A guide to the Kongu dishes on our menu

Kongunadu food, from the region around Coimbatore, Erode and Tiruppur, is less spicy than Chettinad and more home-style than restaurant food. Several of our regular dishes are unfamiliar to visitors, so here is a short guide.

Arisi paruppu sadam is rice and toor dal cooked together with small onions, garlic and a little turmeric, served with ghee and a sharp brinjal or kathirikai thokku. It is the dish most Kongu families call comfort food, and we serve it on Wednesdays. Ragi kali is a firm ball of finger millet cooked in water, served with a thin, spicy keerai masiyal or a meat kuzhambu; you break off a small piece with your fingers and swallow it with the gravy, rather than chewing.

Kola urundai are deep-fried balls of minced meat or vegetables with fennel and coconut, crisp outside and soft inside; ours are served with Sunday lunch. Thengai paal sadam is rice cooked in coconut milk with whole spices, mild enough for children. On the tiffin side, we make kambu dosa from pearl millet batter, which is thinner and nuttier than a rice dosa, and a sweet-and-salty kara paniyaram.

If you are new to this food, order a mini tiffin in the morning or a full meal at lunch, and ask your server what is on that day. Our dishes change through the week, and the staff are happy to explain each one. Ask for mild if you prefer; our spice level is medium by default.