The only way to taste true Tamil cuisine is to be fortunate enough to be invited for lunch with a family. We had that pleasure yesterday when we dined at the home of Kailas Deeksitar, a priest at the spectacular Chidambaram temple.
We were greeted by his wife, son and daughter. Both sons also serve as priests at the temple.
From this humble kitchen, just a corner of the single room in which the family lives, comes an array of delicious Tamil delicacies.
Behind the small house, a cow and her calf supply the household with milk, butter, yogurt and ghee.
We were treated to a traditional banana leaf meal, sitting cross-legged on the floor as we were served.
The meal was a classic South Indian lunch with a large portion of rice accompanied by dal, sambar dry spiced potatoes, two vegetable curries, a crunchy appalam and a sweet dessert made from semolina, ghee and LOTS of sugar!
Kailash presided and explained some of what we had seen during the morning ceremony.
