Ancient temples. Thousands of years of history. The architectural marvels spanning several forts from its medieval heritage and colonial history. The long and beautiful coastline hugged by the endless Bay of Bengal on the one side, and capped on the other by the majestic Western Ghats, the oldest mountain ranges in Tamil Nadu and a destination unlike any other. While it is true that the Western Ghats touch nearly five states in India, the sub-clusters of Tamil Nadu are unique thanks to their untouched nature and several indigenous cultures that inhabit them.
The Meenakshi Temple in Madurai
Hailing from Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu - now anglicized to Tanjore - the famous Tanjore paintings are characterised by rich and vivid colors, simple iconic composition, glittering gold foils overlaid on delicate but extensive gesso work and inlay of glass beads and pieces or very rarely precious and semi-precious gems. You can see the influence of Deccani, Vijayanagar, Maratha and even European styles of painting. Essentially serving as devotional icons, the subjects of most paintings are Hindu gods, goddesses, and saints.... i'm just a crazy fan of these simply because these are gorgeous... my parents got me one of these from one of their many visits to the state, and I hang it proudly in my living room... many a conversation have been struck on the subject with a beverage in hand around this brilliant work of art!
The intricate process of making a Tanjore painting...
And then there's the connection with the Ramayana, one of the two greatest Indian epics that have influenced the Hindu way of thinking and belief system. Ram Setu or Adam’s Bridge is a structure akin to a causeway, connecting Pamban Island in Tamil Nadu to Mannar Island in Sri Lanka. Apparently (well, according to scientific reports), the bridge was completely above sea level till 1480 AD but was damaged by a cyclone that hit the area... it was passable on foot until the channel deepened. The bridge is fabled to be as much as 7000 years old! The mythical significance and connection to the Ramayana: Ram Setu was first mentioned in Valmiki’s Ramayana - the bridge is believed to have been built by Lord Rama’s Vanara Sena (an army of monkeys), for Lord Ram to reach Lanka to rescue his wife Sita. According to legend, the bridge was built using floating stones, that made it unsinkable. Apparently, Lord Rama prayed to the ocean for a path from India to Lanka, so that he could go and rescue Sita from the clutches of Ravana, the king of Lanka... and this is why I love these epics!!
The Ram Setu bridge
The only thing about Tamil Nadu that rivals its temples in popularity is its cuisine. Whether you are a vegetarian, vegan or a meat-eater, it will take you a lifetime to try out all the options that the Tamil cuisine has in store for you. From authentic simple dishes such as idli and dosa to the elaborately prepared items of the Chettinad cuisine, Tamil Nadu’s culinary experience can rival even the best in the world. In fact, the Indian culinary experience is most definitely incomplete without a visit to Tamil Nadu and experiencing its various local cuisines... I kept our menu to cater to vegetarians, but I want to come back and test out the Chettinad delicacies one day! Here we go:
Uttapam (a South Indian breakfast pancake made with lentils, rice, onions, herbs & spices)
The Accompaniments: Kosambari (a typical, and a favorite, south Indian salad made from split legumes, seasoned with mustard seeds); Coconut Chutney, Rasam (a traditional soup of spices, traditionally prepared using tamarind juice as a base), Sambhar (a stew made with lentils, mixed vegetables, tamarind, herbs, and special aromatic spices)
Lemon rice (an authentic South Indian main course, where cooked rice is flavored with zesty tangy lemon juice and seasoned with assorted spices); Poriyal (vegetables sauteed in spices and topped with fresh grated coconut)
And for dessert, we made Pongal (a sweet (or savory) rice dish that is usually eaten during special or ceremonial occasions, and especially during the festival of Pongal!); Payasam (a pudding from the Indian subcontinent, with rice as the key constituent, that may be substituted with bulgur wheat, millet, tapioca, vermicelli, or sweet corn, and flavored with desiccated coconut and other goodies)
All these recipes are sourced from my dear friend Sandhya, who also let me know that I should serve the meal on a banana leaf…. ummmm, I can say I tried?
Uttapam
What you’ll need:
1 cup urad daal (lentils); 1 tblsp poha (flattened rice); 1 tsp fenugreek seeds - Soak for 4 hours (or overnight preferably) and then grind to a fine paste
3 cups rice - Soak separately for 4 hours (or preferably overnight) and then grind to a fine paste
1 tblsp salt; water
1 tomato, finely chopped; 1 red onion, finely chopped; 4 green chillies, finely chopped; 1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
4-5 tblsp ghee (clarified butter)
Mix both the pastes together, and add in the salt. Add enough water to get pancake batter consistency. Keep in a warm (room temperate is fine) place. Allow to ferment for 8+ hours (in winters, this may take a day or two)… If well fermented batter will double in size.
Talking of pancakes led me to think of waffles, and then the waffle maker… So I decided to test out the waffle maker for making Uttapams… not sure if Sandhya will approve but I’ll take the leap of faith here 😁. So I basted the waffle maker with a spot of ghee, poured a ladle of batter on the waffle maker, sprinkled some onions, tomatoes, chillies and cilantro on top, and let it rip! The waffle maker pinged in about 4 minutes, and the yummy crispy-on-the-base, soft-on-the-top uttapam was ready to be had with coconut chutney on the side! And then., of course, repeat the process with the waffle maker as often as you'd like. Alternately, you can make these the traditional way on a flat griddle, just like you would make pancakes, with the onion/tomato/green chilli toppings!
