Chennai :Tales behind taste

Akila Kannadasan  TH : January 10, 2014 18:21 IST  

What is the one thing that is constant in the streets of Chennai? 

Well, food. Akila Kannadasan probes a little and finds that many of our street-food options come with interesting stories. 

Here are some…

Noor serves Atho at George Town. Photo: Akila Kannadasan

Atho

Mohammed Ibrahim’s customers do not like to talk. Not when they are eating off ceramic plates piled high with an orange mass — the famous Burmese atho of Second Line Beach Road, George Town. This concoction of cabbage, noodles, and onions, has been attracting people from the city for over three decades.

We watch as Ibrahim’s son Noor mixes the ingredients in a huge silver basin. As he stands on a raised wooden platform surrounded by masalas and vegetables, he looks like a magician performing a trick. Noor sprinkles a little bit of this and a little bit of that, mixes the mass, scoops it on to a plate, and hands it over to the hungry customer.

“I was born in 1962 at the gymkhana hospital in Burma. My father drove boats for a living,” recalls Mohammed. After he came to India in 1969, Mohammed’s mother taught him to make the Burmese delicacy. It has been 32 years since he set up shop.

So, what’s in the atho? The dish consists of noodles, shredded cabbage, onions, coriander leaves, split channa flour, chilli powder, oil, tamarind and lime juice, which are mixed by hand and served with a sprinkling of fried onions and garlic. There are around seven atho shops in the area. These also serve masala eggs (slit boiled eggs stuffed with a chilli-based masala) and atho fry (atho simmered on a tawa with scrambled eggs). Though Mohammed’s customers are predominantly men, he also gets families who stop by for take-away. But the best way to enjoy atho is to eat it on the street, taking in the flavours as vehicles trundle past.

Sweet bondas at a tea kadai in T. Nagar. Photo: Akila Kannadasan

Sweet bondas

Tea kadais are little wonders that serve the best quick snacks. These shops have character — the streets of Chennai are full of them. The piping hot tea, served in thick glass tumblers, is sweet and thick. Every tea shop serves samosas and masala vadais, but it’s the sweet bonda that won my heart. Golden brown with a smooth exterior, it is round and a little bigger than an egg. One bonda costs Rs. 5.

It’s soft, with a tinge of sugar, and does not drip oil, despite being deep-fried. Wash it down with tea and you are pepped enough to fly. The bondas are cooked in masses, alongside other tea shop snacks in units in Vannarapettai. Salesmen pick them up much before dawn and deliver them at tea shops in the city.

Vettri is among them. A native of Tiruvenveli, his day begins at 4 a.m. He cycles to Vannarapettai from Adyar and delivers samosas and bondas to the tea kadais in T. Nagar and Pondy Bazaar — his day ends at 3 p.m. “The bonda is made of maida and sugar. Yeast is added and the mix is set aside for five hours and is then deep fried,” he informs. Vetri is always racing against time when on duty. He flatly refuses to be photographed. “I can’t slow down. I have to keep moving…” he says as he pedals away.

Keerai vadais at Bommai chathiram. Photo: Akila Kannadasan

Keerai vadai

Its 3 p.m. and the residents of Peialwar Veedhi, a narrow street abutting the Triplicane Parthasarathy temple, are having their afternoon snooze. But work has just begun at the bommai chathiram. Amulu stands alone in the chathiram’s dining hall, making keerai vadais. Kolu dolls peep out from the loft as she mixes the urad batter, greens, and coconut slices. “This place belonged to my grandmother Navaneethammal. It was built in 1960 — there was a time when it was a famous wedding hall. During the Navaratri season, we sell dolls here; this is how the place came to be known as bommai chathiram.”

Amulu’s keerai vadais are well-known in the area. She serves it with a generous helping of sambar and chutney. She makes around 30 every evening, which get sold off as soon as she opens her hotel on the ground floor. Amulu also makes bondas and puris for dinner — but it’s the vadais that are sought-after. The best thing about the keerai vadai experience is the feeling that you are eating at a place where hundreds of weddings took place once upon a time.

Zahir Hussain sells seempal at T.Nagar. Photo: Akila Kannadasan

Seempal

It looks like a piece of the moon. Zahir Hussain slices a bit of it and hands it over, egging me to try it. It’s soft, moist, and mildly sweet — for a moment, I forget that I am on the bustling Usman Road. It’s a taste that brings to the mind green fields and grandmother’s food. Who would’ve thought that steamed seempal (cow’s first milk) was sold in T. Nagar? Zahir sells a slice for Rs.10.

