Yummy South Indian Breakfast

One should not attend even the end of the world without a good breakfast."

-Robert A. Heinlein

      Breakfast is the first meal of a day, most often eaten in the early morning before undertaking the day's work. Some believe it to be the most important meal of the day. Among English speakers, "breakfast" can be used to refer to this meal or to refer to a meal composed of traditional breakfast foods (such as eggs, porridge and sausage) served at any time of the day. The word literally refers to breaking the fasting period of the prior night. It has its origin in the Christian custom of fasting from food between the supper meals of one day and receiving Holy Communion the following morning (such a Eucharistic fast is still observed by Orthodox Christians, but is shortened to one hour before Mass for Roman Catholics). Foregoing the natural craving to eat was seen as an act of self-denial that honours God, while strengthening the religious resolve and faith of the believer.

   
    Breakfast foods vary widely from place to place, but often include a carbohydrate such as grains or cereals, fruit, vegetables, a protein food such as eggs, meat or fish, and a beverage such as tea, coffee, milk, or fruit juice. Coffee, milk, tea, juice, breakfast cereals, pancakes, waffles, sausages, French toast, bacon, sweetened breads, fresh fruit, vegetables, eggs, bake beans, muffins, crumpets and toast with butter, margarine, jam or marmalade are common examples of Western breakfast foods, though a large range of preparations and ingredients are associated with breakfast globally.

    There is no standard Indian breakfast menu as almost each state in India has different specialties. However, one can broadly classify breakfast varieties in India into 2 types; North Indian and South Indian. The eastern and western parts of India also have individual breakfast items unique to their culture or state.

   A typical south Indian breakfast consists of idli, vada or dosa coupled with chutney and sambar. Many variations of these dishes exist such as Rava idli, Sambar vada and Masala Dosa. Other popular south Indian breakfast items are Pongal, Upma, and Poori.

There are some good south Indian restaurant in Chennai

·         Ratna cafe

·         Saravana bhavan

·         A2b

·         ID

·         Kanadasan mess

·         Mylai karpagambal mess

·         Raya’s mess

·         Kapila dasa

·         Sangeetha

·         Mami kadai

·         Nama veddu vasantha bhavan

·         Dasa dozza

·         Sathyam

·         Woodlands

       And so on

 Onion Rava Dosa

  Onion Rava Dosai, Thats my grandmother's favourite tiffin,with the onions and cashew a bite with dip on the sambar is bliss.

    It is made with a batter of semolina, rice flour and water along with cumin seeds, salt, asafoetida, diced onions, diced carrot, curry leaves, cashew nuts, black pepper, chopped cilantro and green chillies.

 Medhu Vada

   Medu Vadai, south Indian favourite snacks, you can eat it in many ways, soaked in rasam,curd,sambar,dipped in ketchup,chutneys....the crispy vada on a rainy day is bliss.

Medu vada, made with urad dal (black gram) flour. This vada is shaped like a doughnut with a hole in the middle It is the most common vada type throughout South India and the most recognisable throughout India.According to K. T. Achaya, Vada was popular among ancient Tamils during 100 BCE-300 CE. A type of vada is mentioned as "vataka" in Manasollasa, a 12th century Sanskrit encyclopedia compiled by Someshvara III, who ruled from present-day Karnataka. In this recipe, green beans are soaked, de-skinned, and ground to a paste. The paste is shaped into balls and deep-fried. Early literature from present-day Bihar and Uttar Pradesh also mentions bara (vada) and mungaura (a vada made from mung).

    Ven Pongal

   My  brother calls it sleeping dose, hot pongal with tempered cashew,curry leaves,ginger accompanied with sambar and chutney ahhh...you can sleep like kumbakarana.

Ven (white) pongal is a popular dish in South Indian homes and is typically served as a special breakfast in parts of South India, especially Tamil Nadu and southern Andhra Pradesh.

    Poori Kelangu

   Puri kelangu,you cant just stop with one.

Puri (also spelled poori) is an unleavened deep-fried Indian bread, commonly consumed on the Indian subcontinent. It is eaten for breakfast or as a snack or light meal. It is usually served with a curry or kelangu.

     Kichadi

   Khichdi a perfect evening tiffin.

