and deep-fried, resulting in vadas with crispy skin and a fluffy center. They are usually referred to as the savory donuts of the south.
Appam
Appam is a type of pancake, originating from South India, made with fermented rice batter and coconut milk, common in Kerala, Sri Lanka, and Tamil Nadu. It is most frequently eaten for breakfast or dinner. Plain appam or vella appam are bowl-shaped thin pancakes made from fermented rice flour.
They derive their shape from the small appachatti (appam-pan) in which they are cooked. They are very tasty, neither too sweet nor too savory, and the following currys are served with them; Kerala-style mutton stew, Kerala-style chickpea curry, Kerala-style chicken curry, and others. These pancakes are made from a batter using rice, yeast, salt, and a little sugar. After the mixture has stood for a couple of hours, it can be cooked in the appachatti with a little coconut oil.
Puttu
Puttu is a breakfast dish eaten in the South Indian states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and parts of Karnataka, as well as in Sri Lanka. Puttu means “portioned” in Tamil and Malayalam. It is a dish made of steamed cylinders of ground rice layered with coconut shavings, sometimes with a sweet or savory filling. Puttu is served hot with sweet side dishes such as palm sugar or banana, or with curries including dal, chickpea, mutton, fish, chicken, or beef curry.
Puttu principally consists of coarsely ground rice, grated coconut, a little salt, and water. It is often spiced with cumin but may have other spices. The Sri Lankan variant is usually made with wheat flour or red rice flour without cumin, whereas the Bhatkal recipes have plain coconut or masala variants made with mutton or shrimp-flavored grated coconut.
In Bangladesh, the outside is made of a mixture of rice flour and ground moong dal, while the filling is a mixture of coconut flakes and a type of caramelized sugar that is similar to dulce de leche.
Pongal
Pongal, or huggi, is a popular South Indian rice dish. In Tamil “pongal” means “to boil” or “bubbling up”. In Telugu and Kannada, pongali is a dish of rice mixed with boiled milk and sugar. Huggi is derived from the Old Kannada word Puggi meaning “bubbled up or ballooned”.
The two varieties of pongal are chakarai pongal, which is sweet, and venn pongal, which is made from clarified butter. The word pongal generally refers to spicy venn pongal and is a common breakfast food. Chakarai pongal is made during the Pongal festival.
Chakarai pongal or chakkara pongali (transl. sweet pongal) is generally prepared in temples as a prasadam, (an offering made to a deity). This type of pongal is made during the Pongal festival in Tamil Nadu and during the Sankranthi festival in Andhra Pradesh. Ingredients can include rice, coconut, and mung bean. Chakarai Pongal is often sweetened with jaggery. Which gives pongal a brown color, though it can be sweetened with white sugar instead.
Fish Molee
Fish Molee, also known as Fish Moolie is a speciality of Kerala and it tastes heavenly. Made in coconut milk and traditional spices, fish molee is best served with appams. Reminding of traditional Portuguese flavours. This fish stew has mild spices and is one of the most prominent dishes of the state.
Payasam
Payasam is a hot favourite of the South Indian when it comes to desserts. It is an authentic rice based “kheer” that is made with rice cooked along with milk, ghee and sugar. The sweet dish is topped with dried fruits, shredded coconut and saffron.
Appam and Ishtu
Appam is a feathery light crepe like dish that is made with a batter of ferment rice flour and coconut milk. Consider to be a delicacy in South India, Appam is best serv with Ishtu (better known as stew). Among the stew- you can choose between chicken, mutton, beef or vegetable stew. Ishtu is also made in coconut gravy infus with mild spices.
Sambar
According to food historian K.T. Achaya, the earliest extant mention of sambar in literature can be dat to the 17th century. The word sambar stems from the Tamil word champaaram. A Tamil inscription from 1530 CE shows evidence of the use of the word champaaram. In the sense of meaning a dish of rice accompanying other rice dishes, or spice ingredients with which a dish of vegetable rice is cook.
It is a lentil-based curry, cooked with summer vegetables such as carrots, beans, gourds, potatoes, drumsticks, and many other seasonal vegetables.
Each south Indian state has its own sambar and takes pride in the diverse variety available in the country. It can be consum as an accompaniment for all three meals of the day. Making it one of the most versatile curries out there.
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Conclusion
South Indian cuisine offers a vibrant tapestry of flavors, influenced by the region’s rich geography and diverse cultural heritage. Spanning the states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh-Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Goa, each region boasts its own distinct culinary traditions, encompassing a wide array of vegetarian and non-vegetarian delights.
The hot, humid climate and coastal landscapes of South India contribute to an abundance of fresh produce. Seafood, and rice, forming the backbone of many iconic dishes. From fiery Andhra cuisine to the regal flavors of Hyderabadi Nizami food, there’s a culinary journey awaiting every palate.
Key ingredients like curry leaves, mustard, tamarind, and fenugreek seeds infuse dishes with complex aromas and tastes, while staple dishes like dosa, idli, vada, appam, puttu, and pongal showcase the versatility of rice and lentils.
