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Food Indulgence<br />
Yoghurt<br />
Plain yoghurt is mixed and eaten with rice, hence for the dish, it<br />
is known as curd rice in India. But, one can also choose to eat<br />
the curd mixed with rice and other side dishes on your leaf. It is<br />
a flavourful and soothing finish for a banana leaf meal. The same<br />
applies to 'rasam', a tamarind-based broth which has pepper,<br />
cumin, tomatoes and other seasonings. It is common to see<br />
people having rasam on its own or by mixing it with rice.<br />
Rice<br />
Rice is one of the most cultivated<br />
grains in the world!<br />
White rice is placed in the centre of your leaf and it is advisable<br />
to tell your server when to stop piling on the rice. There might<br />
also be a healthier brown rice option although we highly<br />
recommend you choose the regular white rice as it blends well<br />
with all the side dishes.<br />
Sambar is the quintessential<br />
vegetable broth in a banana<br />
leaf meal<br />
Sambar<br />
Once the rice is on your leaf, they will<br />
pour the Sambar. Sambar is a broth<br />
made of lentil, tamarind and<br />
vegetables. It is often the<br />
accompanying broth to<br />
your fragrant white rice.<br />
Pour that<br />
Ghee!<br />
Ghee is prepared by<br />
melting and<br />
simmering butter<br />
until all the water<br />
evaporates and the<br />
milk solids settle at<br />
the bottom. During<br />
an Indian banana leaf<br />
meal, a small amount<br />
of ghee is poured over<br />
the sambar. Rest assured,<br />
this small amount of<br />
clarified butter will magically<br />
unite the flavour elements of<br />
your meal.<br />
Papadum<br />
A popular circular, thin and crisp snack, it is made<br />
from a seasoned dough often made from<br />
peeled black gram flour. It is then usually<br />
fried or cooked over dry heat. The<br />
snack can also be made from other<br />
flour sources which include<br />
lentils, chickpeas, rice, tapioca<br />
or potato. It can be eaten on<br />
its own, dipped into any of<br />
the curries or as a side dish<br />
as well as broken into smaller<br />
pieces and eaten with rice.<br />
Kesari or<br />
Payasam<br />
As it is with most meals, dessert<br />
is served at the end. Banana leaf<br />
meals desserts are usually<br />
'kesari' or 'payasam'.<br />
Kesari is a sweet South<br />
Indian dessert made<br />
with semolina,<br />
ghee, dry fruits<br />
and saffron while<br />
payasam is a<br />
rice pudding<br />
made by boiling<br />
rice, broken<br />
wheat, tapioca<br />
or vermicelli with<br />
milk and sugar. It<br />
is flavoured with a<br />
slew of nuts and<br />
spices which include<br />
cardamom, raisins,<br />
saffron, cashews, pistachios<br />
or almonds. For those<br />
unfamiliar with using your hands to<br />
Break the papadum into<br />
smaller pieces and have<br />
them with your rice<br />
Syrupy goodness or otherwise<br />
known as payasam<br />
eat, fret not, this syrupy goodness is normally served separately<br />
in a stainless steel container.<br />
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