As a South Indian, I have noticed that most of the Indian food options in Manchester seem to be from North Indian cuisine. I can name ten Indian restaurants in Manchester that serve North Indian cuisine, and barely any that specialise in, or even serve, South Indian cuisine. The most well-known dishes are ‘naan’ and ‘butter chicken’, which even I enjoy, but would prefer to see more options.
This lack of availability of South Indian food could be because, during the beginning of the rise of Indian cuisine globally, most business owners who were migrating specialised in North Indian cuisine. In my opinion, one of the biggest reasons for the high acceptance rate towards North Indian cuisine as opposed to South is due to the more extensive representation of North Indian media. The bulk of the Indian films, songs, and media known by the Western world have been predominantly North Indian. It has only been very recently that South Indian media has gained popularity, with the Telugu film RRR winning an Oscar. Regardless, South Indian cuisine is diverse and delicious. Here are five of my favourite South Indian dishes I would recommend for an introduction to South Indian cuisine.
Rasam
Rasam is a spicy and tangy soup bursting with aromatic flavours, often eaten with rice or sipped on its own.
Parotta with curry
A parotta is an irresistibly soft flatbread that is flaky and layered; it is often paired with a curry that it is usually drowned in. The proper ratio is usually 70% parotta and 30% curry, as the soft flatbread soaks up all the delicious curry and the flavour. I personally prefer Chennai-style chicken ‘salna’, which is a spicy, rich chicken curry. However, many Kerala and Chennai-style vegetarian curries I have tried are also delicious.
Pesarapappu Charu
If you have ever tried Indian ‘dhal’, this is very similar. This dish hails from Andhra and, therefore, has different flavours than the North Indian ‘dhal tadka’. However, the bases of the dish are the same: lentils and tomatoes.
Appam with coconut milk
I grew up eating this a lot because it’s my mum’s favourite. Appams are soft, lacy pancakes. Think basically a ‘dosa’ (lentil crepe). However, they tend to contain less salt, and their speciality resides in their shape. Appams are usually made in the form of a bowl: when you pour the sweet, creamy coconut milk on top, it catches it and soaks it up.
Idiyappam with Meen Kuzhambu
Many people know ‘Idli’, but ‘Idiyappam’ is another form of steamed rice cake. It is also known as ‘Hoppers’ in Sri Lankan cuisine. They are delicate, steamed rice noodle threads paired with a curry of some kind. I personally enjoy it with ‘Meen Kuzhambu’, which is fish curry. It’s a flavourful fish dish cooked in a spicy, tangy tamarind base, and it comes in many styles.
I believe there is still a lot of awareness that needs to be shed on South Indian cuisine. I know, however, that this will happen with time due to the flavours and the nature of our delicacies, as well as the cooking techniques we possess.
