CHENNAI: The food of Madurai can never be substituted or compared with that of other regions. Besides the legendary Meenakshiamman temple, the region is synonymous with food, and you can’t separate one from the other. Madurai draws foodies from around the globe and has become the food capital of Tamil Nadu.
The food here has evolved over the centuries. Madurai has been one of India’s oldest continuously inhabited cities for at least 2,500 years. In this long period, Madurai has come into contact with many cultures, and this has resulted in an enormous evolution of the cuisine too. Hence, there is an endless variation here. There are numerous food stalls selling varied delicacies throughout the day and night, giving the city the moniker Thoonganagaram, literally translating to ‘the city that never sleeps’.
Pandya Nadu cuisine refers to the traditional food culture in the Pandya region, which is primarily Madurai. The common element of this cuisine is the use of coconut, tamarind, and a variety of spices, which results in a cuisine characterised by a balance of flavours often combining spiciness, tanginess, and sweetness.
The major influencers on the food scene here are the Saurashtrians. This community has its roots in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat but migrated to the southern parts of India when Mahmud of Ghazni invaded their lands. They brought with them the delicate art of silk weaving and their delicious cuisine too. A version of Chettinad cuisine, popularly known as Madurai Chettinad cuisine, is prevalent here due to its geographic proximity to the Chettinad region. The delicacies of this cuisine use lots of spices, and you have food that is spicy and flavorful. Apart from these two influences, many dishes have similarities with Nanjil Nadu cuisine and Sri Lankan cuisine due to trade connections and their geographic proximity.
Madurai has the best idli and dosa. According to history, idli has been around for thousands of years and has influences from both Saurashtra and Indonesia. The ones you get here are white and soft and are aptly called mallipoo idli. Another olden-day food still popular is adai, which has been mentioned in Sangam literature too. Idiyappam is yet another star of vegetarian cuisine and is a no-frill, fluffy steamed dish served with chutney and coconut milk. A recent addition to the food scene is the now-famous bun parotta, which looks like a bun but falls apart like a parotta. It beautifully pairs with any gravy or chutney.
The street food of Madurai is one of the best in south India. The lanes around the Meenakshiamman temple instantly envelop you in a world of colour, aroma, and the sizzling sounds of food being prepared. The affordability and accessibility of these flavorful treats, the lively ambience of the bustling streets, and the joy of exploring different stalls create an unforgettable experience for foodies.The stalls predominantly sell vegetarian food, but you also have stalls selling a good measure of non-vegetarian snacks too.
The butter bun of Madurai tops my list. Quite different from the bun-butter-jam found all over, here the bun is smeared liberally with white butter inside and then toasted with butter on the outside. With a generous sprinkling of sugar, it is served hot on a banana leaf. The other street foods that are quite tasty and healthy are the keerai vadais, where spinach is added to protein-rich vadai, and the lacy karupatti appams made of jaggery and served with a dollop of butter.
When it comes to the non-vegetarian fare of Madurai, the elumbu roast warrants a special mention. The goat bones are boiled well and then sautéed with an array of spices and crushed shallots and served in most non-vegetarian joints, famously called ‘mess’. Another non-vegetarian delight is the kola urundai, which is minced mutton and spices fried to a perfectly crisp exterior and soft interior.
When we talk about the food scene in Madurai, how can one not mention the kothuparotta? This culinary masterpiece is made by shredding and tawa-frying the parotta, spices, meat, egg, and salna. The tantalising aroma, the sizzle of the ingredients, and the clattering sound of breaking the parotta with the steel ladle leave your mouth watering. Besides this, a soft, fluffy karidosa with succulent pieces of chukka is a crowd favourite too.
The impact of the Saurashtrian community on the food scene in Madurai is palpable everywhere. The bairis, or mullumurungai vadai, served with roasted gram dal powder tops the list. Next, you have the sojji appams (poori stuffed with kesari), kalkandu sadam, roti halwa, sekki bath (pongal with three types of milk), and more, as the list of Saurashtrian dishes is endless.
Madurai is also home to some delicious drinks. The beverages here can fill your tummy as much as a meal can. The paruthi paal made with cotton seeds, coconut milk, rice, dry ginger, and jaggery is as comforting as it is nourishing. The jigarthanda made with badam pisin, caramel, milk, and homemade ice cream gives a perfect respite from the sweltering heat of Madurai.
Mullu murungaivadai
These piping hot snacks resemble pooris more than vadai. Served with a sprinkle of paruppu podi, it is perfect for evenings. Some recipes use a combination of mullu murungai, murungai, and sitharathai leaves. These are considered to be good for colds, coughs, and hormonal issues.
INGREDIENTS
Raw rice: 3/4 cup
Parboiled rice: 1/4 cup
Pepper: 1 tsp
Jeera: 1 tsp
Geen chilli: 3
Garlic: 5 pods
Mullu murungai leaves: 1 bunch, Rice flour: 1 tsp
For powder
Jeera: 1/2 tsp, Red chilli: 3, Urad dal: 1 tbsp
Pottukadalai: 3 tbsp
METHOD
Soak the rice for three hours. Grind it with pepper, jeera, green chilli, garlic, salt, mullu murungai leaves to a fine paste. Try to grind without adding water. If needed add a teaspoon of rice flour.
Flatten the vadais on a leaf or a baking sheet into thin discs and fry them in medium-hot oil.
To make the powder, roast jeera, pepper, red chillies, urad dal. Grind to a powder along with pottukadalai. Sprinkle the powder on top of the vadais and serve.