Paati's Notebook: Quintessential South Indian Stories & Recipes

Paruppu Payasam (Lentil Kheer) is a traditional dessert that is chock-full of nutritious ingredients, while being so delicious that you’ll have no leftovers for sure. The best part is that, it requires the simplest of ingredients that can be found in almost every Indian kitchen.

Previously, we had shared Girija Paati’s mixed vegetable sambar, which is the most common version made in most Tamil households. Arachuvitta Sambar is a fancier version that is thicker with coconut and a lot more spices. It goes especially well with classic South Indian tiffin items such as idlies, dosas and vadas.  

Avial or mixed vegetable stew immediately brings to mind traditional Keralite meals. Girija Paati makes a few different types of avial, however the Keralite version is the one that brings back memories of her ancestral home in Palakkad, a small town on the border of Tamilnadu and Kerala.  

The raw mango is a quintessential part of Indian summer cooking. We find it served with salt and red chilli powder by the roadside, added into curries and ground into chutneys along the length and breadth of the country.

Ladies finger, vendakkai or bhindi is such a popular vegetable because of its versatility. Girija Paati’s family recipe for Palakkad style Vendakkai Pachadi is sweet, spicy and irresistible.