A family in Minjur which has connections with farms at Madhavaram and Gummudipoondi, has been making the delicacy for several years. Salesmen such as Zahir pay around Rs.1, 500 for a five kg cake of steamed seempal and sell it at crowded locations in the city and during temple festivals. “Elaichi, white sugar, or palm sugar is added to the milk which is steamed similar to idli,” explains Zahir. He adds that the exact method of preparation, however, is a closely-guarded secret.

Kvuni arisi puttu. Photo: Akila Kannadasan

Kavuni arisi puttu

Traditionally, kavuni arisi or black rice is served for a girl as soon as she attains puberty. Known to be extremely nutritious, a puttu made with the rice is available for just Rs. 10 in the city. Ibrahim makes it at home every morning and sells it at market places with a sprinkling of grated coconut and sugar. The deep red puttu with a dash of white is absolutely delicious. You can find Ibrahim on Usman Road and Ranganathan Street from 1.30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Hospitality team at a corner house in Kulandaivelu Street , Purasaiwalkam ,Chennai

For the past eight years, K. Ganesh and his mother have been serving rice gruel to passers-by every Friday. Photos: Susanna Myrtle Lazarus

 Chennai  :The hindu :Susanna MYRTLE LAZARUS:December 29, 2013

Every Friday morning, a mother-and-son duo at Kulandaivelu Street stops passers-by and serves them rice gruel and pickle. Susanna Myrtle Lazarus reports

Early on Friday mornings, passersby on Kulandaivelu Street in Purasaiwalkam are pleasantly surprised by an offering of kanji from a bespectacled man.

For K. Ganesh and his mother, Ramani Kandavelu, it is a weekly ritual they have performed for eight years now.

Every Friday morning, they hand out a hearty, warm, rice gruel along with pickle.

Ganesh, who runs an Internet browsing centre in the neighbourhood, says, “We want to give everyone a good meal to start off the day. It is important to those who are on their way to work.”

Long-time residents of the corner house on Kulandaivelu Street, the mother and son were inspired by the teachings of Arutprakasa Vallalar Chidambaram Ramalingam or Vallalar as the saint is commonly known. Mrs. Kandavelu says, “We used to provide rice and donate money to the foundation in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar. One of the elders there suggested that we spread the love in our own neighbourhood.” They provide the money to the foundation.

It’s not just the working class who stop to take a glassful or more. Those in cars and bikes too stop to partake of their hospitality.

Then there are the regulars like S.S. Ramesh, who has been making the weekly stopover for the past one year. “I deliver newspapers and run errands for shopkeepers here in the morning. After that, I work as a delivery man for a company on Godown Street. I look forward to Friday mornings as I can talk to Ramani madam and Ganesh sir,” he says.

Mrs. Kandavelu is very interested in the lives of the people who visit her regularly and reels off a list of achievements of the children who used to stop by and chat with her on their way to school while having a quick glass of kanji. “Some of them are in very good jobs. When they shared their troubles, we did the best we could to help them so I am happy that they have done well for themselves,” she says as she enquires with a lady about how her granddaughter is doing.

Ganesh downplays the contribution they have been making to those around them by saying that it is just a small gesture. 

Eateries around Chennai concert halls seize the opportunity

Food and music: The special stall put up by Sri Krishna Sweets near Narada Gana Sabha. Photo: M. Karunakaran.

T S Atul Swaminathan The Hindu 14 Dec 2013

From special stalls to new menus, they are trying every smart way to woo the rasikas to their food counters, says T.S. Atul Swaminathan

It is that time of the year when Carnatic music aficionados flock to the Sabhas for performances by their favourite singers and dancers. And it is the time when eateries around these Sabhas expect brisk business.

Hotels, restaurants and tea stalls proximate to these sabhas look hopefully to the rasikas who prefer to eat outside rather than at the sabha canteens, which are bound to be crowded.

A good number of them try to be proactive by offering special menus.

Hotel Shelter at Mylapore has, for instance, woos the Rasikas through something it has introduced for this music and dance season: Varieties of Dosas offered as part of the evening menu.

“The new menu offered for this season has elicited a good response. We have a mixed crowd, which includes families and youths. They come and discuss the performances of artistes and upcoming concerts,” says A. Amarjothi, executive, F&B, at the hotel.

Some are more aggressive in wooing the rasikas. Sri Krishna Sweets has put up a special stall at Narada Gana Sabha, as part of the season. A. Rammiah, restaurant manager, Sri Krishna Sweets, says the stall will be kept till January 2. “Business during the music season is good. There is a mixed crowd,” he says.

