Some Easy & Delicious South Indian Recipes For Lunch

south Indian recipes for lunch

Everybody’s mouth gets watered just listening to the name of south Indian foods. Steam cooked dosa, idli, uttapam, sambar, a different flavor of rasam, appam, uncountable chutney, numerous dishes of rice, and this list is never ending! Today in this article below I am going to provide some of the most delicious south Indian recipes for lunch.

Table of Contents

South Indian Recipes For Lunch:

Check out some of the most delicious South Indian recipes for lunch without wasting any more time. So, here we go…

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Puliyogare (Tamarind Rice) Recipe:

Such south Indian recipes for lunch are famous in not only in south Indian homes but also in temples and places where different religious ceremonies held. In different states, this dish is known by different names though.

Ingredients Required for Tamarind Rice:

1 cup of rice (short grains are preferable)
4 tablespoons of tamarind balls
2 tablespoons of jaggery (grated)
1/2 tsp. of mustard
1/2 tbsp of chana+urad dal
2-3 tablespoon of peanuts
Green chili as required
1 dried red chili
1 spring curry leaves
2-3 tablespoon of oil
Salt as per requirement

For Roasted Masala Powder:

½ tbsp. of chana+urad dal
2-3 pieces of dried red chili
½ tbsp. of cumin
1 tbsp. of coriander seeds
¼ tsp. Methi seeds
½ tsp. of mustard
¼ tsp. of pepper
1½ tbsp. of sesame seeds
3 tablespoon of dried coconut

See How to Cook Tamarind Rice:

Wash the rice at first

Cook the rich and cool it down to set aside

Now soak the jaggery and tamarind in the water

Remove stones or debris from the tamarind if there are any left

Once the tamarind becomes soft, squeeze the tamarind and jaggery to set aside

Take a pan to heat it then add chana dal, urad dal as well as red chilies and roast them on medium heat

Roast them till it turn lightly golden and then add Methi seeds, coriander seeds, and pepper corn and continue roasting it

After some times add cumin, sesame seeds, and mustard then add coconut

Now continue to stir to roast all these ingredients and roast for some more time then cool it down

Take a mixer jar to make a fine powder of these roasted ingredients

Add 2 tbsp. oil in the pan and heat the oil

Add urad dal, mustard, chana dal & peanuts cook till these ingredients turn golden

Then add a few curry leaves & red chilies

Once the curry leaves become crisp, pour the tamarind pulp and salt in it

Once the tamarind pulp becomes slightly thick, you will have to add the roasted masala powder

Mix all the ingredients properly

Once you are done with the mixing take the tamarind mixture to mix with cooled rice (mix tamarind mixture as per taste)

Your tamarind rice as one of the most popular south Indian recipes for lunch is ready to be served

NOTE:
Servings: 2 or 3
Prep Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 20

Ulli Theeyal (Onion Theeyal) Recipe

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Ulli Theeyal (Onion Theeyal) Recipe:

This recipe is a traditional and authentic shallots based curry from the popular Kerala cookery. This curry is acknowledged for its mixture of tastes and flavors, as it has perfectly blended sourness, sweetness, & spicy in every single bite. This is one of the most delicious south Indian recipes for lunch.

Ingredients Required for Onion Theeyal:

1 tsp. of mustard
1 tbsp. of coconut oil
¼ tsp. of Methi seeds (fenugreek)
A few pieces of curry leaves
20 medium to large shallot and cut them into halves
¼ tsp. of turmeric
½ tsp. of salt
1 tsp. of jaggery
1 cup of tamarind extract
1 cup of water

For The Masala Paste

1 cup of grated coconut
1 tbsp. of coriander seeds
1 tbsp. of coconut oil
5 pieces of dried red chili
¼ tsp. Methi seeds (fenugreek)
¼ tsp. pepper

See How to Cook Onion Theeyal:

Firstly, in a pan and heat 1 tbsp. of coconut oil to roast 1 tbsp. of coriander seeds, ¼ tsp. of pepper, 5 pieces of dried red chili, ¼ tsp. of Methi for a min

Now pour 1 cup of grated coconut, keep roasting it.

Roast it until the grated coconut becomes golden brown (dark)

Cool down the spices totally, and blend it to make a smooth paste (You can add a little water to it if needed)

Now add 1 tbsp. of coconut oil & ¼ tsp. of Methi seeds, 1 tsp. of mustard, and a few curry leaves.

