New Delhi: Tamil Nadu is renowned for its rich cultural heritage and magnificent temples that tower over its cities and towns. Tamilians are profoundly rooted in their culture, with the majority of them involved in one or more art forms such as Carnatic music or classical dance, or even preparing traditional food items in the strictly prescribed way.
Tamil cuisine reflects the various influences that the state has come to assimilate over the ages. Each dynasty, from the early Cholas to the Marathas of Tanjore, left its stamp on this exquisite cuisine. This cuisine is known for its simplicity, rich flavours, and generous use of spices, with an equal number of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.
Here are some interesting dishes that you can try on your next weekend to feel the tanginess of Tamil cuisine:
1. Banana Bonda:
Although you must have eaten bondas, banana bonda has a different stuffing than other bondas despite being cooked in the same manner. Instead of potatoes and other vegetables, it is filled with bananas and fried in oil. In contrast to the typical spicy Bonda, this is sweetened with banana and consumed as a snack with tea.
2. Rasam:
Rasam is a soup-like dish made with tamarind that is eventually flavoured with tomatoes, pepper, and cumin. The rasam is almost like a light pre-meal appetiser that doesn't fill you up too much before dinner. It's a well-known recipe that's served over rice like a regular curry. It has a burst of taste despite being almost colourless. It can also be consumed like soup and is beneficial for a sore tongue.
3. Poriyal:
Poriyal is a slightly sauteed vegetable dish composed of fried shredded or diced veggies. The dish combines frying mustard seeds, onions, and urad dal with your choice of veggie in turmeric, dried red chillies, spices, and coriander. Shredded coconut is used to dress the dish at times. In Tamil Nadu, poriyal is given as a side dish to a three-course meal with sambar/ rasam and tayirsadam (yoghurt). Interestingly, Poriyal is also known as Palya in Karnataka and Porutu in Andhra Pradesh.
4. Medhu Vada:
Medhu Vada is also called Vadai or Garelu. This is a doughnut-shaped crunchy and fluffy lentil Vada and is prepared by grinding split black gram, soaking it in batter, and then deep-frying in tiny portions in oil. Apart from that, ginger, onion, pepper, green chillies, and cinnamon are added to enhance the flavour. Finally, it is accompanied by coconut chutney or sambhar.
5. Meen Kozhambu:
Kozhambu is a sauce dish made with tamarind, toor dal, and urad dal. This fish curry is prepared with whole chillies and tamarind, which gives it a hot and sour flavour in one mouthful.