Sambar (dish) powder. In Andhra Pradesh, it is called as "Pappu chaaru". Apart from dal and tamarind, vegetables used in preparing is few. Vegetables are onions, dosakaaya, bitter gourd and tomatoes. Sambar without lentils (but with vegetables, or dried or fresh fish) is called kuzhambu in Tamil Nadu. Sambar is usually served with steamed rice as one of the main courses of both formal and everyday south Indian cuisine. A two-course meal of sambar mixed with rice and eaten with some sort of vegetable side dish, followed by yoghurt mixed with rice, is a prime southern Indian staple. "Vada" sambar and "idli"
Pongal (dish) Pongal (dish) Pongal is a popular rice dish, originating from the Indian subcontinent, in Sri Lanka and Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. In Tamil "pongal" or in Telugu "pongu" means to " boil over" or "spill over". There are two varieties of pongal, "Chakkara Pongal" which is a sweet, and "Venn Pongal", made from clarified butter. The unqualified word "pongal" usually refers to spicy pongal, and is a common breakfast food in Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The rice boiled with milk and jaggery during the Pongal festival is called "Chakkara" "pongal" -