is cooked in a matki with water and milk. The word (pongal) directly translates to the action of boiling over the container due to the starch. Paniyaram is a dumpling shaped dish made using dosa batter. Appam is prepared with a fermented batter of rice and black gram mixture. Appam generally has thin corners with a soft center. Uthappam is a dosa-based dish that is slightly thick, fluffy, and soft. It can be made from regular idli/dosai batter. Puttu is a steamed, layered, cylindrical cake made from flour or rice. Kozhakkattai is a steamed dumpling made with rice flour. Sevai or idiyappam are rice noodles usually in steamed rice cakes. Adai is prepared with a mixtures of lentils. It contains fiber and calcium. It is used as a recipe by the Tamil people. Side dishes Sambar is a lentil-based vegetable stew or chowder made with tamarind, broth and freshly grounded spices. Chutney varieties consumed by the people are coconut chutney, onion chutney, tomato chutney, coriander chutney, kara chutney, garlic chutney and puli chutney. Vada curry is a classic dish that is also famous among Chennai people. Thovaiyal is a wet ground paste that contains several ingredients. Sambal is condiment mostly accompanied for rice, string hoppers and hoppers in Tamil parts of Srilanka. Sodhi is a coconut milk based dish best made for hoppers and string hoppers in Tamil parts of Srilanka. Drinks Kaapi is the most popular beverage. Its preparation is generally done with gourmet coffee beans. The preparation of filter coffee is a ritual. Sometimes chicory is added to enhance the aroma. Hot milk with sugar and a small quantity of decoction is then served in a tumbler set, a traditional coffee cup. Koozh is also known as Conjee or (rice conjee). Sharbat is a drink made from fruits or petal flowers. Paanakam is a drink made from lemon juice or tamarind water, jaggery, dried ginger and cardamom. Lunch and dinner dishes Main dishes Plain rice Rice varieties Thakkali Soru - Tomato rice, Tomato coconut milk rice Sambar Soru - Rice cooked with lentils, vegetables with a glaze of tamarind juice Thengai Soru - Coconut rice Milagu Soru - Pepper rice Paruppu Soru - Lentil rice Karuvepillai Soru - Curry leaves rice Thayir Soru - Curd rice Nei Soru - Ghee rice Urulai Soru - Potato rice Muttaikos Soru - Cabbage rice Kudaimilagai Soru - Capsicum rice Kootansoru -