Then add the shallots cut into halves, ¼ tsp. of turmeric, ½ tsp. of salt, and sauté it for a few mins.

Once the shallots shrink, pour 1 cup of tamarind extract in it, 1 tsp. of jaggery then mix them well.

Now boil it for around 10-15 min on a medium flame

Then add the coconut masala paste to mix it well

Sauté it until these spices get roasted finely

Pour 1 cup of water and boil it until the coconut masala paste is cooked completely or until the oil leaves the sides

Your one of the tastiest south Indian recipes for lunch Onion Theeyal is ready to serve with steamed rice

NOTE:
Serving: 2-3
Prep Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 20 min

Thengai Sadam (Coconut Rice) Recipe

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Thengai Sadam (Coconut Rice) Recipe:

This is one of the easiest yet delicious South Indian recipes for lunch. This recipe is a simple one, which is prepared with some basic ingredients.

Ingredients required for coconut rice recipe:

1 cup of rice
1-2 cup of coconut grated
1-2 green chilies
Salt as per requirement
1 red chili
½ tsp. of mustard
1-2 tbsp. of ghee or oil
1 tbsp. of chana dal
½ tsp. of cumin
½ tbsp. of urad dal
12-15 pieces of cashew nuts
1 tsp. of ginger

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ISee How to Cook coconut rice Recipe:

At first, wash the rice properly and soak it for at least 20-30 minutes

After 30 minutes cook the rice in a pressure cooker or a pot

Cool down the rice and keep it aside

Now take a pan and add oil or ghee to heat it

Once the pan heat completely, add mustard, cashew, chana dal, and urad dal.

Roast until the Dals become golden in color then add red chili, green chili, ginger, and curry leaves to it

After a few times add coconut and salt to it… stir for a few seconds then add cooked rice to it

Turn off the heat and mix all the ingredients well

Your coconut rice ready to be served

NOTE:
Serving: 2
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Sambar Recipe

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Sambar Recipe:

When we are talking about the South Indian recipes for lunch, how could we skip mentioning Sambar? One of the most known South Indian recipes for lunch is Sambar. You either can eat Sambar with Idli or with rice too.

Ingredients required for Sambar Recipe:

1 cup of Toor Dal
1 tbsp. of tamarind paste or as per taste
1/8 tsp. of turmeric powder
1/4 cup of coriander leaves
Salt as per requirement

For Tadka:

2 tsp. of oil or ghee
1 curry leave
1/2 tsp. of mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. of cumin
1 pinch of Methi seeds
1 red chili

For The Sambar Powder

1 tsp. of urad dal
1 tbsp. of chana dal
1 tbsp. of coriander seeds
1/2 tsp. of Methi seeds
1/2 tsp. of cumin
4-5 pieces of red chilies

Vegetables Required For Sambar

12-15 small onions
1-2 drumsticks
2-3 pieces of ladies finger
3-4 cubes of pumpkin
1 medium sized tomato and ladies finger in 1-inch pieces and pumpkin into cube size
Chop the onion finely
1 green chili

See How to Cook Sambar:

Wash the Toor Dal at first.

Add 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker pour the Toor dal in it and cook it on a medium flame for 3-4 whistles

Cut all the vegetables into 2 inch pieces

Cut tomato and Take a pan and heat it

Add red chili, chana dal & urad dal to roast them so that it turns into golden

Then add coriander seeds and roast so that a good smell comes out

Then add the Methi seeds and cumin… roast for a min

Take a blender to make a powder with the roasted masala

Now pour 4 cups water in a pot to boil the vegetables (cook until the veggies turn soft)

While the veggies are getting slightly boiled take 1 cup of hot water and add tamarind in the hot water to let it soak completely and squeeze it properly to use it later

Once the vegetables are cooked softly, add salt and the Sambar powder to it

Boil it for about 4-5 mins

Pour the tamarind water into the Sambar

Add the previously mashed Toor dal to mix it well with the veggies

Bring the mixture to boil finely and then add the coriander leaves

To make seasoning for the Sambar take another pan and heat it to add oil or ghee in it

Gradually add Methi seeds, mustard, and cumin in it

When these seeds start to crackle add curry leaves and red chili and turn of the heat

Add this seasoning to the Sambar and cover the Sambar immediately and turn off the flame

Your Sambar is ready to be served now

NOTE:
Serving: 4 to 5
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 50 minutes