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Do you like South Indian food?

Hornbill said:
They use too much oil so I will try it with alcohol :D What's your opinion about paragon restaurant which serves Italian and continental dishes.
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My favourites in Paragon restaurant are these:

Appam and fish mango curry
Chicken biriyani
Coconut prawn roast something like that.
And a lot of good non veg starters.

You should visit their branch in the kannur road. Next to it there is a sarbath shop which is awesome too.
 
kaayal said:
The shop’s name is Chandrettante Chaayakkada. He is a native to that place.

And that’s not a dosa, it’s kai Pathiri, common in my village too.
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Other dishes he prepares were staple food of paddy field workers of central travancore so I thought he is one of those migrant farmer from CT
 
I think South Indian food (non vegetarian) is one of the best in terms of raw spices. To me the best curries I have had were in the south, the flavors are amazing.

Idli, Dosa etc are okayish can eat once a while.
 
kaayal said:
My favourites in Paragon restaurant are these:

Appam and fish mango curry
Chicken biriyani
Coconut prawn roast something like that.
And a lot of good non veg starters.

You should visit their branch in the kannur road. Next to it there is a sarbath shop which is awesome too.
Click to expand...
Definitely I will try those, Have you visited brown town cafe which is owned by the same group I think, they serve food which is not commonly available in kerala at a decent price.
 
big_gamer007 said:
I think South Indian food (non vegetarian) is one of the best in terms of raw spices. To me the best curries I have had were in the south, the flavors are amazing.

Idli, Dosa etc are okayish can eat once a while.
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Idili with sambhar is the most recommended healthy breakfast by dietitians of kerala
 
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big_gamer007 said:
I think South Indian food (non vegetarian) is one of the best in terms of raw spices. To me the best curries I have had were in the south, the flavors are amazing.

Idli, Dosa etc are okayish can eat once a while.
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It’s ok to consume these spicy foods once in a while. Otherwise the entire GIT will burn lol
 
Masala dosa and uttapam are my favourite when it comes to South Indian dishes.
About fish well I have tried in Konkan region,I don't about fish in South.
 
Hornbill said:
Definitely I will try those, Have you visited brown town cafe which is owned by the same group I think, they serve food which is not commonly available in kerala at a decent price.
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Nope. I have seen that cafe next to it but never tried tbh.

And you need to try Amma hotel first before anything in Kozhikode (if you are a fish lover). Paragon can come after that.:D
 
I am big fan of dosa and coconut chutney. When it first arrives, your eyes are already mesmerised by its size. The thicker dosas cooked at home is nice but not as good. Their fish dishes are just wow and spicy.

Their coconut mutton/beef curries are different. They are nice but then you think its too heavy after a few bites.

I think fried bananas, idllis and sambars are ok but I personally dont recommend.

I once had something that was coined as South Indian called pearled rice (not sure if this was authentic), which is basically rice and fresh pomegranate. Weird and dont recommend.

Also not a big fan of their cashew veg dishes.
 
imrankhannsu said:
I think fried bananas, idllis and sambars are ok but I personally dont recommend.
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There is no middle ground with Sambhar, either excellent or rubbish. Maybe you haven't tried it at the right place. Also the batter must be perfect when it comes to Idli, to get the soft texture. From my experience it is most common to mess up when it comes to these two. Have you tried Medu Vada dipped in Sambhar? Or Pongal, Rava Kesari, Idiyappam, Uthappam, Appam, Bonda? Some good breakfast options, delicious and also light on the stomach which is important early in the day.
 
Love Dosas in Chennai.. other cities the sambhar is not great, something amazing about Chennai sambhar, I can almost go to any restaurant in Chennai and 90% of the time I don’t have issue with the sambhar.

Something I disliked as a child but love now Pongal Vada and sambhar.. just love it now.

mushroom 65( yes veg version of 65).

Tamrind rice..esp from Kapaleeshwarar temple
 
Bhaag Viru Bhaag said:
Looks yummy. Did you make it or order it from zomato/swiggy? :inti
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Made it myself. It’s easy if you already have the batter prepared on the previous day and there is shredded coconut in the freezer for chutney. Takes less than 1/2 hour in the morning.:)
 
I think in one of his interview Anil Kapoor gave credit to South Indian food for his fitness at this age.

South Indian food compared to North Indian food is light, non oily and easy to digest. :inti
 
JaDed said:
Love Dosas in Chennai.. other cities the sambhar is not great, something amazing about Chennai sambhar, I can almost go to any restaurant in Chennai and 90% of the time I don’t have issue with the sambhar.

