Hot on the Food Trail in Chennai

My trips to India are always fraught with exhaustion, stress and jet lag but once the worst is over I bounce back with enthusiasm and a voluptuous appetite. This time was no different but I was fortunate enough to be in a city that had the ability to satiate my cravings. Chennai, capital of the state of TamilNadu is a sprawling metropolis in the South West of India. Home to diverse cuisines ranging from the strict vegetarian diet of the Tamil Brahmins to seafood and beef, (the cow is considered a sacred animal in the rest of India) it’s fairly large Christian and Muslim population create a demand for beef which is commonly found at restaurants and butcher shops unlike anywhere else in India.

My cousin Bonnie was a generous hostess and being a fellow foodie did not need much prompting to give me a taste of the local cuisines at every meal, starting with breakfast. Her cook, Jai Ram conjured up crisp Dosas (South Indian crepes) complete with a spicy Sambar (lentils) chutney and potatoes. It was a refreshing change from my usual repertoire of bagel/cream cheese or oatmeal. Chennai, like every other major city has more than its fair share of street foods, but my trip was a short one and so I save my appetite for the restaurants favored by the locals. During my four day visit I got a taste of Andhra,Tamil (vegetarian), Tamil (non-vegetarian) and Pondicherry cuisines.

I got my first taste of Andhra cuisine at the Amravati restaurant known for its signature dish of – you guessed it- Amravati chicken. Dry roasted with an unusual combination of spices and lots of heat, it was succulent and fragrant, definitely something I would try to re-create at home. It inspired me to go and buy about 8 cookbooks –unfortunately none of them have the recipe. The main meal consisted of a Thali which is a large platter, or in this case, a Banana leaf with an assortment of vegetarian dishes served over coconut rice. Every dish was unique and strange and even the names were alien to me. The Andramgals as these dishes are referred to as, were Poriyal( Yam), Sambhar( lentils with drumsticks and mango), Beerakai ( lentils), Gherkin chutney ( or as the locals say – jerkin!) and Keerai ( Spinach). Carnivorous to boot, we decided to up the ante with the Amravati Chicken, Fried Mutton and Mango Shrimp Masala. We were not disappointed and staggered out of there licking our chops.

On the flight into Chennai I struck up a conversation with a young girl who happened to be a local. As the conversation turned to food, she insisted that I had to eat at the Saravana Bhawan reputed for its vegetarian thali and dosas, to get a true taste of Tamil food. So we headed out the next afternoon after a serious shopping spree only to find out that the Thali is served only up until 2:30 P.M. So we opted for the next best thing – the Ghee Roasted Dosa, a giant conical dosa, fried to a crisp, perched over a bowl of potato stuffing.

On the eve of my departure, Bonnie treated me to some surprisingly flavorful non- vegetarian Tamil food. I had always been under the delusion that South India is primarily vegetarian and was amazed by the flavors of each dish. A dry fried mutton in curry leaves and a Chicken Chettinad cooked in coconut milk were different and yet equally memorable.