Kongu Cuisine

Kongu Cuisine:  Basically it is a collection of recipes from all the different towns of this region over centuries .

Cuisine speciality:

• Traditional way of cooking.
• No marination of non vegetarian items.
• Tumeric is always used [fresh or roased and ground].
• Use of oil and chilli is less
• Use of unpeeled potatoes use and milk in curries.
• Use of coconut shells to cook meat gravies easily.  
  
• Use  of "Coparai" (dry coconut) in curries and gravies rather than fresh coconut 
• Use mangoes to prepare various sweets 
• Cook delicacies using various cereals such as rye, bajra, jowar for their main course.
• Consume butter milk and sweet as the second last course and rasam as the last.

First time in cooking: 

• "Venpongal" and "Kottu" recipes to crop up.
• Drumstick leaves used to make ghee from butter.
• Concept of "Pickle Making" using gingelly oil was conceived here as sesame crop was cultivated in Arachalur, Erode and Nathakadaiyur.
• 'Jasmine Idlis', which has a special character of regaining its shape and texture even when pressed
• "Vadagams" prepared by drying meat . 
• "Panchamirtham" : From the region of Kulithalai and Pollachi were the special type of bananas were grown known as "Viruppachi Vazhaipazham". This was developed in the temple kitchen, where expert chefs prepared a dish which speaks for itself. It contains viruppachi plantains, kandasari sugar, dates, kalkandu [sugar candy],cardamom and ghee.
• "Kali" prepared from use pulses like maize, ragi, bajra was from the region of Karur, Kangeyam and Palladam.
• Pathaneer Halwa / Payasam and Illaneer Halwa / Payasam took shape here.

Kongunad special : few recipe names:

• Pollachi yeral masala and pollachi mutton kuzhambu.
• Thandu keema urundai.
• Karur mutton kuzhambhu.
• Keeranoor mutton kuzhambhu [mutton + vegetables]
• Karimeen kuzhambhu [ fish + mutton].
• Pallipalayam kozhi varuval [chiken +pallipalayam special masala]
• Nathakadaiyur nandu masala [crab masala].
• Attakatti yeral masala.
• Aathur kozhi kuzhambhu .

Vegetarian recipes:

• Benian [speciality of muslim cuisine ]
• Mushroom thirattal [mushroom + groundnut masala].
• Ellu kara dosai. 
• Ragi roti.
• Pallapatti kathirikai masala.
• Kathamba saadam.
• Kuchi kizhangu avial.
• Salavu kuzhambu [use of herbs like thithili]
• Drumstick leaf adai.
• Karur kaai kurma.
• Pachapuli rasam [tamarind + onion].
• Nila kuzhambhu.[curry prepared with potato, colocassia, yam and sweet potato]
• Kollu masiyal [horsegram boiled and ground to a paste along with spices]
• Payiru thirattal [whole moong dhal+groundnut paste +onion +pepper]
• Kaalaan parangi kari.