South Indian Banana leaf meal

South Indian Banana leaf meal – Thalai vaalai Ellai Virundhu

Preetha on 03 17, 2009

Thalai vaalai Ellai Virundhu :

This is my first post and I am starting this with South Indian specifically tamilnadu banana leaf meal. This banana leaf meal is served in all marriages & festivals. This particular traditional feast which comprises of rice as the main item. It consists of a mixture of sweet, sour and chilly dishes and is customary to be served in a plantain leaf. There is also a traditional unwritten rule regarding which dish should be served when and where on the leaf. Its extremely delicious but is also as much difficult to prepare. The food arrives on a leaf, and a colorful array of dishes, all brimming with a fascinating range of accompaniments. Don’t even think of eating this kind of food with a fork. “You have to use your fingers, because you have to feel the textures. You sit cross-legged, on the floor in front of a fresh green banana leaf with its end facing left. You sprinkle some water on the leaf and clean it with your hands. This process is more a ritual which also emphatically announces to the world that hygiene and cleanliness is a significant part of your life. Then you watch the food being served – in the preset order, in the preset positions on the leaf.

The first item to be served is Salt. Perhaps reminding us of the existential realities of life and a gesture of gratitude. Then comes the salty crisp (Papadum). Then comes the Sweet. Different varieties of pickle follow like lemon & ginger. Then comes the curry.By now steaming hot rice will be served in the middle of the banana leaf with all the other items decorating the border! Once it is served, you look around you to ensure that the older generation has started eating, and then you delve into the food. Just as you stretch out your hand towards the different kinds of Gravy less, vegetable curries, they arrive with more rice. Close on the heels of the rice comes the Sambar & Rasam, and you eat it with relish, mixing the Papad with it. “The rasam’s made with raw dal. The dal from the sambar is taken and put into it, and it gets cooked in the rasam”. The meal is accompanied by homemade vadams. Then you polish off the sweets with relish, and even as you eat them, along comes some kind of a fried savory, like a Vada/Bonda, and you lose no time in eating that too. In the middle of all this, some of the items make an appearance once again, and you have the choice to eat your favorite stuff all over again, if your stomach permits. Finally the Rice comes along again, followed by curds, which you mix and eat with salt and a little of the pickle. Then you get up and wash your hands and leave the dining hall with a big smile on you’re face and a heavy stomach!!

Different dishes which took part in banana leaf meal are