My Never-ending love for South Indian Food ft. Best Friend
After publishing my first article I got an overwhelming response from my friends and family except one. Yes, there’s always this one person who is never satisfied with your decision but will always be there to support you. For me, this was my best friend Abhishek who couldn’t digest the fact that I made Vada Pav as the national food and not Idli, Vada or Dosa as my first choice (this is because we used to eat South Indian food almost thrice a week during our college days). So my dear friend this article is dedicated to our common love for South Indian dishes.
Starting off let’s begin with Idli (Savory Rice Cakes). The cakes are made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented black lentils (de-husked) and rice. The fermentation process breaks down the starches so that they are more readily metabolized by the body. Idli has several variations, including Rava idli, which is made from semolina. Fun fact, some claim that there are over 1000 different variants of this delicacy. As far as I am concerned I just want my Idli to be served with some coconut chutney, sambar, Karra chutney (tomato and onion based) or some curry & lastly some dry spicy mixture termed as miligai podi (it’s really really good).
Next up on our plates, we have Vada (Medu Vada). Medu Vada is crisp and fried doughnuts made from black grams, herbs, coconut, and spices. This soul-satisfying crispy vada dipped in piping hot sambhar with coconut chutney makes it all the more irresistible. We never chose just one dish when it came to Vada and Idli, we’d rather buy half and half which made it taste even better as individual dishes.
Moving on to the third and final dish of the day, Dosa. In its simple form, Dosa is very similar to a crepe and is very popular street food. Dosa is famous for its simple ingredients, intriguing flavors, and even its sweet aroma. It can be eaten as a snack, as breakfast, or really anytime you’re in the mood (I can literally have it 24*7)! Originating in southern India, Dosa has been around since the 5th century AD. Like many Indian foods, Dosa also has many different variations depending on region and occasion but whatever that occasion maybe chocolate dosa or Nutella dosa is a sin. I mean why would anyone in their senses want to spoil something so pure and holy. If I had some power with me trust me I would have banned all the places that sell these fake dishes. I could go on ranting about it but this is not the right article for it (if you want me to write about it do let me know).
Some of the other dishes that I truly love to have are Uttapam, Malabar parotta, Banana chips, and the all-time famous Filter Coffee. These dishes too have the same level of respect in my eyes but to be honest I wouldn’t be able to have them more than once in a day or two. I hope Abhishek if you’re reading this I have very well depicted our love for the 3 dishes and brought justice to the authenticity of dosa (chocolate dosa fans beware of me).