Kosambari
What you’ll need:
1/4 cup moong daal
11/2 cups cucumber, finely chopped; 3 tblsp grated coconut; 1 green chilli, chopped; 2 tblsp fresh cilantro, chopped; 1/2 tsp lemon juice or add as required; salt as required
For Tempering: 2 tsp sesame oil; 1/2 tsp mustard seeds; a pinch of asafoetida pd; 1 sprig curry leaves
First, rinse the moong lentils a couple of times in water. Then soak the lentils for 1 to 2 hours (if in a hurry, then you can soak the lentils in hot water for 30 minutes). Then, drain the water and add the soaked moong lentils in a bowl. Add the chopped cucumber, grated coconut, cilantro leaves and 1 green chili (chopped). Squeeze some lemon juice, and add salt if required, and mix everything well!
For the tempering, heat the oil in a small pan and then add the mustard seeds. Let the mustard seeds crackle and then add in the red chilies in the tempering. Next, add in the curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida. Stir and then switch off the flame. Pour the tempering mixture in the salad, mix well and serve!
Lemon Rice
What you’ll need:
3 cups cooked rice (preferably short grained rice)
2 tblsp sesame oil; 1 tsp mustard seeds; 1 tblsp urad daal; 1 tblsp chana daal; 2 springs curry leaves; 5 green chillies, halved length-wise; 2-3 dry red chillies; 1 tblsp cashews; 1 tblsp peanuts
1 tsp turmeric pd; 1 tsp salt; juice of 1 lemon
A brilliant way to increase the shelf life of rice, for storing in the fridge, or for taking as a snack on a road trip! And remember to use short grained rice - as a northerner, I tend to ONLY use basmati rice, but for this recipe, I had to get over my northerner genes, and grudgingly pick up short grained rice... and I didn't regret it! in fact, you don't want to use basmati.... else the flavor of the rice will dominate over the tangy flavor of this savory rice.
Heat the sesame oil, and add in the mustard seeds. Once these start spluttering, add in the two daals and temper on a low flame until the daals are lightly browned. Next add in the curry leaves and the chillies, and saute for a couple minutes before adding in the cashews and peanuts. Brown the nuts on a low flame for a couple minutes. Let this tempering cool a wee bit - then add in the turmeric pd, salt and the juice of one lemon, and mix well.
Finally the rice part of the lemon rice. Add in the 3 cups of cooked rice to this mix, and fold in the tempering... sprinkle a few drops of water, cover the pot and let the heat from the tempering work its way through the rice. As an optional flavoring, take a sprig of curry leaves, remove the leaves and rub some salt on to the curry leaves, gently mashing these with your fingers... now add this to the rice mix.
You can chow on this culinary miracle with any side or on its own!
Poriyal
What you’ll need:
1 sprig curry leaves; 1 dried red chilli; /4 tsp red chilli pepper flakes
1 lb green beans trimmed and chopped crosswise
2 tblsp oil; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp mustard seeds; a pinch of asafoetida pd; 2 tsp urad daal
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut frozen
For tempering: 1 tblsp coriander seeds; 1/2 tblsp chana daal; 1 dry red chilli
Also known as Thoran (check out the slight variation, very very slight in my blog post for new year celebrations: Nave Saal diyaan Mubarakaan)! Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat... when simmering hot, add mustard seeds and allow them to pop. Then add asafoetida, urad daal, curry leaves & red chilies. Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and the daal turns light golden brown, about a minute. Add the green beans and salt; cover and cook, stirring occasionally until beans are crisp-tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the coconut.
Next, to make the tempering, roast the chana daal, then add the coriander seeds and dry roast on the stovetop in a small pan. Coarse grind along with the red chili and sprinkle over the green bean poriyal for a nutty and spicy flavor boost!
Rasam, Sambhar… the Accompaniments
What you’ll need for Rasam:
1 tblsp tamarind paste; 1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes; 2 cups water; 11/2 tsp salt
2 tblsp oil; 2 sprigs curry leaves; 2 pinches asafoetida pd; 1/2 tsp turmeric pd; 1 tsp mustard seeds; 3 dry red chilies, broken and deseeded; 2 tblsp fresh cilantro, chopped
Rasam pd mix: 3 tsp cumin seeds; 2 tsp black peppercorns
7 garlic cloves, chopped
Soak the tamarind paste in warm water for about 15 minutes. In a grinder, powder the cumin seeds, whole black pepper and garlic to a semi fine consistency to make the rasam pd. Next, heat oil in a pan. Crackle the mustard seeds first, then add the curry leaves, red chillies & asafoetida and fry for 20-30 seconds until the red chilies deepen their color... make sure you fry on a low flame so that the spices don't burn. Then, add the tomatoes and saute until the tomatoes soften.
