South Indian Banana Leaf Platter
The South Indian Banana Leaf Platter is a festive and wholesome meal that includes a variety of dishes served on a banana leaf. It features white rice, tamarind rice, dal, vegetable poriyal, vegetable kootu, gojju, medu vada, and a sweet dessert—rava payasam (kheer). It represents a perfect balance of grains, lentils, vegetables, fats, and sweets, offering a complete culinary experience and nutritional diversity.
Nutrition Facts
Per serving
Energy
186 kcal
Protein
7 g
Carbs
30 g
Fat
4 g
Fiber
6 g
Ingredients
Rice, raw, milled
50 gms (50g)
Wheat, semolina
20 gms (20g)
Yellow Moong Dal (Raw)
20 gms (20g)
Toor Dal (Raw)
30 gms (30g)
Split Urad Dal (Raw)
40 gm (40g)
Cabbage
0.25 cup, chopped (50g)
Green Beans (Chopped)
0.5 small cup (50g)
Carrot
0.25 cup, chopped (50g)
Pumpkin
0.25 cup, cubed (50g)
Chopped Tomato
0.5 small cup (50g)
Chopped Green Chilli
2 tsp (4g)
Tamarind
20 gm (20g)
Brinjal Vegetable, Raw
0.25 cup, cubed (50g)
Brown sugar
5 gms (5g)
Coconut (Fresh)
10 gms (10g)
Cumin seeds
0.5 tsp (2.5g)
Mustard seeds
1 tsp (5g)
Asafoetida
1 pinch (0.5g)
Sambar Powder
0.5 tsp (2.5g)
Turmeric powder
0.5 tsp (2.5g)
Curry leaves
20 number (5g)
cardamom powder
0.5 tsp (1g)
Olive Oil
2 tsp (10g)
Ghee
0.5 tsp (2.5g)
Common salt
0.5 tsp (2.5g)
Plain Water
2 medium cup (500g)
Chillies, Dry
4 number (4g)
Instructions
Preparation
Rice & Dal Soaking:
- Soak rice, toor dal, moong dal, and urad dal as per instructions.
Tamarind Prep:
- Soak tamarind in warm water and extract pulp.
- Grate coconut.
Grinding Pastes:
- Grind coconut + cumin + chili for kootu.
- Grind coconut + red chili for gojju.
- Grind soaked urad dal into a smooth batter for vada.
Cooking Steps
Step1. White Rice:
- Cook 50gms soaked rice with water until soft.
Step2. Tamarind Rice (Puliyodarai):
- Cook rest 50gms soaked rice separately, spread to cool.
- Heat oil, temper with mustard, curry leaves, dry red chili.
- Add tamarind pulp, jaggery, and salt. Reduce till thick.
- Mix with cooled rice.
Step3. Dal (Simple Paruppu / Sambar Style):
- Pressure cook soaked toor dal with turmeric and tomato.
- Mash dal, add water, sambar powder, and salt.
- Temper mustard, curry leaves, and hing in ghee. Add to dal.
Step4. Vegetable Poriyal (Dry Curry):
- Heat oil, temper with mustard, and curry leaves.
- Cook chopped vegetables (pumpkin, cabbage, Brinjal) with water till tender.
- Add salt and grated coconut.
Step5. Vegetable Kootu:
- Cook moong dal till soft.
- Cook vegetables (beans, carrot, cabbage) till tender.
- Mix dal, ground coconut-cumin-chili paste, and salt.
- Temper with mustard and curry leaves in oil.
Step6. Gojju:
- Heat oil, temper with mustard and curry leaves.
- Add tamarind pulp, jaggery, and grated coconut-red chili paste.
- Cook till thick and glossy.
Step7. Medu Vada:
- Add chopped green chili, , curry leaves, and salt to urad batter.
- Shape into vadas and deep fry till golden.
Step8. Kheer (Rava Payasam):
- Roast semolina in ghee till golden.
- Add warm milk, stir till semolina cooks.
- Add sugar and cardamom powder.
Step9:Final Assembly on Banana Leaf
-First place steamed rice, then tamarind rice, then cooked vegetable poriyal, then cooked vegetable kootu, then gojju, then medu vada, then kheer in a small katori, and finally dal in a small katori or poured over the rice.