This is going to be a multi-part entry, I am planning to tackle about 1-2 cuisines per entry.
1) My most favourite cuisine - South Indian food!
In most cases it is food from the state of Tamil Nadu, to be had very cheaply and speedily in small hole-in-the-wall places called Udipis (there are other names too and variations of the word Udipi also exist). This type of food is mostly vegetarian, can be a tad spicy, has lots of rice and lentil dishes, and lots of coconut and coconut milk.
Traditionally this cuisine is eaten on large plantain leaves, but most restaurants serve it in steel plates and steel bowls. The most common dishes (that some of you may have heard of from me or otherwise) include, Idlis (small steamed rice or wheat cakes), Dosas (thin rice+lentil crepes with or without filling), Vadas (savory lentil donuts), Upma (savory semolina dish), all of these are eaten with special chutneys and Sambar (spicy lentil soup for dipping).
You can also get South Indian Thalis, which is like a prix fixe menu. The word thali basically means plate (most of the time, a steel one), and some of you may have encountered this at Indian restaurants. All the dishes are served at once, and it can be all-you-can-eat or limited portions. Most of the time it is all-you-can-eat.
Of course there are many versions of the food I have described and the fancier variations are often sold by street vendors. For eg. there is a vendor by my parents house who makes the most delicious "chinese" dosa, as weird as that sounds, it is magical how he is able to blend so many flavours and different flavour profiles.
Next time I shall tackle Gujarati food, which is what we eat at home as Gujaratis (from the Western state of Gujarat).
Bon appétit mes amis!
