South Indian food in Berlin: what it is and what to try first
If you look for a South Indian restaurant in Berlin, you will find a lot of North Indian food: butter chicken, naan and tandoori. South India cooks differently, and you can taste it. This overview shows what makes South Indian cuisine what it is and what to try on your first visit.
What is South Indian cuisine?
South India covers four states with their own kitchens: Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh/Telangana. What they share: rice is the staple (rather than wheat bread), coconut appears in many forms, and dishes are seasoned with curry leaves, mustard seeds and tamarind.
Typically South Indian too are fermented batters of rice and lentils, which become dosa, idli and appam, and light curries based on coconut or yoghurt rather than heavy cream sauces.
Kerala: the coast of spices
Kerala, in the far south-west, is known for its spices, its fish and a cuisine in which beef, pork and chicken are as much part of everyday cooking as a rich vegetarian repertoire. At kokoland we cook mostly Kerala, from Malabar in the north to Travancore in the south. You can read more about the regions on our Kerala page.
Typical Kerala dishes:
- Porotta with beef roast: the layered flatbread with peppery beef (read more)
- Kerala biryani: fragrant rice, less hot than many other biryanis
- Appam with stew: lacy rice pancakes with a mild coconut stew
- Puttu with kadala curry: steamed rice and coconut cylinders with chickpea curry (read more)
- Avial, thoran, olan: the vegetarian classics of the feast (read more)
And dosa, idli, sambar?
Dosa, idli and sambar are known across South India. Sambar, the lentil and vegetable stew with tamarind, is also a fixed part of Kerala's feast, the sadhya. What is on our menu right now is on the menu page, because it changes with the kitchen.
Street food and Indo-Chinese
South Indian cooking also means street food: crisp samosas, pakoda and cutlets, banana fritters (pazhampori) and the Indo-Chinese favourites Gobi Manchurian and chilli paneer, which are very popular in South India. They are perfect for sharing.
Vegetarian, vegan, spicy?
South Indian cuisine is a paradise for vegetarians: vegetables, lentils and coconut carry many dishes. If you eat vegan, ask about ghee and yoghurt. And hot? South Indian means aromatic, not automatically fiery: tell us how hot you like it.
Eating South Indian in Berlin-Friedrichshain
You find us at Petersburger Str. 39, 10249 Berlin, open Tuesday to Sunday from 12:00 to 22:00. Reserve a table, order for pickup, or order ahead so everything is ready when you arrive. For your first visit, our ordering guide helps.
Frequently asked questions
Is South Indian food always vegetarian? No. It has a large vegetarian tradition, but Kerala also eats beef, chicken, pork and fish.
Is it spicy? Aromatic, not automatically hot. Tell us your level.
What is the difference from North Indian food? More rice and coconut, less cream and butter, more curry leaves and mustard seeds.