   Khichdi or khichri, is an South Asian preparation made from rice and lentils (dal). Khichdi was the inspiration for the Anglo-Indian dish kedgeree, and is also commonly considered to be the inspiration for the popular Egyptian dish, kushari. In Indian culture, it is considered one of the first solid foods that babies eat.

  The Greek ambassador of Seleucus mentioned that rice with pulses is very popular among people of South Asia. The Moroccan traveller, Ibn Battuta mentions kishri as a dish in India composed of rice and mung beans, during his stay circa 1350. Khichdi is described in the writings of Afanasiy Nikitin, a Russian adventurer who travelled to the South Asia in the 15th century. Khichdi was very popular with the Mughals, especially Jahangir. Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century document, written by Mughal Emperor, Akbar’s vizier, Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak, mentions the recipe for khichdi, which gives seven variations. There is an anecdotal story featuring Akbar, Birbal and khichdi.

    Uttapam

  when your bored with other tiffans its time for "uttapam" you can garnish it with anything onion,tomato,cashew,idli podi,chicken kheema,mutton ...the list goes on.

    Uttapam batter is made of a 1:3 ratio of urad dal and rice; the rice should be a combination of a boiled variety and a variety such as basmati. The dal and rice are subsequently ground and fermented. The outer surface is crisp and the inner layers are like idli.Uttapam is traditionally made with toppings such as tomatoes, onion, chillies, capsicum and cabbage mix; other common choices are coconut or mixed vegetables. It is often eaten with sambar or chutney.it is popular in South India.

Idli

idli, the soft sponge "maliga poo" idli dippend in sambar, smashed in onion tomato chutney or made into idli upma is a perfect and light breakfast.

    

    Idli is a traditional breakfast in South Indian households. Idli is a savoury cake that is popular throughout India and neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka. The cakes are usually four to five inches in diameter and 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.

A precursor of the modern idli is mentioned in several ancient Indian works. Vaddaradhane, a 920 CE Kannada language work by Shivakotiacharya mentions "iddalige", prepared only from an black gram (urad dal) batter. Chavundaraya II, the author of the earliest available Kannada encyclopaedia, Lokopakara(c. 1025 CE), describes the preparation of this food by soaking black gram in buttermilk, ground to a fine paste, and mixed with the clear water of curd and spices. The Western Chalukya king and scholar Someshwara III, reigning in the area now called Karnataka, included an idli recipe in his encyclopedia,Manasollasa (1130 CE). This Sanskrit-language work describes the food as iddarika. The food prepared using this recipe is now called uddina idli in Karnataka.The recipe mentioned in these ancient Indian works leaves out three key aspects of the modern idli recipe: the use of rice (not just urad dal), the long fermentation of the mix, and the steaming for fluffiness. The references to the modern recipe appear in the Indian works only after 1250 CE. Food historian K. T. Achaya speculates that the modern idli recipe might have originated in present-day Indonesia, which has a long tradition of fermented food. According to him, the cooks employed by the Hindu kings of the Indianised kingdoms might have invented the steamed idli there, and brought the recipe back to India during 800-1200 CE. Achaya mentioned an Indonesian dish called "kedli", which according to him, was like an idli. However, Janaki Lenin was unable to find any recipe for an Indonesian dish by this name.The Gujarati work Varanaka Samuchaya (1520 CE) mentions idli as idari, and also mentions its local adaption idada (a non-fermented version of dhokla). The earliest extant Tamil work to mention idli (as itali) is Maccapuranam, dated to the 17th century.

    Dosa

    Dosa all time favourite breakfast for everyone in south india, we have it almost everyday and never get bored of it, dipping the dosa in coconut chutney and then in sambar...wah!! what a taste.

