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A Look into South Indian Street Food
South Indian food is influenced by the maritime trade and a warm, humid climate, which makes certain ingredients like curry leaves, coconut, tamarind and chili peppers prevalent in South Indian kitchens. Although generalizing such a varied cuisine with immense local variation is nearly impossible, some dishes are distinctively southern and some of the most popular dishes are easy to find in the streets of Bangalore, Chennai and all the way to the country’s southern tip. These are some of the most popular South Indian street foods, authentic delicacies that make the region’s gastronomy adventurous and exciting.
1. Uttapam
Although we’ll talk about the crispy appam later, uttapam deserves its own spot on the list of South Indian street foods because it’s growing in popularity abroad. Think of a dosa variety that is thicker and denser. Some are calling it the Indian pizza, and the similarities are somewhat noticeable. The secret behind the uttapam is in the dal and rice dough, which is pan-fried until deliciously golden and topped with various ingredients, including tomato, onion, capsicum and chili peppers.
2. Bonda
Potatoes play a significant role in South Indian cuisines, and you can see it in one of the region’s most satisfying street food snacks. Bondas vary in flavor, but they all are sweet and savory, spicy and colorful. These bite-sized deep-fried potato dumplings start as mashed potato, generously seasoned and dipped in gram flour batter before being deep fried, resulting in starchy snacks with a crisp exterior and a firm, almost creamy core. Bonda, made with other ingredients, like tapioca, sweet potato and others, is also popular.
3. Appam
Appam is a southern staple and consists of crispy, bowl-shaped pancakes made with rice flour and creamy coconut milk. You can enjoy an appam for breakfast or dinner and it can be part of any meal. However, people also like to snack on it, mainly when served with spicy condiments and flavorful toppings, like coconut milk curry, another southern specialty. Gil Marks, author of the Encyclopedia of Jewish Foods, suggests appam might have first surged in southern India’s early Jewish communities.
4. Ragi Mudde
These golden snacks are an Andhra Pradesh specialty in the southern coastal region and rely on ragi, of finger millet, to make a fine flour that becomes a lovely paste when mixed with water. However, although these balls have a lovely texture, they lack flavor, so they’re often seasoned with aromatics. Serving ragi mudde with sweet and sour chutneys or gravies is also customary, resulting in a hearty snack that can also be a whole meal.
5. Dal Vada
Not only a street food specialty but a dish common in people’s homes. Dal Vada is a simple but delicious preparation that comprises several savory, deep-fried two-biters. The core ingredient in dal vada is lentils, which are used to make a course batter that people roll into patties and fry until chewy but crispy. The mixture often includes varied chopped veggies, onion, ginger, curry leaves and other aromatics. The resulting fried snacks are best enjoyed with sweet coconut chutney. What are your favorite South Indian street foods?
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