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Most of the time, when people think of "South Indian food," they instantly picture the beloved dosas and idlis, as well as steaming vadas served with delicious coconut chutney that are the perfect morning fix. It's also difficult to resist the complex and delicious curries prepared with earthy spices like curry leaves and mustard, combined with creamy coconut milk. Drink-wise, kokum sharbat or imli sharbat are excellent options for any time of year.
South Indian flavours have crossed national boundaries and spread throughout India. The rich sweets typically take a backseat as people have become more accustomed to the savoury aspects of this cuisine. A sweet lover might become permanently addicted to the numerous amazing southern creations, such as the ghee-enriched Mysore Pak and the creamy Rava Kesari, simply because the dessert collection is simply fantastic.
Mysore Pak
The royal chef Madappa created the Mysore pak in 1935 at the Mysore Palace. When the chef saw that King Krishna Raja Wodeyar was ready for lunch, he started experimenting with a dessert, mixing sugar, gram flour, and ghee butter into syrup.
The dessert was brought to the King when his lunch was over, and he was quite pleased with it. The chef identified it as Mysore paka, with paka being a sweet mixture. Mysore Pak quickly gained recognition as the royal dessert and it is still referred to as the "king of sweets" in the South today. It is frequently made for many Indian occasions, even though you may get it at different street stalls throughout the country.
Pootharekulu
Andhra Pradesh's Atreyapuram village is the birthplace of the traditional Indian treat, pootharekulu. Translating to "coated sheet" in Telugu, its name reflects both its distinct look and production technique. An extremely thin, nearly transparent sheet of rice starch is used to make pootharekulu. Usually, melted ghee is brushed over this sheet, and powdered sugar or jaggery is sprinkled on top. Cardamom is occasionally added for flavour.
Chiroti
Chiroti is a classic South Indian dessert that is very famous in Maharashtra and Karnataka. This flaky, fried sweet pastry is typically made for special events and religious holidays like Diwali. Typically, it is a mixture of flour, sugar, salt, ghee, rice flour, and cardamom powder.
Rolling the dough into cylindrical logs, cutting it into pieces, rolling it again, and then frying it in ghee until brown and crispy is the process. Chiroti is frequently coated with cardamom powder or powdered sugar before eating. There are several ways to make chiroti, so it's normal to see almond milk and semolina flour in certain recipes.
Chandrakanthalu
Originating in Andhra Pradesh, Chandrakanthalu is a type of traditional Indian biscuit. They are prepared using cashew nuts, ghee, coconut, cardamom, saffron, moong dal, and sugar. After being soaked, the dal is crushed into a paste and combined with sugar and shredded coconut. After cooking, the mixture is shaped into a ball.
It is then spread out on a board after the cardamom, saffron, and chopped cashews are combined, dipped in water, and pressed until dry. The latter is covered with the cooked mixture, and everything is compressed together to form a thin sheet. After cutting out the required forms, they are deep-fried in ghee until they turn golden brown.
Sakkarai Pongal
A creamy, sweet dish resembling porridge, sweet pongal is cooked with rice, yellow moong lentils, jaggery, and garnished with cashews, raisins, green cardamoms, and ghee. A celebratory dish usually served during the Pongal Festival in South India, sweet pongal is also known in the South Indian languages as sakkarai pongal and chakkara pongal.
Achappam
A thin batter made with rice flour, eggs, and coconut milk is used to make these flower-shaped cookies. The cookies are formed using specific achu moulds that are heated, dipped in batter, and then deep-fried till golden and crispy. Though comparable treats can be found in other Asian nations, achappam cookies are native to Kerala, where they are typically affiliated with Christian communities.
Payasam
Regardless of age or culture, payasam is the one dessert that everyone in the South loves. The milk delight is prepared for both special occasions and occasional pleasures. During traditional Malayalam celebrations, known as sadhya, during Onam, Keralans set aside a special place for it in their thali.
Payasam is offered throughout major festivals in Tamil Nadu, including Gokulashtami. Traditionally, payasam is made using ingredients like coconut milk and jaggery instead of the more common dairy and sugar used in North Indian versions.
Kozhukkattai
Similar to modak, which is created in other regions of India, kozhukkattai is a famous South Indian sweet dumpling filled with grated coconut and jaggery. It is prepared from rice flour. Usually, it is consumed with tea for breakfast or as a snack. The meal is typically cooked as an offering on Vinayaka Chathurthi and is connected to the Hindu god Ganesha in Tamil Nadu. It is also well associated with the Saint Thomas Christians' Oshana Sunday eve celebrations in Kerala.
Rava Kesari
This is a South Indian delicacy prepared with sugar and semolina (rava), cooked until the grains become soft and create a thick paste with milk, almonds, cashews, or pistachios. This blend is used with clarified butter or ghee to create a golden brown kesari. Rosewater, cardamom pods, saffron threads, or crumbled jaggery can all be added to the batter as variations. It goes well with fruits like bananas or pomegranates in the winter and can be served hot or cold.
Kesari's popularity may be attributed to a number of factors, including its smooth consistency, which melts in the mouth easily and makes it ideal for dessert or snacking. Its distinct flavour also goes well with various sweets or ice creams, creating amazing variations on the traditional recipe.
Boorelu
Boorelu, originating in Andhra Pradesh, are deep-fried sweet balls that represent joy and celebration. This delicacy's filling is made with cardamom powder, coconut, jaggery or sugar, and Bengal gram, which is used to improve the taste. After that, it is formed into balls, coated in a batter consisting of rice and black gram dal, and deep-fried till golden brown.
