Top 10 South Indian Recipes
We’ve teamed up with our friends at the Spice Village in Periyar, Kerala to bring you our top 10 South Indian recipes.
Warming curries, spicy soups and tangy chutneys – we show you how to bring the magical world of aromatic South Indian recipes to your table in easy steps.
Play around with the sumptuous spices to turn up the heat or achieve a more mellow meal.
Starters
Pumpkin & coconut soup
(A thick soup with Pumpkin and Coconut milk)
Ingredients
| Pumpkin: 250 gms Ginger: 5 gms Garlic: 5 gms Curry leaf: 1 sprig |
Green chilli: 3 gms Turmeric powder: 2 gms Salt: To taste Coconut milk: 100 ml |
Method
1. Peel the pumpkin and cut it into cubes.
2. Boil it with chopped ginger, garlic, curry leaf, green chilli, turmeric powder and salt.
3. Cook the pumpkin till it is mashed well or to a puree form.
4. Add the coconut milk and check the seasoning. Serve hot.
Cardamom Chicken Skewers
(Mild Chicken starter flavoured with cardamom powder)
Ingredients
| Boneless chicken pieces: 200 gms Yogurt/curd: 15 ml Ginger: 5 gms Green chillies: 2 Coriander leaves: 1 sprig |
Crushed peppercorn: 2 gms Cardamom powder: 2 gms Salt: to taste Coconut oil: 30 ml |
Method
1. Clean & cut the chicken into small boneless cubes. Chop ginger, green chillies and coriander leaves.
2. Marinade the chicken pieces with all the ingredients in a bowl except the coconut oil. Combine well and keep it for 10 minutes.
3. Skewer the chicken on bamboo skewers. Heat the coconut oil in a pan and grill the skewers.
4. Serve hot with a salad.
Mains
Meat
Chicken Kurumulagu Raost
(A rich Kerala speciality of chicken preparation highly flavoured with pepper)
Ingredients
| Chicken: 250gm Cardamom: 1 gm Cloves: 1 gm Cinnamon stick: 1 gm Onion: 150 gms Ginger: 5 gms Garlic: 5 gms Green chilli: 3 gms Curry leaf: a sprig Tomato: 75 gms |
Turmeric powder: 2 gms Chilli powder: 5 gms Coriander powder: 5 gms Fresh Pepper: 5 gms Garam masala: 2 gms Fennel Powder: 2 gms Coconut Milk: 50 ml Coconut Oil : 45 ml Salt to taste |
Method
1. Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan and add whole cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, sliced onions, garlic, ginger, green chilli & curry leaves.
2. Sauté those well till the onions change to dark brown in colour.
3. Add the turmeric, chilli, coriander and garam masala powders. Sauté them for a minute and add the slices of tomatoes and salt.
4. Cook well until the tomatoes get mashed and till the oil leaves from the gravy.
5. Then add the cuts of chicken and mix it well. Cook on a slow fire till the meat is tender.
6. Add the crushed fresh pepper and coconut milk; cook till it dries up.
7. Finish with fennel powder and serve hot
Fish
Fish Moilee
(Mild preparation of Fish infused in coconut milk with turmeric)
Ingredients
| Any cubed firm fish (Salmon, Cod, Pomfret, Tilapia): 250 gms Coconut oil: 30 ml Fenugreek seeds: 2 gms Onion rings: 50 gms Garlic slices: 5 gms Ginger juliennes: 5 gms Green chilli: 3 gms |
Curry leaves: 1 spring Turmeric powder: 2 gm Salt: to taste Coconut milk: 150 ml Lemon juice: 1 no Tomato slice: 100 gms |
Method
1. Heat the coconut oil in a pan and add fenugreek seeds. Add onion, garlic, ginger, green chilli, curry leaves and sauté till transparent.
2. Add turmeric powder, salt and fish cubes. Add some water cook in a slow fire for 10 minutes.
3. Add the coconut milk, lemon juice and tomato slices. Do not allow it boil after adding the coconut milk.
4. Serve hot garnished with curry leaves.
Vegetarian South Indian Recipes
Vazhuthananga Ularthiyathu
(A dry preparation of Aubergine on a crushed masala)
Ingredients
| Aubergine, sliced: 250g Sliced onion: 60g Coconut flakes: 15g Shallots: 15g Garlic: 5g Ginger: 5g Black Pepper: 5g |
Whole Red Chilli: 3g Chilli Powder: 3g Fennel: 3g Coriander powder : 3g Turmeric powder: 2g Curry leaves: 1 sprig Salt: to taste |