   Dosa is a fermented crepe made from rice batter and black lentils. It is a staple dish in South Indian states of Tamil nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana. It is also popular in other parts of India, and other countries like Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Singapore.Dosa is indigenous to South India; its exact birthplace in that region is a matter of conjecture. According to food historian K. T. Achaya, dosa (as dosai) was already in use in ancient Tamil country around the 1st century AD, as per references in the Sangam literature. According to P. Thankappan Nair, dosa originated in the Udupi town of present-day Karnataka.In popular tradition, the origin of dosa is linked to Udupi, probably because of the dish's association with the Udupi restaurants. Also, the original Tamil dosa was softer and thicker. The thinner and crispier version of dosa, which became popular all over India, was first made in present-day Karnataka. A recipe for dosa (as dosaka) can be found in Manasollasa, a 12th century Sanskrit encyclopedia compiled by Someshvara III, who ruled from present-day Karnataka.

       

Puttu

   My sister is  crazy  of puttu & kadalacurry,while me on the other hand would  like to have lots of sugar on my puttu .

   Puttu  is a South Indian and Kerala breakfast dish of steamed cylinders of ground rice layered with coconut. It is highly popular in the Indian state of Kerala as well as in many areas of Sri Lanka, where it is also known as pittu. Puttu is served with side dishes such as palm sugar or chickpea curry or banana. In Bhatkal Puttu is served with side dishes such as ghee and sugar or Paya or mutton curry.

    Palaya Sadam

  Dad's favourite breakfast, he keeps telling me the bliss of eating palaya sadam with onion and thogaiyal in those days.

   During the time, the refrigerator didn't make its way into our homes, whenever there was left over cooked rice, boiled water was poured in the left over rice, and left overnight. The next day morning, it was mixed with buttermilk and salt. This used to be the traditional break fast, with raw small onions as an accompaniment. We call it "Palaya sadham/ Neeragaram" in Tamil. Neeragaram has amazing health benefits. Having palaya sadham for few days on an empty stomach cures stomach burns. Palaya sadham is also rich in vitamin b12. It is also an amazing body coolant and if you are a person, who is out in the hot sun a lot, try drinking this neeragaram before going out, your body will not develop heat boils nor will it get dehydrated very soon. We make palaya sadham often, though not regularly like in my grandparent’s times. But on a hot summer morning, having "Palaya sadham" is literally heaven.

PS:The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. 

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Prasadam

We go to Temple for two things

1. Peace

2. Prasadam

Nothing can beat temples prasadam!!

  Food served in temples in India is regarded as pure and sacred. These offerings, known as ‘prasada’ in Sanskrit, are either made in the temple itself or are offered by devotees.

 “There is no love sincerer than the love of food”

  In India, temple food has always held a special place in the hearts of those who have a religious bent of mind. Paying homage in the form of food to the gods and goddesses is a practice that is commonly followed in a country of numerous rituals.

  It is believed that there are around 33 million gods and goddesses in India, so one can just imagine the number of food ceremonies that are performed in temples. Each shrine has its own special prasada and often has vast dining areas to offer food to devotees.

The famous prasadams

Puliyotharai

  Puliyodharai is a South Indian rice preparation, a mainstay in most Indian festival luncheons and dinners. It is also offered as prasadams in temples. Temple puliyodharai has a divine taste that can never be defined, the puliyodharai in the small dry banana leaf cups the thought of it makes us drool.

Chakkara pongal

 Chakkara Pongal is a delicacy made from newly harvested rice. It is cooked with jaggery, ghee and cashew nuts and is offered to sun god. Most of the festivals in south India will have chakkara pongal.And the ghee dripping, camphor taste of the temple chakkara pongal’s taste lasts the whole day.

Sundal

  Next the sundal most special during Navaratri or Ganesha Chaturthi. The little sundal in the leaf cannot be compared to anything.

Curd rice

  Perumal kovil thayir sadam. Garnish with mangoes, ginger, fried nuts and cilantro leaves. Ahhh even people who hate thayir sadam will fall in love with it.

Sambar rice

  Sai baba prasadam. Sambar rice at mylapore sai baba temple. So delicious, that we can die after eating this. The best sambar rice we could ever have.

Vadai

  Hanuman temple milagu vadai. The vadai that we get in Anjeneyar temple as prasadam has a unique taste. The blend of crispness and the spice from pepper are divine.

Kesari

  South Indian sweet which is often made for festivals or special occasions. It is as well offered to Gods as naivedyam or prasadam during navratri and other festivals and even during regular Friday puja.Mylapore sai baba temple has the best  ghee dripping yummy kesari. 

