This standard Keralite breakfast is in tea stalls or corner cafes, where men take in the chai and breakfast, read the morning newspaper and debate over the latest political news. In larger towns and cities, a more generic South Indian breakfast is popular. This is based on the dishes originally devised in the Karnatka pilgrimage center called Udipi. Deep fried savoury doughnuts made of chickpea flur called Vada, and circular steamed rice cakes, called iddlis are served. They come along with Sambar, a sour and hot watery broth or mushed together with chutni, a paste made with ground coconut and chopped green or red chillies.
These idli-vada-sambar breakfasts are available on all hotels and tea stalls, particulary in urban Kerala. All round the clock in railways and bus stations, but then by 1100 AM, they switch to their lunchtime menu.
In the resorts of Kovalam and Varkala, toast, omlettes, museli and banana pancakes are served to the international and domestic tourists. Bread and espresso are available, along with furit salads, veg and non veg cultets.
If you are in a three star hotel, you can get Western food along with the Eastern. Buffetts rule the roost and you can get Western, Chinese or Oriental cuisine, as you prefer.
Midday Meals
Boiled rice, taken along with moru ( buttermilk ) or rasam ( pepper water in which tomatoes are boiled, a sort of soup ), and a wide variety of bolied vegetables constitute the midday meal. Mixed with hot spices, pachadi is a glorious dish, cooked as it is with tiny pieces of mango and mixed with spices. Pulses prepared with vegetables is Sambar, which is more or a less a must for the Keralite. Another dish is thoran, a coconut based dry fish dish. It is mixed with minutely chopped vegetables. Pappadams, crunchy round flakes made up of rice flour and pickles ( mango, lime, fish, prawn, pork, sardine, garlic, tender mango etc ) are a must for the Keralite.
In Islamic establishments, wheat preparations are available. Made from refined flour, parottas and pathiris are spirals, fried in oils and served with curries. Chappattis and pooris are also made from wheat and these are available in almost all hotels in Kerala.
Great Snacks
Abundance of jackfruits, pineapples, mangoes, bananas and custard apples grace Kerala. Alongside evening coffee, snacks like jackfruit or bananachips, and rice flour cookies called Achappam are served normally.