S. Jayachitra, B. Rajalakshmi, and B. Radha, a trio that runs a tiffin centre opposite a popular Sabha, say the business picks up in the evening due to the music season.

“But the drivers create problems by parking the vehicles near the entrance, which is designated as a no-parking zone. When we ask them to park their vehicles elsewhere, they yell at us and drop big names,” says on of them.

There are other voices with different stories to tell.

C. Jawahar, executive, Food & Beverages, at one of largest vegetarian restaurant chains in the world, says the business is the same as before. “There is a drop in the party bulk booking orders as many people prefer not to celebrate auspicious functions till January 14. Otherwise, we have the usual crowd coming in during the evenings,” he adds.

A. Poornima, a coconut vendor, says the music and dance season has not done much for her.

“Though many attend the music concerts and dance performances in the city, business is dull. As there is a biting chill in the air in the evenings, people prefer hot snacks,” she points out.

Simple formula keeps this mess afloat in Triplicane ,Chennai

People dining at Kasivinayaka Mess at Akbar Sahib Street, Triplicane. 

Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

The Hindu : Prashanthradhakrishnan ;Chennai:2 Dec 2013

While many eateries of its kind have pulled down the shutters and disappeared without a trace, Kasivinayaga Mess in Triplicane continues to do roaring business. Prasanth Radhakrishnan on what keeps it going

First things first. A mess is a mess and not a hotel because of two things. The menu for each meal is fixed – one does not get to order. It is mainly those in the know who flock to the mess – unlike your average hotel near a bus stop or at a junction, the mess does not cater to much of what is called ‘the floating crowd’.

 As a member of the above-mentioned crowd, I missed the place twice. Located off Parthasaraythy Street, itself located off Bells Road, Kasivinayaga Mess (Vegetarian) would have been missed again were it not for the small group of people waiting patiently in front of its small door.

 Puzzled over why the crowd was lingering outside when there were clearly vacant seats inside, I confidently strode in, and mildly shocked, bought a token for meals plus curd for Rs. 61. (I had read stories of meals costing Rs. 23).

A view of the Kasivinayaka Mess at Akbar Sahib Street, Triplicane

 Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

Small tables and stools – 40 of them – were arranged in four rows. In seats 20 – 40, people were immersed in their food. Most of the seats 1-20 were vacant except two where people were winding up. The answer presented itself when the two stragglers left and suddenly, the crowd outside came in quietly, bought tokens and took their seats.

 Lunch, evidently, was to be had together even if you did not know or did not want to know you neighbours at the table. K. Vasudevan has the content expression of a man who has run a well-known business for 40 years. He began Kasivinayaga Mess, encouraged by the response he got from running one in Presidency College in the 70s, a time of great student unrest. “My principles, then as now, are the same.

 I buy the vegetables every morning and no leftovers served,” he says. They seemed to have helped, for nearly 500 customers throng the mess at a time when the once-hundreds of messes have come down to dozens. “The messes miscalculated,” he admits. “They were making food for a 1,500 people when there were only a 1000. That combined with the increase in fast food places saw many of them shut down,” he says.

In seat number 18, alongside my ‘batch’-mates, I notice everyone laying their token chips on the table, so to speak. A man rushes past, collecting them and the familiar ritual begins. The washing of the plantain leaf, the poriyal (thankfully coconut laced) and kootu and then the rice accompanied by ghee and paruppu.

 The rice is a bit sticky but the rest of the stuff tastes great. It might be a limited meal but it sure is filling though what strikes me is the speed at which everyone is wolfing down their meals. I pride myself to be a fast eater and I am disconcerted.Vasudevan seems to be no fan of doctors. “They keep advising people to be health-conscious and eat cha

pathis. In fact, some customers have even requested us to serve chapathis but I am not for it. We’ve maintained a balance all these years, serving particular combinations of vegetables that are both popular and healthy,” he says. However, the doctors seem to have had their impact.

The number of customers has gone down at night. “It is mainly the regulars who still come here, especially employees from government offices and other firms in the vicinity, that too for lunch,” he says. It does not help that prices of vegetables have been rising steeply as have been labour costs, he adds. All-in-all, I made good time.

 By the time, rice was had with sambar, rasam and curd, half the people of my batch were still eating. It was a classic working day meal, not much time spent on musing about the ambiance or the service – rather an extremely quick but satisfying interlude before a few more hours of sitting in an office. As I step out, Vasudevan is talking to an old-timer, an erstwhile customer of the late 70s who later moved to another part of the city. 