 

Ladoo

  Tirupati ladoo is one of the famous prasadam of India. In addition to the ladoo, each devotee can also buy two more ladoos. It’s good thing too because you can’t stop with one. They are giving ladoos as prasadam DATES BACK 300 YEARS. A single ladoo contains cashew, ghee, oil, sugar, raisins and almond.

Lemon rice

  The nice warm peanut, curry leaves tempered lemon rice prasadam gives you a unique divine taste.

Koozh

  Aadi Koozh is famous in Tamil Nadu in Aadi Month which is distributed as prasadam in mariamman temple throughout the Aadi month. Usually they serve aadi koozh with pickle /onion/ puli kuzhambu / karuvattu / fish kuzhambu. According to the Tamil calendar, Aadi is the fourth month of the year. The first day of this month, is celebrated as Aadi Pandigai or Aadi Pirappu, which is an important festival to most Tamils, especially newly-weds.

Ps: These are by our personal experience, please do share with us your experience in the comments below.

10 fruits for fast weight loss

Drop 2-5 pounds in a week.

The following fruit diet guarantee you result within one week .

1.Avocado

It’s the mono-unsaturated fat content of an avocado — 20 grams per berry — that researchers say make it so special, and deserving of the health food fame. With its proven ability to lower cholesterol, quell hunger pangs and even spot-reduce belly fat, the avocado is arguably a perfect dietary staple for weight loss.

2. Apple

Apple a day keeps doctor away!! 3 days apple detox diet helps to lose weight , On top of that apples are said to be rich in the water-soluble dietary fiber pectin that serves to jellify salts, sugars, and fat, nutrients that get started away as fat, serving as an active fat blocker.

3.Water melon

Flattening your stomach isn't about doing one specific exercise or eating a miracle “fat-melting” food; it's about eating fewer calories than you burn. Watermelon is one of the best foods for the job at just 86 calories per wedge. Each wedge of watermelon also contains less than a gram of fat and is cholesterol-free. You can quickly shave hundreds of calories off your daily intake by snacking on watermelon instead of junk foods like potato chips, which can have 275 calories and over 17 grams of fat in just 2 ounces. If you cut just 500 calories from your daily diet, you'll drop a pound per week, according to Harvard Health Publications.

4. Pears

Pears are high in fiber containing nearly 20% of the body’s daily suggested amount of fiber. Fiber also helps the body feel full longer, so eating a healthy between-meal snack, such as an Apple + Pear fruit bar, will keep you going until dinner making it less likely you’ll “over snack.” Fiber helps the body absorb vital minerals and vitamins from food, and it helps maintain digestive system regularity.

5.Strawberry

Research shows that strawberries can stimulate your metabolism and suppress your appetite. They can help you lose weight and even help control blood sugar.

6.Lemon

Lemon a day keeps fat away,

• 8 cups of water
• Squeezed lemon juice (6 lemons)
• ½ cup of honey
• Few ice cubes
• 10 mint leaves

Lose weight easy way.

7.Coconut

While coconut juice is low in calories, it is also high in sugar and saturated fat, which may offset its potential weight-loss benefits if it is not consumed in moderation. Coconut water helps in boosting the metabolism of the body. It helps in maintaining adequate bodyweight.

8.Pomegranate

Pomegranate juice contains nutrients and antioxidants that make it beneficial for your body. The juice may also help contribute to weight loss, particularly if you consume it in place of unhealthy beverages.

9.Papaya

Papaya is a tropical fruit known around the world.  It is therefore easily found, in order to benefit from it.  It is a wonderful diuretic and antioxidant; it possesses a large amount of plant fiber, and very little calories.  It also provides a good about of vitamins A, C, and B, calcium, iron and phosphorous.  And if that weren't enough, papaya also helps in weight loss and fighting cellulite.

10. Orange

Oranges are low in calories, only 39 calories, and only 8.5 grams of carbohydrates. They are the best fruit you can eat this winter and compensates for vitamin deficiencies also, especially if you decided to give up extra pounds gained during the winter holiday. They have anti-infective properties, help your digestive transit, it has diuretic and laxative properties and, it seems that it reduces the risk of colon cancer.

ps: share your views in the comment below