Rameshwaram travel guide

South Indian meals

The complete South Indian vegetarian service—rice, sambar, two or three vegetable preparations, rasam, curd, papad and payasam on a clean banana leaf or steel plate; served from noon to 3pm only at authentic restaurants; a full stomach for Rs 80-150 is the value proposition

Idli-sambar

South Indian breakfast at its most fundamental—steamed rice-lentil cakes served with sambar (tamarind lentil vegetable broth) and coconut chutney; requiring 24 hours of batter fermentation; the best idlis are served at Bengaluru's Darshini breakfast counters

Temple prasad

The blessed food distributed at temples after worship—each temple has specific prasad: Tirupati's ladoo, Krishna Janmabhoomi's peda, Golden Temple's karah prasad, Jagannath's mahaprasad; the ritualistic distribution is part of the devotional act and cannot be separated from it

Filter coffee

South India's great ritual—100% arabica coffee beans slow-dripped into thick decoction, combined with hot milk in a brass tumbler and davara; poured from height to cool the temperature and create a froth; the MTR or Darshini chain version sets the standard

Coconut rice

South India's festivals' rice preparation—cooked rice stirred with grated coconut, tempering of mustard seeds, dried chili, curry leaves and urad dal; eaten as prasad at temples or at home during Onam and Pongal; the coconut oil tempering is the flavor key