Something I disliked as a child but love now Pongal Vada and sambhar.. just love it now.

mushroom 65( yes veg version of 65).

Tamrind rice..esp from Kapaleeshwarar temple
Click to expand...

Dosas in whole Tamil Nadu tastes better than in Kerala. Just from my experience.

I don’t know what secret ingredient they add.
 
Bhaag Viru Bhaag said:
I think in one of his interview Anil Kapoor gave credit to South Indian food for his fitness at this age.

South Indian food compared to North Indian food is light, non oily and easy to digest. :inti
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We eat a lot of rice. Don’t think it’s healthy unless you work out.
 
kaayal said:
Dosas in whole Tamil Nadu tastes better than in Kerala. Just from my experience.

I don’t know what secret ingredient they add.
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I think it’s oil(could be salt as well).. and ghee for ghee roast. The crispness is amazing.

As a child the restaurants I loved in Chennai aren’t that good anymore but still I can easily find good dosas .
 
Bhaag Viru Bhaag said:
I think in one of his interview Anil Kapoor gave credit to South Indian food for his fitness at this age.

South Indian food compared to North Indian food is light, non oily and easy to digest. :inti
Click to expand...

Actually it depends on the grain(whole -organic) and also from what I have heard depends upon genes, like what your bloodline has been eating, for Punjabis wheat would suit is what I have been told.

I see many South Indians eating chappathi coz of their gym trainer not sure if that works though.

I think best options are going Millet with south Indian food, tastes good and is healthy overall..
 
Swashbuckler said:
There is no middle ground with Sambhar, either excellent or rubbish. Maybe you haven't tried it at the right place. Also the batter must be perfect when it comes to Idli, to get the soft texture. From my experience it is most common to mess up when it comes to these two. Have you tried Medu Vada dipped in Sambhar? Or Pongal, Rava Kesari, Idiyappam, Uthappam, Appam, Bonda? Some good breakfast options, delicious and also light on the stomach which is important early in the day.
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Bro I have Sambar and Idli cooked at home and buffets but I didnt enjoy it as much as other South Indian things. Yes I agree that if something isnt cooked properly no one will like it. But from the general idea I got I dont think it appeals to me.

In the UK their are very limited South Asian restaurants from what I have seen and most I have seen quite empty apart from one in East London. Even at the buffet which had a large Indian section, only there was dosa, idli, sambar and coconut chutney. So we dont have that much exposure.

Can you please tell me how similar or dissimilar food of South India and Sri Lanka are
 
Food is very personal choice and for me Andhra/Hyderabadi food is delicious and serves some of the best cuisines in all of India. I am not a big fan of food from rest of the 3 Southern States.
 
imrankhannsu said:
Can you please tell me how similar or dissimilar food of South India and Sri Lanka are
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I haven't been to Sri Lanka, nor have I been to an authentic Sri Lankan restaurant, so can only wager a guess. More similarity with Tamil Nadu and Kerala compared to the other South Indian states.

Sri Lankan Tamils will probably have cuisine similar to Tamil Nadu ones. For rest it will be more similar to Kerala, generous offering of all kinds of meat, use of coconut (especially coconut milk) in majority dishes, local spices etc. Like Southies they are mostly rice eaters, and quality seafood. There must also be the Dutch and Portuguese influence in Lanka. Will be interesting to see if they have similarity with Goan cuisine because Goa too was under Portuguese rule.

I think it will be easier to compare in UK where you will find good restaurants specializing in authentic versions of South Indian and Lankan cuisines.
 
No, not a fan of the taste or the smell. The whole coconut oil and different spices isn't for my palette.
 
kaayal said:
Some more good food videos from Mark Wein’s Kerala series.


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Interesting dishes. I ended up seeing other related videos from youtube. I have never been a fan of any of the original Indian/Pakistani/Sri Lankan food ... all of them tend to have overbearing spices and excessively carb heavy. Related cuisine for me is the hispanic/caribbean influenced Indian food (or Indian influenced caribbean food is more accurate) - Trini/Guyanese cuisine since I grew up with those. Even those are way too carb heavy.

The authentic south Indian food from those videos seem very carb heavy. Add to that you also have vegetarians - so people just have loads of carbs every day and every meal?
 
mustang said:
Interesting dishes. I ended up seeing other related videos from youtube. I have never been a fan of any of the original Indian/Pakistani/Sri Lankan food ... all of them tend to have overbearing spices and excessively carb heavy. Related cuisine for me is the hispanic/caribbean influenced Indian food (or Indian influenced caribbean food is more accurate) - Trini/Guyanese cuisine since I grew up with those. Even those are way too carb heavy.

