Essence of South Indian Cuisine

Indian cuisine
Like any other large country in the world, Indian cuisine is also divided among its regions. But unfortunately, Indian cuisine outside India refers as only the North Indian cuisine. There are dishes which are more delicious in other parts of India, but are hardly noticed. Thanks to the globalisation, people around the world have started acquiring knowledge about the flavours & the diversities in Indian cuisine. It’s really amazing to know that the taste/ flavours of the food changes in every 50-70 kilo meters along with the accent of the local people.
The same simple ‘Dal’ varies from every house hold & leaves one in dilemma if asked to choose the best one among all!
Let’s see some interesting facts about the South Indian cuisine.
What is South Indian Cuisine?
South Indian Cuisine is a term which refers to the cuisines found in the four states of Southern India, mainly Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Unlike the North Indian cuisine, there is a limited use of garam masala and other dried spices except for cardamom, black pepper and turmeric.
Differences between South Indian & North Indian Cuisine
South Indian food is slightly spicier than North Indian food.
To acquire the sour taste of food, South Indians make use of tamarind, tomatoes, kokum, and yoghurt. Some of which are not normally used in the North Indian cuisine they only make use of tomatoes and yoghurt to do so.Coconut milk is used in almost all the South Indian curries. Tomatoes are used in vegetable dishes while tamarind enhances the taste of fish & meat dishes.
Another specialty of this cuisine is the use of ‘Banana leaves which are not eaten but are used as ‘plates’. Perhaps the world’s first hygienic use and throw system might have started from here.North Indian cuisine is distinguished by the extensive use of dairy products like milk, paneer, ghee (clarified butter), and yoghurt (yogurt) which form the common ingredients as compared to that of southern India, where the milk products, though consumed in large quantities are usually used unaltered.
North Indian gravies are generally dairy-based and employ thickening agents such as cashew or poppy seed paste unlike the South Indian cuisine where coconut plays the vital role of a thickening agent.The staple food of most of North India is a variety of lentils, vegetables, and roti (wheat based bread). The varieties used and the method of preparation can vary from place to place. Some common North Indian foods such as the different types of kebabs and most of the meat dishes originated with Mughals who advent into the country.South Indian cuisine is distinguished by a greater emphasis on rice as the staple grain, the liberal use of coconut and curry leaves particularly coconut oil, gingelly oil and the ubiquity of sambar and rasam (also called saaru) in the meals.South Indian cooking is much more vegetarian-friendly compared to the north Indian cooking. Garam masala is generally avoided in South Indian cuisine. Andhra, Chettinad, Hyderabadi Nawabi, Mangalorean, and Kerala each cuisines have distinct tastes and methods of cooking. In fact each of the South Indian states has a different way of preparing sambar (A lentil based broth kind of preparation). A connoisseur of South Indian food will easily tell the difference between the sambar from Kerala and that from Tamilnadu or from Karnataka.

Ingredients mainly used in South Indian cuisine:

Peppercorns, Mustard seeds, curry leaves, coconut, red chillies, coriander seeds, cumin, fennel seeds and tamarind.

Andhra Pradesh
Mainly known for its ‘spicy food’; the red chillies from GUNTUR are very famous for it’s hot. Interestingly Andhra Pradesh is the second largest rice producers in India. Many of its local dishes are made of rice.
Hyderabad is the capital city of Andhra Pradesh; interestingly it got its own cuisine which is mainly dominated of mughal flavours & this cuisine matches to Lucknowi & Awadh cuisine both are in the centre region of India.

Karnataka
Described as the mildest (in terms of spice content) of these four states' cuisines, there is a generous use of palm sugar or brown sugar and sparingly used chili powder. Since the percentage of vegetarians in Karnataka is very high compared to the other states, vegetarian food is enjoyed by almost everyone for all meals of the day.
Udupi cuisine forms an integral part of Karnataka cuisine. Udupi restaurants are typical Vegetarian restaurants & popular in all among the major Indian cities. The origin of UDUPI restaurant is from the famous Lord Krishna Mutt temple in Udupi city, Karnataka. The practice of naivedya, or ritual offerings, to Lord Krishna at the Krishna Mutt temple in Udupi, Karnataka, has led to the Udupi style of vegetarian cooking. The variety of dishes which must be offered to Krishna forced the cooks of the temple to innovate. Traditional cooking in Udupi Ashtamatha is characterized by the use of local seasonal ingredients

TamilNadu
Normally when it comes to Tamilnadu cuisine; it’s very well known for ‘Chettinad food’.
Chettinad is located in southern district of Tamilnadu & is known as homeland for ‘Chettiars’; normally a banking & business community.
Their food can be anything from chicken – mutton – fish – prawns & vegetarian delicacies. They don’t eat Pork or Meat.

