Breakfast
Kerala cuisine offers many delicious vegetarian breakfast dishes that are often relatively unknown outside the state. These include Puttu (made of rice powder and grated coconut, steamed in a metal or bamboo holder) and kadala (a curry made of black garbanzo beans chana), idli (fluffy rice pancakes), sambar, dosa and chutney, pidiyan, Idiyappam (string hoppers - also known as Noolputtu and Nool-Appam), Paal-Appam, a circular, fluffy, crisp-edged pancake made of rice flour fermented with a small amount of toddy or wine, etc. Idiyapam and Paalappam are accompanied by mutton, chicken or vegetable stew or a curry of beef or fish moli (the most common dish is black pomfret in a coconut based sauce).
The staple food of Kerala, like most South-Indian states, is rice. Unlike other states, however, many people in Kerala prefer parboiled rice (Choru) (rice made nutritious by boiling it with rice husk). Kanji (rice congee), a kind of rice porridge, is also popular. Tapioca, called kappa in Kerala, is popular in central Kerala and in the highlands, and is frequently eaten with fish curry.
Rice is usually consumed with one or more curries. Vegetarian dinners usually consist of multiple courses, each involving rice, one main dish (usually sambar, rasam, puli-sherry), and one or more side-dishes. Kerala cooking uses coconut oil almost exclusively.
Popular vegetarian dishes include sambar, aviyal, Kaalan, theeyal, thoran (dry curry), pulisherry (morozhichathu in Cochin and the Malabar region), olan, erisherry, puliinji, payaru (mung bean), kappa (tapioca), etc. Vegetarian dishes often consist of fresh spices that are liquefied and crushed to make a paste-like texture to dampen rice.
Common non-vegetarian dishes include stew (using chicken, beef, lamb, or fish), traditional or chicken curry (Nadan Kozhi Curry), chicken fry (Kozhi Porichathu/Varuthathu), fish/chicken/mutton molly(fish or meat in light gravy), fish curry (Meen Curry), fish fry (Karimeen Porichathu/Varuthathu), lobster fry (Konchu Varuthathu), Spicy Beef Fry (Beef Ularthiyathu), Spicy Steamed Fish (Meen Pollichathu) etc. Biriyani, a Mughal dish consists of rice cooked along with meat, onions, chillies and other spices.
Although rice and tapioca may be considered the original Kerala starch staples, wheat, in the form of chappatis or parathas (known as porottas in Kerala), is now very commonly eaten, especially at dinner time. Numerous little streetside vendors offer an oily parathas (akin to the croissant in its flakiness and oiliness) with meat, egg, or vegetable curry for dinner. Grains such as ragi and millet, although common in the arid parts of South India, have not gained a foothold in Kerala.
Pickles and other side-dishes
Kerala cuisine also has a variety of pickles and chutneys, and crunchy pappadums, banana chips, jackfruit chips, kozhalappam, achappam, cheeda, and churuttu.
Sadya
A typical sadya, where banana leaves are used as plates. Sadya items ready to be served, Clockwise from top Paayasam, Bittergourd thoran, aviyal, Kaalan, Lime Pickle, Sambar, Buttermilk with Boiled rice in centerKerala is known for its traditional banquet or sadhya, a vegetarian meal served with boiled rice and a host of side-dishes served especially during special occasions and festivals. The sadhya is complemented by payasam, a sweet dessert native to Kerala. The sadhya is, as per custom, served on a banana leaf, and is a formal-style meal with three or more courses of rice with a side-dish (usually sambar, rasam, buttermilk, etc.). In south Kerala the Payasam in followed by more (butter milk). Whereas in North Kerala it is considered to be the last dish to be served. A typical sadhya would have
Boiled Rice, sambar , Parippu, Aviyal, Kaalan, Thoran, Pulisherry, Olan, Puliinji, Pappadam, Mooru, Kaya upperi , Sharkara upperi , Banana , Paayasam.
Cooking Utensils
There are utensils that are used in Kerala which are significant to cuisine in Kerala. An aduppu is a square hearth, Mun Chatti is cooking pot made from clay, Cheena Chatti (literally Chinese pot) is a deep frying pan.
Asafoetida : Kaayam
Ash gourd : Kumbalanga
Banana : Pazham, Ethapazham
Bengal gram : Mani Kadala
Bitter gourd : Kaipakka (Pavakka)
Black pepper : Kurumulaku
Cabbage : Mottakkoosu
Cardamom : Elakkaya
Cashew nut : Kasuvandipparippu
Cinnamon : Karuvapatta
Clove : Karayampoo
Coconut oil : Velichenna
Coconut : Nalikeram, Thenga
Colocasia : Chembu
Coriander : Malli or Kothamalli
Cucumber : Vellarikka
Cumin : Jeerakam
Drumstick : Muringakkaya
Egg plant : Vazhuthananga, brinjal
Fennel : Perumjeerakam
Fenugreek : Uluva or Vengayam
Garlic : Veluthulli
Ginger : Inji
Gooseberry : Nellikka
Green Chili : Pacha mulaku
Green gram : Cherupayar
Guava : Perakka
Jack fruit : Chakka
Jaggery : Sarkara (bellam or vellam)
Milk : Paal
Mustard seeds : Kaduku
Nutmeg : Jathikka
Okra / Lady's finger: Vendakka
Onion : Ulli, Savala, Sabola
Papaya : Omakaya, Koppakaya, Papakaya, Pappali , Kappalanga
Pea : Payar
Groundnut : Kappalandi or Nilakkadala
Red gram : Van Payar
Plantain : Nendrakkaya, Etheka
Potato : Urulakkizhangu
Pumpkin : Matthanga
Raisin : Unakka munthiri, kismis
Salt : Uppu
Shallot : Chuvannulli or Cheriyulli
Snake gourd : Padavalanga
Sugar : Panjasara
Tamarind : Puli
Tapioca : Kappa, Marichini
Taro : Cheambu
Tomato : Thakkali
Black gram : Uzhunnu
Some useful sites for making delicious Kerala recipes:-
www.pachakam.com/
www.newkerala.com/recipes/
www.keralarecipes.com/
www.spiderkerala.com/kerala/recipes/
www.recipes.malayali.me/
www.123kerala.com/recipes.html
www.recipes.keralaz.info/
www.my-kerala.com/p/cook/
www.kerals.com/dish/recipe.htm
www.zonkerala.com/recipes/
www.kerala-recipe.com/
www.mallukitchen.com/
www.prokerala.com/general/recipes/
www.recipesfromkerala.com/
www.webindia123.com/cookery/region/kerala/intro.htm
http://wwwkerala-india.blogspot.com/
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