The authentic south Indian food from those videos seem very carb heavy. Add to that you also have vegetarians - so people just have loads of carbs every day and every meal?
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These dishes are made only in special occasions tbh. Rice is our staple food and yes, we eat lots of carbs + proteins +coconut oil too. Beef, chicken, mutton, Fish, pork, sea food etc are an important part our Kerala cuisine.
 
Swashbuckler said:
Which is your favourite variety? Prefer chutney (coconut, tomato, onion, green) or sambhar?

Is it available in Karachi?
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In Karachi near the place I lived there was a spot which sold dosas. Usually got either masala dosas (potato) or chicken dosas (which it seems is not an actual thing ). It was nice thing to have Once or twice a year.

But I really have become a fan in the last year or so in the US after going to some authentic South Indian places with an indian clasmate. Here the dosas are paper thin and the sambar is amazing.

I usually like masala dosa with green and coconut chutney with sambar on the side. (I eat sambar with spoon). There’s also some orange thing I like but don’t know the name.

Finally. Growing up there was only one place in my part of town in Karachi which sold dosas but when i went last 3-4 spots have opened up with one just specializing in South Indian food.

I tried idli recently but it was ok. Like ill have it but definitely not crave it.
 
Pakistanian said:
No, not a fan of the taste or the smell. The whole coconut oil and different spices isn't for my palette.
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Coconut oil is used only in Kerala and Sri Lanka. In Tamil Nadu it is sesame, groundnut, sunflower, rice bran, ghee. Same in other parts of South, coconut being a Malayalam thing. Spices used in North/South are roughly the same with production in hills of South India and Sri Lanka. Difference may be in the proportion.
 
Swashbuckler said:
Coconut oil is used only in Kerala and Sri Lanka. In Tamil Nadu it is sesame, groundnut, sunflower, rice bran, ghee. Same in other parts of South, coconut being a Malayalam thing. Spices used in North/South are roughly the same with production in hills of South India and Sri Lanka. Difference may be in the proportion.
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Even white Americans are more knowledgeable and more open minded than him, irrespective of your explanation he is not going to care or change his opinion.
 
Slog said:
In Karachi near the place I lived there was a spot which sold dosas. Usually got either masala dosas (potato) or chicken dosas (which it seems is not an actual thing ). It was nice thing to have Once or twice a year.
Click to expand...

Interesting. Chicken dosa is available in Tamil Nadu but rarer compared to vegetarian counterparts. We also have muttai dosa (egg) and mutton kari dosa.

But I really have become a fan in the last year or so in the US after going to some authentic South Indian places with an indian clasmate. Here the dosas are paper thin and the sambar is amazing.
Click to expand...

Paper thin crispy ones must be paper roast or ghee roast. If you want the best sambhar always try for a Tamil restaurant, as [MENTION=137142]JaDed[/MENTION] wrote.

I usually like masala dosa with green and coconut chutney with sambar on the side. (I eat sambar with spoon). There’s also some orange thing I like but don’t know the name.
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Orange chutney might be a tomato-onion combo, brinjal or in some cases bottle gourd. If powdery, then it is molagapodi (gunpowder)+sesame oil...tougher to explain that because there is a whole process to make that.

I tried idli recently but it was ok. Like ill have it but definitely not crave it.
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Idli by itself doesn't have taste, it depends on sides like chutney/sambhar. A good breakfast option especially when served with medu vada. Also the best food for sick people, idli+pepper rasam (soup).
 
JaDed said:
Even white Americans are more knowledgeable and more open minded than him, irrespective of your explanation he is not going to care or change his opinion.
Click to expand...

I've had dosas once like a really long time ago when I went to Indian restaurant for the first time, I don't remember the taste but I think it was good.
 
JaDed said:
Love Dosas in Chennai.. other cities the sambhar is not great, something amazing about Chennai sambhar, I can almost go to any restaurant in Chennai and 90% of the time I don’t have issue with the sambhar.

Something I disliked as a child but love now Pongal Vada and sambhar.. just love it now.

mushroom 65( yes veg version of 65).

Tamrind rice..esp from Kapaleeshwarar temple
Click to expand...

Haha that depends. I love the sweet sambhar that they serve with dosas in Bangalore. But those raised in other southern states don't necessarily like it. South folks from different states rarely agree on quality of sambar, dosas of other states. :P
 
Swashbuckler said:
Coconut oil is used only in Kerala and Sri Lanka. In Tamil Nadu it is sesame, groundnut, sunflower, rice bran, ghee. Same in other parts of South, coconut being a Malayalam thing. Spices used in North/South are roughly the same with production in hills of South India and Sri Lanka. Difference may be in the proportion.
Click to expand...

