DOSA (crispy savory pancakes) from South India is a staple food in its home region. In the rest of the country too, Dosas are hugely popular. Regular dosa batter is made from rice and split, skinned urad bean (black lentil) blended with water and left to ferment overnight. A modified form of the same batter can be used to make idlis. The batter is then ladled in small amounts onto a hot greased skillet, where it is spread out into a thin circle and fried with oil or ghee until golden brown. The dosa may then be folded in half and served or rolled as in a wrap, but in both cases it is cooked on a single side. Alternatively, it may be flipped to cook on the other side and then served.

The ubiquitous Indian dish masala dosa has its origins in Udupi. A masala dosa is made by stuffing a dosa with a lightly cooked filling of potatoes, fried onions and spices. It wraps the dosa around a onion and potato curry. It is served with both coconut and onion chutneys and or sambar curry. There are several variations of Dosa

Although the precise history of the modern idli is unknown, it is a very old food in southern Indian cuisine.To make idli, two parts uncooked rice to one part split black lentil (Urad dal) are soaked. The lentils and rice are then ground to a paste in a heavy stone grinding vessel (attu kal). This paste is allowed to ferment overnight, until it expands to about 2½ times its original volume. In the morning, the idli batter is put into the ghee-greased molds of an idli tray or “tree” for steaming. These molds are perforated to allow the idlis to be cooked evenly. The tree holds the trays above the level of boiling water in a pot, and the pot is covered until the idlis are done (about 10-25 minutes, depending on size). The idli is somewhat similar to the dosa, a fried preparation of the same batter. Idli is generally served with sambar and coconut chutney. Some times, Vada is also included.

Vada can vary in size and shape, but are similar to the doughnut; however, the Indian vada is spicy rather than sweet. Urad is ground with little quantity of water so as to make a thick paste. Salt is added to taste. Tiny amount of the batter is taken at a time, flattened and a hole is made in the center (like the dounut). It is then droped into hot oil and fried to golden brown. Although battered and deep-fried, the finished product should not be too oily if prepared correctly, since steam build-up within the vada pushes all oil away from within the vada. There are several varieties of vada. some of them are:
Thayir Vada (Dahi vada), made by serving the vada in a mix of yoghurt and spices, Vengaaya Vadai (Pyaz Vada) made with onion, Maddur Vada made with onion but without the hole in the center, a specilaity of Karnataka, Paruppu vadai, made with toor dal and shaped roughly like a patty – this is also called aamai vadai

A North Indian dish, very common all over India. A puri or poori is an unleavened bread primarily found in Northern India made from a dough of atta (whole grain durum wheat flour), water and salt by rolling it out into discs of approximately the size of palm and deep frying it in ghee or vegetable oil. It puffs up when cooked and Masala is a simple curry that goes with the poori. It is made with mashed potatoes, onion, ginger, curry leaves and other spices.

Tamrind rice or Pulihora is a dish prepared for most of festivals in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Tamarind’s sourness dominates this variety of rice and is neutralised just right enough with the fiery hotness of green chillies, the wholesome crunch of fried peanuts and the flavourful richness of curry leaves. The combination of all the ingredients not only makes it a sumptuous deal for the stomach, but also a great feast for the eyes.

Pulihora finds its place as a main delicacy during all festive occasions, Sankranthi, Ugadi, Dasara and Deepavali, especially in my home. It is also offered as the ‘divine’ prasadam in many Hindu temples and devoured by the bhaktajana (devotees) as mahaprasadam (offering to the God) .

Curd rice (Tamil: Thayir (Curd) Sadam (Rice), also called yogurt rice, yoghurt rice) is a dish of India. It is most popular in the Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. It is prepared by boiling Rice till it breaks down, becoming almost like a paste. It is then let to cool down to room temperature. It is then seasoned with fried finely chopped green chillies, ginger, and curry leaves, and sometimes also urad dal, mustard seeds, and asafoetida. Finally, yogurt or curd, and salt are added.

Lemon rice is a popular dish in South India. Rice is boiled and then added to fried mustard seeds, turmeric, ginger and cumin and stirred well after adding lemon juice. In addition, during the frying of mustard and cumin seeds, some yellow split peas (the Indian variety – chana dal), green chillies and curry leaves are also added. Cashew nuts are added as garnish

Typical south India dish made from Semolina. Mustard seeds are spluttered in heated oil to which sautéed onion, green chillies, ginger and curry leaves are added. Semolina is mixed to it and stirred well before water is added. The mixture is cooked until water is completely absorbed. It is served warm garnished with cilantro.

Chole Poori is one of the most popular Punjabi recipe. Chole stands for a spicy curry made with white chickpeas and poori is fried leavened flat bread. Chole Poori is a spicy, tasty and a heavy dish it has tangy taste and the consistency of the curry also varies from slightly thick to semi-dry. Served with the sliced onions, green chilies and lemon wedges this a very filing dish.

A samosa is a fried or baked pastry with a savoury filling, such as spiced potatoes, onions, peas, lentils.It is distinctly triangular or tetrahedral in shape and often accompanied by a mint sauce (raita) or chutney