Tastes of a city

Nothing defines a place more than its food. On the 375th anniversary of Chennai, MetroPlus asked chefs from four Madras-themed restaurants to interpret "Madras on a plate". Here’s what they came up with

August 21, 2014 08:15 pm | Updated August 22, 2014 11:16 am IST

Chennai Chowder

Chennai Chowder

Chennai Chowder

Dried red chillies and fresh green chillies, curry leaves, coconut milk, tamarind, black peppers, turmeric, garlic and ginger are some of the more common spices and flavourings synonymous with Chennai. The Madras Seafood Chowder, or Chennai Chowder as we like to call it, is our tribute to the city.

There are always stories behind a dish, whether it is a much-loved recipe handed over by peers or quintessentially a modern dish created to represent its times. Ideas are refined and redefined through hours of discussions, numerous tasting sessions and visits to deep-rooted and traditional houses of the city. The labour of love and inspiration with sublime flavours and intriguing textures in the dishes can be tasted in the dish we have created to celebrate 375 years of Chennai’s existence.

The Chennai Chowder is an inspirational dish with local seafood, creamy coconut cream, spiced with chilli oil and fresh coriander blended together with an exotic seafood stock made with lobster and shrimps. A sprinkling of candied orange peel gives an additional robustness to this flavourful dish.

Ajit Bangera is Senior Executive Chef, ITC Grand Chola. This dish is on the menu of Madras Pavilion

Madras Maplai Nandu

Chennai’s coastal seafood is a treat to be had, but none as good as the fresh mud crabs that come from the backwaters. It’s an ingredient that defines Madras on the culinary front. The making of this dish involves removing the meat from the shell, cooking it in ginger, garlic, onion, dried red chilli, pepper, cumin and turmeric, and then stuffing it back into the boiled shells.

The city is also known for its own brand of Tamil, which is mostly slang. Maplai is a term used to address a son-in-law or brother-in-law and is common parlance here for a close friend. The owner of the yet-to-be-launched restaurant where the dish is going to be served is affectionately called maplai by all his friends and the name seemed apt for a crab dish that combines all things Madras on one plate.

Chef Koushik S. (a.k.a Mad Chef) is associated with several restaurants in the city including Illusions – The Madras Pub. This dish will be on the menu of Maplai

Podi Friedly

Chennai might be known as a conservative city, but it actually adapts the characteristics of the various types of people who live in it. Reflecting this fusion is the podi fried idly: mini idlis tossed in a special podi and deep fried. 

The podi is made of channa dal, urad dal, red chilli, curry leaves and black pepper, apart from a few secret ingredients. Dipped liberally in coconut chutney and eaten hot, the fiery red and crisp idli has a pleasant heat from the spicy coating. 

Everyone associates idli with Madras, but this is a different kind of Madras than what is usually seen.

Chinnadurai is the Senior Chef at The Madaras Kafe. This is one of the restaurant's signature dishes

Yera Kuthu Paratha

Kothu means ‘minced’ in Tamil, where the small strips of soft and flaky parottas are coated with a medley of spices and salna (gravy) then pounded into a mince using the edge of a flat spatula. Egg Kothu Parotta is prepared with shredded parotta tossed in a sautéed onion-tomato mixture, scrambled eggs and salna. In this dish, prawns are added to the mix. It’s a meal on its own, very filling and full of flavour, much like Chennai itself. Any street food restaurant worth its salt has kothu parotta on the menu, and its many avatars are relished all over the city.

Hushmoin Patell is the Executive Chef.of The Raintree, Anna Salai. This dish is a specialty at the Madras restaurant.

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