People who are familiar with South Indian cuisine are aware of how flavourful each region's cuisine is. A dish of rice and sambar alone may fill you with contentment and happiness. Since rice is a staple food, one may find a variety of rice-based dishes that are excellent for lunch, such as tomato bath, puliyogare, curd rice, and bisi bele bhaat.
Even more fascinating is the fact that many of South Indian cuisine's elaborate-looking dishes are really simple to prepare than they seem. Though the recipes may look complicated because of the subtleties of perfecting textures and mixing spices, they are thoughtfully simplified. So, take a look at some delicious South Indian recipes that you can enjoy for lunch.
Lemon-Chickpeas Rice
A spicy and tangy recipe that comes together quickly is lemon rice. Once cooked, let the rice cool. Heat some oil in a pan and add the peanuts, urad dal, chana dal, and mustard seeds. Add the curry leaves and green chillies once they sputter and turn golden. Stir in cooked rice, a good squeeze of lemon juice, and canned or canned chickpeas, if preferred. Add some fresh coriander leaves as a garnish.
Pongal
Pongal is a rice and lentil meal that is typically eaten for breakfast or brunch but may also be had for lunch. It is a popular South Indian cuisine. Cook the rice and split yellow moong dal in a ghee-water combination to prepare this dish. Stir in the ginger, green chilli, cumin, and whole spices and stir until aromatic, until the mixture is soft and creamy. For a tasty and substantial supper, top with fresh cilantro and serve with coconut chutney.
Keerai Sambar
A mainstay of South Indian cooking is sambar. Use lentils and spinach as the major components for a healthy variation. Till soft, cook toor dal. Saute the tomatoes, onions, and sambar powder in a separate saucepan. Cook toor dal and add tamarind pulp for tang. Stir in the chopped spinach and boil until the flavours combine. Serve whole wheat dosa or steamed rice with this keerai sambar.
Curd Rice
Many names for it include curd rice, dahi chawal, thayir sadam, bagala bath, daddojanam, and so on. South Indians swear by this traditional, nutritious cuisine. Why wouldn't they, too? To combat South India's heat, nothing compares to this dish—it's simple, satisfying, and delicious.
Traditionally, cooked rice, herbs, spices, and curd (yoghurt) are combined to make curd rice, also known as yoghurt rice. The states that eat it most frequently include Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. It is also quite popular in Maharashtrian families.
Tomato Bath
Similar to tomato rice, tomato bath is a spicy and tasty South Indian meal. After cooking, set aside the rice. Add the curry leaves, urad dal, chana dal, and mustard seeds to a pan with oil. Cook the diced tomatoes until they become tender. Add garam masala, red chilli powder, and turmeric for seasoning. Stir in the cooked rice and mix everything together gently. Tomato bath tastes well with raita or by itself.
Tamarind Rice
Distinct states have distinct names for South Indian tamarind rice, such as puliyodarai, pulihora, and puliyogare. These are all produced with minor changes and are unique to a certain state. This tamarind rice is a staple in South Indian households, and it's also offered as prasadam (offering) in temples and other locations where religious rituals like puja are performed.
If you have precooked rice, puliyogare, a tamarind rice dish from Karnataka, can be quickly prepared. It can be eaten on its own or with some fresh kosambari, sandige, happla, or curd.
To make puliyogare podi, roast lentils, red chillies, and spices to a perfect crispness. After that, it is boiled with the tempered tamarind mixture and pulverised.
Bisi Bele Bath
Bisi Bele Bath, sometimes called Bisi Bele Huliyanna, is mainly a hot rice, lentil, and vegetable meal that is balanced with nuts and other South Indian spices. It also contains a unique spice mixture known as Bisi Bele Bath powder, which lends it a genuine flavour.
When you break down each word, "Bisi" means "hot," "Bele" means "lentils," and "Bath" means "rice" in Kannada. Thus, the literal meaning of these three Kannada words is "Hot Lentil Rice."