India is a vast country with many differences in climate, culture, and crops. Consequently, the cuisines have developed differently in its northern and southern regions.
Food Explorers’ Lunch Expedition “Banana Leaf Thali”
These days, ‘South Indian’ food is slowly moving into mainstream. Guiding us on our Lunch Expedition is Devi Gottumukkala, one of the owners of Banana Leaf in Walldorf. Devi is from Andhra Pradesh, India’s largest producer of red chilli and rice, whose Telugu cuisine is reputed to be the spiciest of all Indian states.
We enjoyed an amazing spread of delicious food served on banana leaf. Using our fingers instead of cutlery brought eating to a whole new level where the different textures of food is enjoyed with all the senses. The experience transported us straight to the tropical climes of southern India!
Our 12-dish Menus
Our two specially-compiled menus covered everything from sweet, salty, sour, spicy, crunchy and creamy.
India’s southern region is particularly famous for its multifaceted vegetarian cuisine, so our culinary journey begins with a quintessential array of vegetable dishes such as “rasam”, “sambar”, “mulai payaru sundal”, “palak pappu”, “vendakkai poriyal”, “avial” and crispy “papadam”.
“Sona masoori” rice was the backdrop for both menus. The Vegetarian Menu was made up of vegetable “pakora”, “gutti vankaya koora” (Andhra stuffed eggplant curry) and ‘South Indian Vegetable Korma’. The Menu with Meat consisted of ‘Andhra Pepper Chicken’, ‘Chettinadu Lamb Curry’ and ‘Kerala Fish Curry’.
No Thali is complete without desserts so we made sure to save some tummy space for “semiya payasam” and “gulab jamun”, served with a choice of either “Masala Chai” or ‘Madras Filter Coffee‘.
Several of the dishes listed above are available à la carte at Banana Leaf on specific days of the week. Go check them out!
Banana Leaf UG, Industriestraße 42, 69190 Walldorf
Looking for more ideas on where to dine in the Rhein-Neckar region?
Check out other reviews of places where Food Explorers have eaten.