Beat the heat with South Indian delights

As much as we love the changing seasons and welcome them in all their hues, the searing summer months can leave one feeling totally enervated, listless and irritable. From finding the appropriate clothes to wear, to deciding what to eat, it’s a tedious job all through.

It was one such scorching day when Metrolife went on an exploration of the city to find out what particular cuisine Delhiites preferred the most, especially during the summers. While the popular, pocket-friendly eating joints such as Kake da Hotel, Haldirams and Bikaner are always choc-a-bloc with foodies, it was surprising to find a similar situation in Saravana Bhavan, Shiv Sagar and Sagar Ratna, all jam packed with people digging into South Indian delicacies.
The reason probably being that summer doesn’t allow one to comfortably rely on spicy and heavy food, like butter chicken, garlic naan, dal makhani, shahi paneer etc. Digesting such food items becomes difficult and acidity could be the sorry consequence.

Metrolife approached Deepti Duggal, who was having a gala time over lunch with her family at Saravana Bhavan. “We are Punjabis and we are bound to be big fans of non-vegetarian food. However, of late summers have really been giving us a hard time and eating chicken and naan is not always preferable,” she said in between mouthfuls of soft Idli dipped in coconut and mint chutney.

While for vegetarians, South Indian food adds immense variety to their menu, the cuisine is widely appreciated by the non-vegetarians as well. “It is a kind of relief from the heavy spices that North Indian food is usually cooked with. Along with being low in the calorie count, the food is also very good for our digestive system,” says Duggal who loves coupling lemon rice, Idli and Dosa with curd, a cooling food and a must with South Indian dishes.

For the non-vegetarian enthusiasts, the Malabar cuisine has a lot to offer in terms of Fish Curry, Thalassery Biryani, Fish Molee and Prawns Kuzhambu to name a few. Not only do these dishes add diversity to our regular non-vegetarian food items, but also provide a delightful glimpse into the world of South Indian flavours and spices.

Speaking of the popular beverages and drinks that are a part of this cuisine, Coconut water and buttermilk are some of the highly preferred digestive drinks. “I love having my favourite Rawa Masala Dosa with chilled chhachh (buttermilk). It has a very piquant sweet and salty flavour and when cold, I can have endless amounts of it,” adds Duggal.
Moreover, having a lemon soda or glassful of light coconut water will always make one feel healthy and satiated, as compared to the other aerated drinks which are over loaded with sugar and caffeine.

The city boasts of South Indian food joints in every locality. From Adyar Ananda Bhavan in Green Park to Saravana Bhavan in Connaught Place, from a Sagar Ratna to a Southy, there are innumerable places with pocket-friendly options to fill your tummy with healthy and tasty South Indian food. So, if the summers have been playing spoiler with your appetite, check out South Indian food and enjoy the light, wholesome and healthy food ride!