Coconut oil is used in coastal Karnataka and TN districts bordering Kerala as well. Apart from south, it is also used by some folks in northeast India.
 
Slog said:
In Karachi near the place I lived there was a spot which sold dosas. Usually got either masala dosas (potato) or chicken dosas (which it seems is not an actual thing ). It was nice thing to have Once or twice a year.

But I really have become a fan in the last year or so in the US after going to some authentic South Indian places with an indian clasmate. Here the dosas are paper thin and the sambar is amazing.

I usually like masala dosa with green and coconut chutney with sambar on the side. (I eat sambar with spoon). There’s also some orange thing I like but don’t know the name.

Finally. Growing up there was only one place in my part of town in Karachi which sold dosas but when i went last 3-4 spots have opened up with one just specializing in South Indian food.

I tried idli recently but it was ok. Like ill have it but definitely not crave it.
Click to expand...

Ponderosa in KDA, next to time medico??

Silverspoon on Tariq Road?
 
For the longest time, south Indian food equaled dosa and idlis to me. Then I went to university and discovered non vegetarian dishes from southern states. Blows the punjabi butter chicken and kormas etc out of the water. I still prefer a mustard base for fish curries but konkan and malabari dishes with coconut milk are just as good. Love the use of curry leaves Coorgi pandhi curry and other chicken and mutton dishes.
 
kaayal said:
It’s ok to consume these spicy foods once in a while. Otherwise the entire GIT will burn lol
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Come to Kolkata. I will take your family around for a fish feast. You will forget all other fishes in kerala.
 
imrankhannsu said:
I am big fan of dosa and coconut chutney. When it first arrives, your eyes are already mesmerised by its size. The thicker dosas cooked at home is nice but not as good. Their fish dishes are just wow and spicy.

Their coconut mutton/beef curries are different. They are nice but then you think its too heavy after a few bites.

I think fried bananas, idllis and sambars are ok but I personally dont recommend.

I once had something that was coined as South Indian called pearled rice (not sure if this was authentic), which is basically rice and fresh pomegranate. Weird and dont recommend.

Also not a big fan of their cashew veg dishes.
Click to expand...

Which place you talking about?
 
kaayal said:
No, there is one and only one God. Your fish :virat and Goa fish:smith may be of same level but not above God.:sachin. [MENTION=149506]andy0204[/MENTION]
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You fell for the false god level :sachin

While [MENTION=149506]andy0204[/MENTION] fell for the cheat code god :smith

The one true god level is :vk
 
JaDed said:
Tamrind rice..esp from Kapaleeshwarar temple
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Will try it out, haven't been there during my stay in Chennai. Tamarind rice is generally better in Perumal temples, that is how the popular saying goes. I recently went to Padalathri Narasimhar Kovil, a famous Pallava era temple in outskirts of South Chennai. Apparently famous for tamarind rice and pepper dosa with gunpowder. Shouldn't say this but found it overrated, many old temples in interior TN have such gobsmacking food that many Chennaiites never experience.
 
Slog said:
I tried idli recently but it was ok. Like ill have it but definitely not crave it.
Click to expand...

Idli by itself is tasteless, the quality of idless is judged by its softness. One should have idli with good sambar, coconut chutney or korma.
 
Swashbuckler said:
Will try it out, haven't been there during my stay in Chennai. Tamarind rice is generally better in Perumal temples, that is how the popular saying goes. I recently went to Padalathri Narasimhar Kovil, a famous Pallava era temple in outskirts of South Chennai. Apparently famous for tamarind rice and pepper dosa with gunpowder. Shouldn't say this but found it overrated, many old temples in interior TN have such gobsmacking food that many Chennaiites never experience.
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I think it’s a childhood thing bro, being used to something, the nanganallur Anjaneya temple for me makes best Pongal but again it depends who you ask.

Most places are famous coz ppl been going there a long time and it’s comfort food but I”ll tell you what is not overrated is the T nagar Gurudwaras’s (Guruwara Sahib) Langar on Sunday... try it for lunch, best Punjabi food in Chennai easily and that too for no charge.
 
Nikhil_cric said:
Haha that depends. I love the sweet sambhar that they serve with dosas in Bangalore. But those raised in other southern states don't necessarily like it. South folks from different states rarely agree on quality of sambar, dosas of other states. :P
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It’s great for bfast during winter, but find it hard to have it otherwise, and absolutely despised Kal Dosa in Bangalore but it was good in Northern Karnataka.
 
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