The famous dish from this region is ‘Chicken Pepper fry’ & ‘Chicken Chettinad’
In Chettinad food, the most important spices are marathi mokku (dried flower pods), anasipoo (star aniseed) and kalpasi (dried bark). In addition, tamarind, whole red chillies and saunf (Fennel seeds) are also used along with cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, peppercorn, cumin seeds and fenugreek.
As rice is the staple food; many of the South Indian food are based on ‘Rice’.
Its not just Basmati rice is used in India.
Following are the few varieties of rice used in South India.
ADT (R) 46 , ADT-37 Rice ADT-38 Rice ADT-39 Rice Amrut Rice Annapurna-28 Rice Chengalpattu Sirumani Rice Improved White Ponni Rice Jagannath Rice Kadaikazhuthan Rice Kaliyan Samba Rice Kallimadaiyan Rice Kallundai Rice Kappa Samba Rice Karnataka Hill Paddy-5 Rice Kattu Kuthalam Rice Kaum Rice Kothmala-Golukulu Rice Krishna Anjana Rice Kudaivazhai Rice Kullakkar Rice Kuzhiyadichan Rice Lakshmi Kajal Rice Nagarjuna Rice Neelan Samba Rice Phalguna Rice Pitchavari Rice Prakash Rice Pusa-44 Rice Ravi Rice Rohini Rice Sabari Rice Sadakar Rice Samba Mahsuri Rice Samba Mosanam Rice Samba Rice Seeraga Samba Rice Sivappu kuruvikar Rice Sona Masuri Rice Thangam Samba Rice Thooyamallee Rice.
Religion & Food, Wedding & Food are always interlinked in India.
Famous temples like Tirupathi (Andhra Pradesh), Udupi (Karnatka) offer free food for the 1000’s of devotees on a daily basis.
In a traditional wedding even the size of ‘Pappadum’ make a big difference & also the variety of food served in the wedding shows how wealthy the family is.

DOSA(i) with Sambhar & Coconut Chutney

Dosai- No need to give much introduction to Dosai (Dosa - outside Tamilnadu) with in India.
There is no single restaurants(udupi/darshini/sagar/bhavan) with out Dosai in their menu!.
It looks very simple & taste delicious. All you need is a laddle of batter & a 'tawa' (pan).
But, just having the batter/ tawa/ laddle is good enough to get the right one?? The answer will be NO.
At home if you are having a Dosai, it should not be made in advance. It's been told that if a person is eating a Dosai, that time the secone one should be on the tawa! Hot box/ food warmer wont be able to keep them crispy & fresh.
Why the Dosai's we have in the restaurants are crispy & nice brown in colour than the one we normally make at home!!What is the trick that the chefs are doing in any restaurants to get the Dosai crispy, nice brown colour !
1) Experience
2) Understanding the temperature of the Tawa/ Pan
3) Getting the right ingredients

Dosai
Parboiled rice - 2.5 cups
Raw rice - 1.5 cups
Urid dal/black gram dal - 1 cup
Methi/ Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil/ Ghee - for making Dosai's

Soak the two kinds of rice together in water.Soak the lentil & fenugreek together in a different bowl for a minimum of 5-6 hours.
Grind the washed lentil in a wet grinder or blender . The mixture needs to be light & smooth. (Do not add too much water).
Grind the rice to a smooth paste ( but not as smooth as the lentil. Once its done mix the rice mixture along with the lentil mixture & pour it in to a large vessel ,cover& leave it aside for 6-8 hours. ( or overnight)
Mix the mixture thoroughly & add water (only if needed) . The batter should NOT be runny,but on the thicker side.
Heat an iron tawa & smear oil on it, with a small piece of rolled cloth or half onion.
No need of doing this if you are using a Non- stick pan.
Pour a laddle of batter to the centre of the pan. Spread the batter with the back side of the laddle in circular movements till it forms a large thin round shape. Pour one/two teaspoons of oil/ ghee around the corner. Maintain medium heat till the ''Dosai's" gets a nice even brown colour. If the "Dosai" is thin enough ; no need to turn it around.
By using a thin spatula, lift the Dosai from the corner & serve it hot along with Sambhar & Coconut Chutney.
For sambhar & Coconut Chutney recipes.
http://dakshinspices.blogspot.com/2008/08/sambhar.html

http://dakshinspices.blogspot.com/2008/08/masala-vada-coconut-chutney.html


Chef's Tip:
1) If the Dosai's are not crispy enough, add a spoon or two of rice flour in water & add to the batter.
2) If the Dosai's are getting sticked to the pan, dissolve a spoon or two of plain flour/ Maida & add it to the batter. Alternatively, beat an egg & pour it over the pan,rub it well. Later discard the egg & wipe the pan with a clean cloth.