Ashoka halwa is served as a dessert either before or after the meal. The halwa's main ingredient is moong dal, which is saturated with sugar and ghee (clarified butter) and cooked with wheat flour and cardamom powder. Cashews are used to garnish the halwa.

Sweet, creamy and light on the tummy, this South Indian dessert is the perfect finish to a meal. Made of milk-soaked rice, very similar to the north Indian kheer, Payasam is a lip-smacking delicacy, which is made with cardamom, nutmeg, rose and kewra waters sprinkled with strands of saffron. Once cooked, almonds, raisins and cashews are added as toppings.

Holding ground on the east coast of Tamil Nadu, Thanjavur offers a plethora of seafood dishes. The delectable seafood selection includes fish, crabs, lobsters, which are mostly cooked in coconut milk to give them an enriching taste.

This beverage is usually made in large quantities and served at important festivals. It is a summer cooler made of jaggery, ginger powder, black pepper, lemon juice, cardamom powder and garnished with basil leaves.

Served either as a snack or a light dinner dish, thavala adai is made of rice and lentils. A half-dosa that is specific to Thanjavur, it is traditionally cooked to be a little crispy on the outside with a soft texture inside. It is an heirloom Iyengar (a major community here) recipe that is passed down generations. Thavala is served with coconut chutney, tomato gothsu or eggplant gothsu. It is best complemented with rasam. You can even use grated carrot or tiny chopped pieces to garnish the dish.

Sambar, in essence, is a hot, lentil-based chowder cooked with tamarind broth. Usually, it is loaded with lots of vegetables like pumpkin, drumstick, lady finger, sweet potatoes, onions and tomatoes.

Vada is a savoury, fried snack. To many, it may look like a fried version of doughnuts. Vadas are of several types made of legumes (pigeon pea, chickpea, black gram, green gram), potatoes and are even made with curd sometimes (dahi vada). Vadas are made of compact batter mixed with cumin seeds, curry leaves, onions, etc. Both feel a little bland on their own and are best complemented with coconut chutney or sambar.

Idlis are round cakes made from the batter of steamed rice and fermented black lentil. Sometimes, fenugreek is added to the batter to give it more flavour. Idli is a popular, sort-of-staple food in the South Indian states.