Iconic South-Indian delicacies that are a must-have addition to your list

While the auspicious Pongal festival might have gone now, for the people who are always game to try new cuisines, here is a curated list of three all-time iconic South-Indian delicacies that are a must-have addition in your list this year.

First Published Jan 18, 2023, 7:00 AM IST

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Every Indian loves eating delectable and flavorful delicacies from Southern India. With Pongal recently over, you must’ve tasted some delicious food. If not, we are here to help you out. Pongal is the festival to worship Lord Surya. People celebrate this festival with a traditional ritual of cooking rice and milk in an earthen pot on a wood fire until it overflows.

The Tamil term Pongu is the term from which the name Pongal got derived. It refers to the overflow. This delicacy gets shared with family and friends, who enjoy it with all their hearts. However, the festival doesn’t end here. It gets followed by a hearty feast featuring various South Indian delicacies.

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Here are three traditional South Indian dishes which are a must-have addition to your list:

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1. Payasam:

Inevitably present at South Indian festivities and celebrations, payasam evokes pleasant and happy memories. This traditional sweet made with milk, jaggery/sugar, and typically semolina is ideal to end any meal, especially a festive one. The dish comes in many flavors. The base of Payasam is created from moong dal, rice, sooji, or other millet.

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2. Lemon Rice:

Lemon rice is another rice dish made for Kannum Pongal. It is a comfort food that is slightly sour and tangy and is one of the most popular dishes from the southern parts of India. Rice is seasoned and garnished with fresh lemon juice, spices, and curry leaves. Lemon rice gets eaten with curd or pickle. Curd rice and til (sesame seed) rice are two other popular rice dishes served during Kannum Pongal.

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3. Vada:

Who doesn’t enjoy having hot, golden brown, crunchy vadas. Vada is a simple recipe with only three ingredients i.e. urad dal, water, and salt. It is in the shape of a crispy, dense donut. It is well-known and famous all across our country. Generally, Vada gets eaten with sambar or coconut chutney and a piping hot glass of tea or filter coffee.

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