Add in the rasam pd mix and garlic along with turmeric pd, and while stirring, add the tamarind pulp mix and water. Season with salt. Just let the entire rasam come to a gentle simmer uncovered on low heat. Switch off the fire and add chopped coriander leaves.... Serve rasam hot as a soup or with steamed rice.
What you’ll need for Sambhar:
3/4 cup toor daal (split pigeon peas); 4 cups water; 1 tblsp tamarind paste
1 tblsp jaggery; 3/4 tblsp salt; 1/2 tsp turmeric pd; 1/2 tsp red chilli pd; 1 tblsp sambhar pd; 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tblsp oil; 1 red onion, diced; 1 beefsteak tomato, diced; 1 carrot, diced; 2 drumsticks; 3 okra, sliced (optional); 1 green chilli, split length-wise
For tempering: 1 tblsp ghee; 1 sprig curry leaves; 1/2 tsp cumin seeds; 1/2 tsp mustard seeds; 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds; a pinch of asafoetida pd; 2 dry red chillies
Wash the daal in running water, and keep aside. In a pressure cooker, heat the oil and once heated, add the onions and saute these until lightly browned. Then add in all the remaining vegetables - tomatoes, carrots, drumsticks and okra, and saute these for 4-5 minutes. Then add in the spices and saute for another couple minutes. Finally, add in the washed daal along with the 4 cups of water, mix and then pressure cook the daal for 9 mins. Let the pressure release naturally.
In the meantime, heat the ghee for the tempering, and add in the tempering spice mix... once the seeds start spluttering, take the tempering and gently pour it over the sambhar daal you just prepared. Serve hot as a side with the Uttapam or the lemon rice!
Left to right: Rasam, Sambhar
Payasam
What you’ll need:
3/4 cup thick vermicelli
1/2 cup sugar (you can use jaggery as well, if you like a browner payasam); 1/2 tsp cardamom pd; 4 cups milk
2 tblsp ghee; 15 cashews; 1/4 cup raisins
Heat the ghee in a thick bottom pan, and add in the cashews. Saute the cashews until these turn a golden brown color... remove with a slotted spoon, and drop in the raisins. Saute these until they plump up... remove these with a slotted spoon as well.
Next, add in the vermicelli into the pan, and roast the vermicelli for a few minutes. Remove the pan from the stovetop and let it cool. In a separate pot, heat the milk and bring it to a boil. Add in the sugar and cardamom pd, and once the sugar has dissolved, reduce the heat and add in the vermicelli. Simmer the payasam until the vermicelli is fully cooked. Garnish with the cashews and raisins and serve warm or at room temperature.
Pongal (Sakkarai and Ven)
As my friend Sandhya pointedly let me know there are the sweet and savory versions of Pongal (when I was in the process of begging her for her delish recipes), there are the two versions Peeps!!! And no self respecting Tamil meal is complete without both… so here goes :D
What you’ll need for Sakkarai:
1/2 cup rice; 2 tblsp moong daal
3/4 cup jaggery; 21/2 cups water; 3 tblsp ghee; a pinch of salt; 1/4 cup milk (optional)
6 cashews; 2 tblsp raisins; 1 cardamom pod; 1 clove; a pinch of nutmeg pd
In a pressure cooker, add 1/4 tsp ghee and roast the moong daal. Add water, washed rice and salt. Pressure cook for about 8 minutes, and mash the mix once the pressure has released naturally.
Powder the jaggery and heat it with just enough water to immerse it and bring to boil. Let the jaggery completely dissolve and then add the syrup to the mashed rice/daal mix in the cooker. In a separate pan, heat 1 tsp ghee and roast cashews to golden brown, add the raisins and once these fluff up, remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside. In the same pan, add cloves, the cardamom pod and switch off the stove... add nutmeg powder, give a quick stir. Mix well and cook in medium flame for 5 minutes (add 1/4 cup water or milk if it gets dry while cooking)... add in the ghee little by little while cooking. And finally, add the fried cashews and raisins and serve it warm!
What you’ll need for Ven:
1/2 cup rice; 1/4 cup moong daal; 3 cups water
1/2 tsp cumin seeds; a pinch of asafoetida pd
1" ginger, chopped; salt as required
For Tempering: 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1 tsp black peppercorns; 1 sprig curry leaves; 12 cashews; 3 tblsp ghee
Heat a small pan and add the moong lentils. On a low flame, roast the lentils until they become aromatic, and remove from the stovetop. Add rice to the roasted moong daal and rinse with water. Drain the water and now this is ready for being pressure cooked. Now add the cumin seeds, asafoetida, chopped ginger, and a tsp of salt. Pour 3 cups water, and pressure cook on a medium to high flame for 12 minutes.
Now for the tempering: In another small pan, heat the ghee. Add the cumin seeds and let them splutter. Then add the cashews and fry until the cashews become light golden, then add the black peppercorns and curry leaves. Stir well and fry until the curry leaves become crisp - the black pepper should also be fried well. Pour this tempering on the prepared ven pongal. Cover and let the flavors infuse the ven pongal. Serve hot with coconut chutney or sambhar.
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