Main Dishes

For lunch there's the thali-named after the plate on which it's served, although banana leaves are still popular serving dishes in Kerala. A thali although banana leaves are still popular serving dishes in Kerala. A thali includes rice and a number of different small pots or in the indentations in the thali plate. Rice is heaped in the center and sometimes a pappadam or chapati is served. The side dishes may include such delicacies as:

Avil

Combination of vegetables and coconut sauce, it is a very popular Keralan accompaniment. sometimes avial also includes fruits such as mango and jackfruit and even cashew nuts.

Vegetables like coconut and mustard seed, which may be fried or steamed. Sometimes green papaya is used.

Sambar

Vegetables like onion and eggplant in a sauce with lentils.

Beans and gourds mixed with several spices including chilli.

Kaalen

Yoghurt and banana mixed with several spices including chilli.

Similar to a clear broth, rasam may be flavoured tamarind, lemon, tomato, lentils and/or pepper.
pachadi- curd with coconut and a curry leaf, a pleasing finish to the meal.

Paayasam

Sugared rice or noodles, served as a sweet.

While rice is served with most dishes, in others it's the basic ingredient. Biryanis, meals of the Arabic tradition, are popular in Kerala, as they are throughout india, is especially noted for its biryanis. The dish consist of rice that is layred with meat, seafood, vegetables, spices, nuts and sometimes fruits, then baked in an oven.

Breads

Breads make an addition to many meals. The menu may list the flat-style breads such as chapati or naan, or the favourite fluffy paratha (fried bread).

Popular snacks include banana chips and yam crisps.

Sweets

There's no shortage of sweets in Kerala. jaggery is often used as a sweetener. It can be boiled and reduced to a thick liquid, the used as a sweet sauce with curd or fruit. Milk rice, coconut rice, or vermicelli sweetened with jaggery are all common desserts. Inji thayir is a very popular. Kaalenan are bananas coated in jagery and cooked in a sauce of thick yoghurt spiced with turmeric, cumin and chili. Malayali pachadi is sweet yoghurt with gated coconut, chillies, mustard seed and spices.

Avalose is a rice-based sweet rolled into a ball with jaggery. Unniappam is pulped jackfruit, mixed with rice flour and jaggery, wrapped in a leaf and steamed.

Prathaman is lentils boiled with coconut, cardamon and ginger. jaggery and cashew nuts are also added. Halwa is made from bananas. Ice cream, often flavoured with cardamom, is available everywhere.