Chennai has always been accepting and accommodating of people from all cultures. Denoting this is the popular Tamil phrase, ‘Vandharai vazha vaikum Chennai’. With a long history of immigrant cultures thriving within its peripheries, the city has borrowed many of those cultural fragments and sewn them into its own fabric. That becomes evident in the Madras bashai, in the cityscape, and most importantly, in the food that is loved and devoured every day by its people.
Many of the city’s humble outlets have taken it upon themselves to let multicultural cuisines thrive. While some foods have been adopted by the locals who have given them their own twist, some others have survived the test of flavour profiles.
To experience the latter is as if one is travelling beyond the sub-continent to neighbouring countries, except without even crossing the milestone that reads ‘Chennai 0 km’. And to taste the former is as good as learning history, for it helps one understand how the food once travelled to northern Tamil Nadu and has since stayed. If you are looking for either one of the two, here are plates you must taste.
Lakshmi Akka Kadai
Watalappam, famous among Sri Lankan Moors, travelled to India through trade and familial exchanges, and became atlappam/vattalappam. The dish, over the years, has changed in its texture and ingredients in North Madras, especially to turn into a filling dish for fishers who venture into the sea and don’t return for days on end. But it still retains its custard pudding form among some Tamil Muslim communities. However, widely available and loved by the masses is the North Madras atlappam, a cake-like dense baked delicacy, for which Lakshmi Akka Kadai, located opposite the Swallows bus stop in Tondiarpet, comes highly recommended. Priced under Rs 150, the dish is only available on weekends, between 2 am and 6 am, the time when most fishers venture to sea. Baked on the roadside, on firewood stoves, with earthen pots, atlappam is a crowd favourite that tends to one’s midnight sweet cravings.
Shagul Bhai Atho shop
Reverse migration from Burma resulted in atho and bejo becoming a familiar and popular street food in Chennai. The version of atho that is available here, however, isn’t prepared with the ingredients that the Burmese nationals prepare it with. In the Tamil version, predominantly, fish sauce, dried fish/shrimp, and fried peanut oil are omitted. Instead, garlic oil, locally available chillies, and tamarind are used to suit the palette. Bejo, too, is made with egg, while it is originally served as a crispy fritter made from chickpea or rice flour. And the most revered place to try these dishes is Shagul Bhai Atho shop located in George Town. Prepared out in the open, on the streetside, this shop offers a typical street food experience that omits seafood options, serving chicken, egg, and vegetarian options, each priced between Rs 70 and Rs 200.
Magendran Tea Stall
Sitting in Ennore, famous for Burma roti/naan with a limited range of curry varieties, is Magendran Tea Stall. A safe haven for the working-class population of North Madras, many of whom begin their day as early as 5 am, this tea stall sees crowds lining up outside from 4 am onwards. The dish, a result of reverse migration of Tamil-Burmese people in the 1960s, is an iconic street food that first went from India to Burma as barotta, tweaked itself to suit Burmese locals’ palate that, came to be known as palata, and eventually returned with its Burmese characteristics as Burma roti/naan. At Ennore, baked in traditional charcoal tandoor ovens, the dish is available with vegetarian options including malai and channa. Over the weekend, non-vegetarian options such as aatukal paya and chicken gravy are also available, and a meal here wouldn’t cost over Rs 150-Rs 200.
Momo Sa Khang
Momo Sa Khang, formerly known as Kailash Kitchen, is no secret, for it is one of the widely known Tibetan places in the city. What started as a small eatery on Choolaimedu now has branches in Anna Nagar, Velachery, Besant Nagar, and KK Nagar. Their menu offers momos, dhangthuk, noodles, and beverages, of which their chicken dhangthuk and momos are crowd favourites. Started by Rinchin Tashi, who hails from Lhasa in Tibet, the food here is best known for taste- and quality- based reliability.
Abang Raju’s Nasi Goreng
What began as a small roadside haunt has today turned into an air-conditioned space in Anna Nagar, offering a range of flavourful Malaysian and Singaporean dishes priced nominally. Their signature — nasi lemak and nasi goreng are prepared with ingredients imported directly from Malaysia and Singapore. While nasi lemak is rice served with sambal, peanuts, boiled egg, and fried nethili karuvadu, nasi goreng is a one-pot meal. Some days, they serve nasi kandar, one that went from Indian Muslims to Malaysia, that includes rice, curry, egg, and a fried chicken on the side.