Tamil Nadu Cuisine

Dosa

Sambar, a vegetarian curry made with lentils, pigeon peas and tamarind, can be found all over India. Housewives in Tamil Nadu often add eggplant, potatoes, pumpkin, radish, okra and grated coconut to their sambar. A local labourer’s lunch usually consists of a bowl of sambar, a few dried fish and cold rice fried with onions, tomatoes, curry leaves and lemon juice.

Sambar can be served with dosa. Dosa is the most famous Tamil dish. Its distinctive flavor comes from a dough of rice and lentils that is ground and fermented. The chef rolls the dough and fries the dosa like a Vietnamese pancake. Diners can choose from plain dosa, potato masala, or uttapam - dosa topped with tomatoes, onions, chillies and chopped coriander.

Chettinad, a region in southern Tamil Nadu, has long been known for its prosperity. In ancient times, the Chettinad people traveled by merchant ships to Southeast Asia, Southern Europe, and West Africa. The wealth and foreign influence manifested itself in many ways in the culture, such as in Chettinad chicken curry. To prepare Chettinad chicken, the chef roasts fennel seeds, cinnamon powder, cloves, star anise, and other spices, then adds the chicken. Once the chicken is lightly roasted, water, coconut milk, curry leaves, dried chillies, and pepper are added and simmered for several hours. A piece of Chettinad chicken melts in your mouth, with all four flavors of salty, sweet, sour, and spicy. Chettinad chicken is popular not only in India but also in any country with an Indian community.

Tamil Nadu was among the first Indians to drink coffee, influenced by foreign trade. Coffee beans are ground locally, and a cup of filter coffee in Tamil Nadu is always scalding hot to extract the full flavor from each bean. Madurai is famous for its jigarthanda, made with milk, almond sap (or agar), sassafras syrup, and vanilla ice cream. Enjoying a cup of jigarthanda on a summer afternoon is an experience not to be missed.

Those who feel tired should try paruthi paal, known as the “Tamil energy drink”. Paruthi paal is made from a powder of cotton seeds, rice, brown sugar, ginger and ground cardamom. When consumed, the powder is mixed with coconut milk. This drink is said to have antioxidant, digestive and blood circulation benefits.

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