Method
1. Heat oil in a pan & add crushed garlic, ginger, whole red chilli, shallots, peppercorns and fennel.
2. When it turns golden brown in colour, add sliced onion, coconut flakes, curry leaves & sauté till transparent.
3. Add the chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt.
4. Sauté for a minute, add the cuts of aubergine and stir well.
5. Check the seasoning and serve hot.
Kalan
(A traditional dish of Kerala with raw banana, coconut and yoghurt)
Ingredients
| Raw banana: 75 gms Onion: 30 gms Ginger: 5 gms Green chilli: 5 gms Curry leaf: a sprig Turmeric powder: 2 gms Coconut (grated): 100 gms Cumin: 10gms Curd (or natural yoghurt): 100 ml Salt: to taste |
For Tempering Coconut oil: 15 ml Mustard seeds: 2 gms Fenugreek seeds: 2 gms Slice shallots: 10 gms Dry red chilli: 3 gms Curry leaves: 1 spring |
Method
Grind together the grated coconut, and cumin seeds to a fine paste, by adding very little water and keep it aside.
Peel and cut the raw banana into cubes. Cook the raw banana with onion, curry leaves, green chilli, ginger, salt, and turmeric powder adding very little water in a heavy-bottomed vessel.
When cooked add the fine paste of coconut and cook for a minute.
Remove from fire and add the yoghurt and finish with tempering.
For tempering
Heat the oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds, allowing cracking.
Add sliced shallots, dry red chilli & curry leaves. Sauté it till shallots turn brown.
Mix with curry and serve hot
High Range Vegetable Curry
(Assorted Vegetables in local style with spices and coconut)
Ingredients
| Coconut oil: 30 ml Mustard seeds: 2 gms Red chillies: 2 gms Mixed vegetables: 200 gms Ginger: 5 gms Garlic: 5 gms Green chillies: 3 gms Onion: 100 gms Curry leaves: 1 sprig Tomato: 100 gms Gram masala: 3 gms Turmeric powder: 2 gms Coconut milk: 30 ml Salt: To taste |
For Pasting: Grated coconut: 50 gms Cumin: 10 gms Shallot: 15gms Curry leaves: 5 gms Fennel seeds: 5 gms |
Method
1. Cut the vegetables into small cubes.
2. Heat the oil in the pan, crackle the mustard seeds and add red chilli.
3. Add and sauté the chopped onions, ginger, garlic, curry leaves and green chilli till light brown color.
4. Add turmeric powder, gram masala and chopped tomatoes.
5. Saute for 2 minutes and add the paste of coconut with shallots, curry leaves, cumin and fennel seeds.
6. Add the vegetables with water and salt. When the vegetables are cooked, add the coconut milk and simmer for few seconds.
7. Garnish with curry leaves
Cardamom Vegetable Khorma
(Assorted Vegetables cooked with coconut and cardamoms)
Ingredients
| Coconut oil: 30ml Mixed vegetables: 200 gms Ginger: 5 gms Garlic: 5 gms Green chillies: 5 gms Onion: 100 gms Curry leaves: 1 sprig Turmeric powder: 1 gms Cardamom (whole): 2 gms Coconut milk: 30 ml Salt: To taste |
For Pasting Grated coconut: 100 gms Cardamom: 2 gms Shallot: 15gms Curry leaves: 1 sprig |
Method
1. Cut the vegetables into small cubes. Heat the oil in the pan and add the cardamoms, chopped ginger, garlic, green chilli, onion and curry leaves and sauté well.
2. When the onion becomes soft, add turmeric powder and the coconut paste with cardamoms, shallots and curry leaves.
3. Add the vegetables with water and salt. When the vegetables are cooked, add the coconut milk and simmer for few seconds.
4. Garnish with curry leaves.
Side Dishes
Beetroot Vattom
(A dry preparation of Beetroot with spices and tapioca)
Ingredients
| Beetroot: 250 gm Shallots: 15 gms Green chilli: 3 gm Ginger: 5 gm Curry Leaves: 1 sprig |
Crushed black pepper: 5 gm Tapioca (or potato): 50 gms Oil: 30 ml Salt: to taste |
Method
1. Clean and grate the beetroot; clean & parboil the tapioca and grate it. Keep it aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan & add chopped shallots, ginger, and green chilli and curry leaves. Sauté till golden brown in colour, add the grated beetroot, salt and cook for some time.
3. Add the grated tapioca and finish with pepper powder.
4. Cool and shape it into small round patties.
5. Grill it until it’s a light brown colour before serving. Serve hot with chutney.
Mint Chutney
Ingredients
| Mint leaves: 100 gms Coriander leaves: 50 gms Green chilli: 5 gms Ginger: 10 gms |
Curd (or natural yoghurt): 100 ml Cashew nuts(soaked): 25 gms Salt: to taste |
Method
Make a fine paste out of it in the grinder or blender with the salt. Serve cold.
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