An Introduction to South Indian Meals

South India is famous for its paddy fields and people eat rice as the staple diet. In today's health-conscious era, we can make rice-eating a healthy habit. Make sure you prepare food made out of different kinds of cereals like wheat, ragi, millet, oats etc., at least for two mealtimes. The remaining main meal can be made with rice and Southies cam simply relish their staple food without feeling guilty! Rather than using raw rice, buy parboiled rice as it has more nutrients. Brown rice is even more nutritious.

In a South Indian Meal, cooked rice is mixed with curries of different consistencies and eaten with an accompaniment of vegetables. The first course is eaten with Sambar or any Kozhambu(curry). Then you mix it with Rasam and eat it as the next course. The third and final course is rice mixed with curds. This is the daily meal pattern for most of us. On special occasions, some more varieties of kuzhambu (curry)may be served before sambar. There are also the 'podi' varieties which can be had with rice before Sambar.

The side dishes of vegetables can be prepared in any number of forms such as koottu, kari, poriyal, pachadi, thuvaiyal, sweet pachadi, pickles etc.,

Let us assume you want to cook a South Indian vegetarian Meal for two. The menu is usually Rice, Sambar, Rasam and curds with side dishes of vegetables numbering anything from one to ten, depending on the occasion. (For Ekadasi festival some prepare 21 varieties of vegetables!) Preparation of vadai and payasam along with this menu makes this meal a 'virundhu saappadu', i.e., special gourmet meal for special occasions like festivals, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, celebrations or simply entertaining guests.

However, let us see how we prepare daily meals for two. You need a pressure cooker or rice cooker to save time and energy. Remember to keep all the ingredients needed at hand. Prepare the vegetables beforehand and keep them ready before switching on the stove.

The side dishes can be prepared out of any vegetables available locally. Certain basic metods of preparation suit certain vegetables better. For example, cabbage can be made into poriyal or kootu. Potat can be made into dry stir-fry (kari) or pasty paal kootu(milk curry). The most common methods of preparing the side dishes is kari, koottu and poriyal. You choose your menu adjusting for the tastes of your family and also for the balanced nutritive value of the entire meal.

Remember to make one kari, one poryal and one koottu in a meal. This way the combination tastes better. If you are preparing only two vegetables, make one kari and either one koottu or one poriyal to make the combination of the tastes more interesting.

Generally you need these items in your kitchen shelf, to start with:
(You can add more items if you start cooking more complicated dishes as you become an expert in cooking)
Rice (Parboiled or raw)

Tur Dal
Channa Dal
Moong Dal
Urad Dal
Tamarind


Spices and Condiments:

Sambar podi

Coriander powder

Turmeric Powder

Chilli Powder

Rasam Powder

Pepper Cummin seeds powder

Asafoetida(Heeng or Perungayam)

Mustard seeds

Methi seeds

Cummin Seeds

Pepper

Aniseeds
Cinnamon
Cloves
Cardamom

Red chillis

Any vegetable oil (use Safflower or canola oil or gingelly oil or peanut oil -except cocnut oil, any would do- for added health benefit but rotate the choice of oil every week to include variety as research says variety is better!)

Now that you have stocked your kitchen shelves, shop for vegetables on a weekly or better still, daily basis to keep them fresh for your cooking. Some staple itms you should have handy are:
Onions
Sambar Onions
Tomatoes
Green Chillis
Lemon
Curry Leaves
Coriander Leaves
Ginger

Because you may need one or more of the above every day. Other vegetables can be bought according to the menu you decide from day to day.

Now you are ready to start! In the next post we'll start cooking!