South Indian
Articles about south indian in the UK curry industry
Chettinad Chicken: Tamil Nadu's Peppery, Aromatic Powerhouse
Chettinad chicken is the bold, peppery pride of Tamil Nadu's merchant Chettiar community, built on freshly roasted spices like stone flower and marathi moggu rather than cream. Here is what makes this fiery South Indian curry so distinctive.
Malabar Fish Curry: Kerala's Kudampuli and Coconut Coast Cooking
Malabar fish curry gets its haunting sourness from kudampuli, the smoked Malabar tamarind, layered over coconut and curry leaves. We explore the clay-pot tradition, meen pollichathu and the Moplah Muslim influence on Kerala's coast.
Appam and Stew: Kerala's Lacy Fermented Pancake Breakfast
Appam is Kerala's lacy, bowl-shaped rice-and-coconut pancake, fermented overnight for a soft spongy centre and crisp lace-thin edges. Paired with a gentle white coconut stew, it makes one of South India's most beloved breakfasts.
Curry Leaves: The Tempering Herb of the South, Fresh vs Dried
Curry leaves have nothing to do with curry powder. This is the fragrant South Indian herb that spvutters in hot oil to flavour dals, sambars and chutneys, and a guide to using it fresh or dried and keeping a plant alive in the UK.
Idli and Uttapam: Fermentation, Batter Ratios and Soft Steam
How a single fermented rice-and-lentil batter becomes pillowy steamed idli or thick, savoury uttapam, and how to coax a lively ferment out of a chilly British kitchen.
Hyderabadi Mirchi ka Salan and Bagara Baingan: The Nutty Gravies That Partner Biryani
Hyderabad's peanut-sesame-tamarind gravies, mirchi ka salan and bagara baingan, are the unsung partners to its famous biryani. They tell the story of a Deccani cuisine where Mughal richness meets Telugu sourness and spice.
Chettinad Pepper Mutton and the Roasted Spice Masalas of Tamil Country
Chettinad pepper mutton is one of South India's fiercest dishes, built on freshly roasted and stone-ground spices, stone-flower lichen and the trading wealth of the Chettiar merchant clans. Here is what makes it so distinctive and how UK kitchens can do it justice.
Keralan Beef Ularthiyathu: The Black Pepper and Coconut Dry-Fry of Malabar Christians
Beef ularthiyathu is the dark, intensely spiced dry-fried beef of Kerala's Syrian Christians, built on black pepper, curry leaves and toasted coconut slivers. We explore the dish, its technique, and Kerala's distinct beef-eating heritage.
Panch Phoron's Southern Mirror: How Sambar Powder and Rasam Powder Are Built
Sambar powder and rasam powder are the roasted lentil-and-spice backbones of South Indian cooking, built on a very different logic from the dry-roasted whole-spice garam masalas of the north. Here is how each blend is constructed, why lentils belong in the grinder, and how UK kitchens get them right.
Coconut Three Ways: Grated, Milk and Oil in the Cooking of India's Coastlines
Along India's long western and eastern coasts, coconut is not one ingredient but three: fresh grated flesh, extracted milk, and cooking oil, each used differently from Kerala to Goa to coastal Bengal. Here is how each form shapes the food of the shore.
Tadka and Baghaar: Why Indian Cooks Add the Tempering Last, Not First
Tempering is the sizzle of whole spices in hot fat that finishes so many Indian dishes. Discover why cooks often pour it over the top at the very end, and how to get the timing and sequence right.