Kerala Vegetarian Recipes | Kerala dishes, cuisine | Kerala food

Although there is a lot of overlap between the cuisines of different South Indian states, each region also has its distinctive touch and favourite recipes. Likewise, there is a lot of similarity between the food cooked in Kerala, and that of coastal Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Yet, there are all-time favourites like Unni Appam and Ragi Puttu that stand apart!

Keralites use coconut abundantly in their cooking, because it is available in plenty in that region. Most veggies are cooked with coconut-based masalas, and coconut is also used in the preparation of sweets and snacks like Puttu.

A lot of native fruits and veggies like jackfruit, yam, raw banana, yellow banana, ash gourd and pumpkin are used in the cooking.

The curries usually have a base of coconut or coconut milk, with tinges of green chillies, ginger and sometimes garlic. Among the spices, cumin is used popularly, and there are some special curries that are flavoured with freshly-ground pepper, which also grows in the region.

Appam recipe | Appam Kerala Recipe | South Indian appam with yeast

A stout and stocky type of red rice is used there, but with more and more visitors flocking to God’s Own Country, restaurants have also started serving white rice.

Ghee Rice Recipe | How To Make Ghee Rice | Ghee Bhat |  Ney Choru

popular combinations of Kerala cuisine

The moment one thinks of Keralite food, some all-time favourite combos immediately come to mind.

1. Idiyappam with Vegetable Stew

vegetable stew is a delicious and aromatic accompaniment that pairs perfectly with popular South Indian dishes like idlis (steamed rice cakes) and dosa(fermented crepe), or steamed rice.

vegetable stew recipe | South Indian vegetable stew | vegetable curry for idlis and dosas

2. Puttu with Kadala Curry are totally sumptuous and satiating foods that make a complete meal! These are the two most famous breakfast combos of Kerala.

Puttu, Kerala Homemade Rice Puttu for Breakfast

kadala curry recipe | Kerala special puttu kadala curry | kadala kari | easy kadala curry for puttu appam and dosa | healthy black chick peas curry

cabbage poriyal recipe | South Indian style patta gobi poriyal | cabbage thoran

Kerala sweet recipes 

The Unni Appam, made of broken wheat, rice, banana and jaggery, is a tasty sweet snack that is very often made in Keralite households. It is made as an offering to God, and served to the family. Unni Appam is made in almost all Keralite temples, and sold at the temples’ prasadam stalls.

unniyappam recipe | unni appam | mini sweet appam | quick unniyappam | banana appam

Sweets and savouries made of jackfruit and yellow banana are also classic dishes to try in Kerala. 

The raw jackfruit chips have a special texture that is both crisp and chewy at the same time!

This fruit is also cooked into a puran and used to make a steamed delicacy known as Ela Ada, in which the jackfruit stuffing is placed inside rice pancakes, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. The banana leaves impart a special flavour and aroma to the Ela Ada, making it a unique treat that’s on the must-taste list of any foodie.

Yellow banana is one of the favourite fruits in Kerala. It is steamed or roasted with the peel on, then peeled and served. It can also be enjoyed raw. On a rushed day, a Keralite will just walk into a roadside tea stall to have a simple but sumptuous meal of yellow banana and a glass of black tea!

Kerala Festival Recipes 

Any festival, puja or special occasion in Kerala is incomplete without a spread of kheers or payasams, as it is called there. Milk-based kheers sweetened with white sugar, dal kheer sweetened with jaggery and their own indigenous jackfruit payasam (Chakka Pradhaman) are must-have items for any celebration!

paal payasam recipe | South Indian rice kheer | Kerala style paal payasam | paal payasam is a must-serve item during South Indian festivals, weddings and other auspicious occasions. Made of rice cooked in full-fat milk and sweetened with sugar, this South Indian rice kheerhas a very rich flavour and creamy texture, which are boosted further by spices like cardamom and saffron.

Apart from the usual kheer made of broken rice cooked in milk, Kerala is famous for its Ada Pradhaman. Rice paste is spread into thin sheets and dried in the sun, to make a papad like food known as ada. This ‘ada’ is crushed into a small, handy size and sold in packs. Ada is cooked in milk or coconut milk and sweetened with sugar or jaggery to make a mouth-watering kheer. This is one of the signature recipes of Kerala!

Kerala paratha

Malabar paratha recipe | Kerala parotta | Indian Malabar parotta | flaky paratha

Kerala parotta or Malabar paratha is a unique dish from South Indian cuisine which is very common in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is a common street food and a restaurant food as well.

Now that you know what to expect when you travel to Kerala, and what are the must-have foods on your check-list, let’s also show you how to prepare some of these at home, right in your own kitchen. It is fun, it’s tasty, and it is a veritable culinary journey worth undertaking…

Enjoy our collection of Kerala Recipes and artilces on  South Indian recipes below. 

995+South Indian Recipes
30+Karnataka Cuisine
20+Tamil Nadu Cuisine
10+South Indian Appe
125+South Indian Breakfast
45+South Indian Chutney
175+South Indian Curries / Subzis
125+South Indian Dosa
125+South Indian Idlis
10+South Indian Pachadi, Raita
5 South Indian Pickle
10+South Indian Podis
55+South Indian Rasam
50+South Indian Sambar
45+South Indian Snacks
90+South Indian Sweets
15 South Indian Uttapam
35+South Indian Vada