The customer, an ex-AIR employee has a ton of stories of his own, of interviews and shows and of how Kasivinayaga Mess would supply food to his office when all shutters were down due to strikes in those tumultous times. “Vasudevan’s wedding was really memorable. The food was from the mess and many of us regulars went and had a lovely lunch,” he laughs. “I make it a point to stop by when I come to this part of the city,” he adds.

Meanwhile, Vasudevan goes inside and returns with a packet full of paruppu podi, whose virtues the customer had been extolling. As he would say, “Ten people might shout at you for various reasons but the one customer who sings praises of your food is what makes your day.”

A taste of Mint Street,Chennai

Flavours of the Street: Vishnu's Chaat shop at Mint street draws many people. 
Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam

The Hindu ,Shivani Pandey :2 Dec 2013

Residents who have left the neighbourhood and moved to other parts of the city keep returning to Mint Street for Vishnu chaat's items. Shivani Pandey on his success story

For those regularly passing through Mint Street, Vishnu is a familiar stranger. For some though, he is the man who serves them mouth-watering chaat items day after day.

For around 40 years, Vishnu has been selling his goodies from the same spot on Mint Street. Therefore, residents of Sowcarpet who have long shifted out of the neighbourhood but have retained a taste for his gastronomic preparations, know where to find this hawker. There are indeed erstwhile residents who make regularly make visits to Mint Street just for his samosa, pani puri and cutlet, among other things.

Ajay and his wife, an aged couple, say they left left Sowcarpet five years ago, but keep returning to it to have Vishnu’s pani puri.

Vishnu says, “He thanks his grandfather Babulal and father Ramaswarup Sharma for what he is now. His grandfather used to sell kulfi, but due to poor earnings, shifted to selling chaat items. During those days, people craved chaat items. After six years, my dad took over from my grandfather. The mantle was passed on to me fifteen years ago,” he says.

He recalls how he would, after school-hours, get trained by his dad in preparation of these snacks: He would stand beside his dad and patiently watch the process. The long hours at the shop did not exasperate Vishnu. “I was more interested in cooking rather than studying,” he says.

The drills of discipline he was subjected to early on, now help him as a hawker. He says he wakes up at 4 a.m. for preparing all chaat items. From 11 a.m to 9 p.m., I will be at Mint Street selling them. After 3 p.m., the sales get intense. On special days – such as Diwali and Rakshabandhan – people wait in queues to buy these chaat items, says Vishnu.

Nikita, a customer, says, “I loves the flavour of his pani puri and do not mind standing in a queue for it.” He is at present going through a lean patch. He explains, “This year, sales are down mainly due to two reasons: increasing competition among chaat item sellers and skyrocketing prices of vegetables and other food items.”

He is however still happy that he earns enough for his family, which consists of his parents and a brother.

Amma canteen helps with hygiene at GH,Chennai

Apart from patients’ attendants and visitors, hospital workers too 
have been found making a beeline to the canteen that was 
opened on November 20. Photo: B. Jothi R

The Hindu :serena Josephine M ; 1 dec 2013

Unlike earlier, fewer people consume food in the wards and corridors: doctors

More than a week after an Amma canteen was opened at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (GH), there is visible difference in the hygiene condition on the hospital’s premises. Unlike earlier, fewer people consume food inside the hospital wards.

“The number of those consuming food inside the wards and in the corridors has reduced after the canteen has opened here,” said a doctor at the hospital.

Apart from patients’ attendants and visitors, hospital workers too have been found making a beeline to the canteen that was opened on November 20.

“I used to spend at least Rs. 30 on lunch, a few days of the week, or eat at the hospital canteen. Now, I get lunch for Rs. 5 and this helps save a lot of money,” said Lakshmi (name changed), a hospital contract worker.

Another hospital worker said the canteen does not have parcel service and discourages people from bringing containers to take away food.

A member of the canteen staff said several hospital workers and security guards consume food at the canteen. “Initially, hospital workers did not want to wait in the queue citing the limited time available for lunch. But now, we have persuaded them to stand in queue and get tokens,” he said.

He said on an average, at least 600 to 700 persons come to the canteen every day.

For instance, on November 28, the canteen sold 6,411 idlis, 1,053 plates of pongal for breakfast, 938 plates of sambar rice, 532 plates of curd rice and 308 plates of lemon rice for lunch, according to officials of the Chennai Corporation

The GH receives 12,000 out-patients every day. It has 3,000 in-patients, and their attendants and visitors constitute a sizeable population.

“Sometimes, a patient gets five visitors and the number goes up if the patient is here for a surgery. Most of these visitors sit in the corridors and consume food. They end up dirtying the place. The situation has changed to a large extent now. Maintaining the cleanliness of the hospital has become easier,” said V. Kanagasabai, dean of GH.