Must Haves in a South Indian Kitchen

Must Haves in a South Indian Kitchen

Rice - (Of course : D ) A par boiled rice or a raw rice (like Ponni)  for everyday cooking. White raw rice for making batter for Appam, Idli Dosa etc.

Deskinned Split Black Gram (Urad daal ) - Ingredient in Idli/ Dosa batter

Lentil/ Chana Daal

Split Pigeon Pea (Toor daal) - For Sambar, North Indian Daal recipes

Tamarind - For Sambar, Theeyal etc
Gambooge ( Kudampuli) / (Different type of Tamarind) - For Fish curries
Yeast - For Appam
Curd (Yogurt )
Pickle


Masalas and Powders

Coconut Oil, Curry Leaves, Dried Red chillies, Mustard Seeds - For almost every dish :)
Whole Spices (Buy the total package) - Mainly for biriyanis but can be used in some curries as well
Garam Masala
Chilli Powder
Coriander Powder
Turmeric Powder
Pepper Powder
Fenugreek Seeds
Cumin Seeds
Sambar Powder
Asafoetida (Kayam powder)
Salt


Vegetables

Onions
Shallots
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Carrots
Beans
Brinjal
Garlic and Ginger
Green Chillies

With the above ingredients you can make a variety of dishes. Listing some of it below

1. Idli Dosa batter
2. Appam batter
3. Rice Porridge
4. Plain cooked rice.
5. Veg Pulav
6. Puttu/Idiappam Powder

Side dishes

Sambar
Veg Kurma
Dal Tadka
Theeyal ( Spicy Veg curry for cooked rice with roasted coconut paste and tamarind juice)
Brinjal Masala
Spicy Potato Masala
Beans Thoran
Carrot Thoran
Curd Curry (Moru Curry)
Vegetable Stew

The above list is just some of the recipes I could think of. But there are many more. So if you are a beginner in cooking, the above list would help you get started. The masalas and powders section has a complete list of what you need for most of the cooking in Kerala cuisine.

Hope you like this list. Do share your views regarding what you think should also be added in the above list.

Happy cooking !!