SOUTH INDIAN - Summer 2024 (Jul-Sept) Cuisine of the Quarter

Perfect! I am determined to use them in something this weekend!

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There are a number of Podi Recipes out there.
If I have it around I like to sprinkle it on my Dosa while it is cooking. Mixed with a little Ghee it is great with Idlis, Rice, Pongal, Curd Rice …

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A friend gave me a small curry leaf plant, she killed hers from neglect, forgetting to water it.

I kept mine a couple of months then gave it to my friend who lives in Lafayette where it’s much warmer than where I live near ocean in SF.

Soon she’s going to put into a larger pot then eventually will plant in a sunny part of her garden.

I like curry leaves in an Indian tomato soup recipe. (I eat them but my friend from Cochin says Indians don’t, just use them for flavor. They are soft so I figure why not.)

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I seem to recall trying to propagate some from a packaged cutting with no success ( no surprise).

I think she bought the plants (in a pot of soil) from an Indian store in Fremont.

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I need to buy some more curry leaves.

Are there any brands of spices you all like a little better than others, at the Indian stores or elsewhere?

In Canada, Arvinda’s spices are pretty nice. There is a bit of a premium. I’m also using a Diaspora brand garam masala that also had a bit of a premium.

I don’t buy by brand (unless it’s a mix like Biryani masala).

Indian stores here have their house brands and Swad for large packaging, both are good. I buy them when I run out of my bulk buys from India (from a spice store).

For occasional users, the spendier boutique brands provide an alternative option: Diaapora, Spicewalla, Burlap & Barrell, Penzey’a, and so on.

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I go through a ton of cumin , turmeric and coriander, so I don’t bother with specific brands for those . It’s more for the things I buy once every 2 years or so :rofl:

I also bought a fancier madras curry powder, and I dislike it. I prefer McCormick’s or regular ordinary cello pack curry powder, or Arvinda’s various curry powders, as well as another local boutique brand from Brampton, Ontario, that is slipping my mind.

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Not to say I don’t buy specific blends in small packaging. Everest, Badhah, MTR, Shan for Biryani masala, pav bhaji masala, chana masala, garam masala, chat masala.

The first 3 are Indian, and better for indian dish spice mixes. Shan is Pakistani, and good for meat and kababs.

Someone bought Shan chat masala and garam masala when we ran out during the pandemic, and we had to throw away both because their blend just tasted weird. But I like their Biryani masala and a couple of the kababs.

MTR is of South Indian origin, so their sambhar masala is slightly better than others.

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Slightly hot red pepper from the garden instead of green chiles in this first attempt at green bean thoran.

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Kerala Fish Moilee

I wrote this up over on the October 2022 COTM thread for Thali, by Maunika Gowardhan.

This is deceptively simple with a flavor that is more than the sum of its parts. The green chiles and curry leaves really impart a lot of flavor and the tamarind paste at the end rounds out the sauce with a nice tang. I used local fluke fillets and some shrimp from my freezer that needed to get used up.

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Great description!

You reminded me I meant to make Moilee and also Kerala Stew / Ishtu this quarter!

(Though I realize I posted a restaurant Moilee way upthread.)

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I love the thoran style of prep for so many vegetables – beans, beets, kale, cabbage, brussels sprouts, and more!

Also works great cold or room temp as a salad.

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It was my first time to try a thoran!

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I wasn’t familiar with them till one of the Meera Sodha COTMs on chowhound (though I feel like I may have eaten them before then without identifying the prep).

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I was googling Keralan restaurants on my side of Toronto. I might stop in Mississauga to order some Keralan take-out, including thoran, this month.
Maybe this place.

Or

South Indian food fest by request of my young visitors (thankfully not cooked by me :joy:):

  • Baby idlis (sambhar requested on the side inside of drowning the idlis)
  • Medu vada
  • Onion chilli masala dosa (masala on the side)
  • Cheese masala dosa (ditto)
  • Chhole bhatura (yes it’s North Indian but a fixture at Udipi places and I could swear it’s better!)

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Not 100% sure this is South Indian, but the interwebs seem to think it is. Egg curry with chard, curry leaves and ground pepper courtesy of @Saregama. It came out awesome.

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I was treated to homemade “Schezwan” (amul) cheese dosa and baby ragi (millet) idlis the day I arrived in Mumbai at a friend’s place.

Her family is from Tamil Nadu, and it was evident from the fantastic dosa, idli, sambhar, and chutney.

I was offered a choice between podi (“gunpowder”) dosa and “schezwan” dosa (using an insanely popular and just as delicious spicy indian chinese chutney made of red chillies, onion, garlic, and tomatoes cooked down till luscious) – with or without cheese.

I think I made the right choice. And was punished for it by being fed a second dosa because “you loved the first one so much!” – lol Indian hospitality, eat till you burst!

Oh and true blue filter coffee, which I love. (Technically my 3rd drink — masala chai, coconut water, and a final round of filter coffee :rofl:)

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