Now let me pose a question to you. What Chennai does not have? It has good beaches, traditional religious places, historical places and educational institutes. Well, now let me not beat around the bush. I am sure by now you would be murmuring that Chennai is a foodie’s heaven. Now let’s see those dishes in Chennai which you should never miss while travelling here.
1.
Puliyodarai
This authentic dish of Chennai is prepared by mixing boiled rice with tamarind paste, which is cooked specifically for this purpose. This dish is the favorite dish of Tamil Nadu and people generally carry it when they are travelling. And for the uninitiated, this fantastic dish is even served in several temples in Tamil Nadu.
2.
Bisibelebath
A different variety of sambhar, Bisibelebath is made rich with vegetables like small onion, carrot, beans, peas etc. Toor dal, asafetida and tamarind pulp add to the spiciness of this dish. Papad goes well with this dish. You can even have curd mixed with onion and green chillies as the side dish.
3.
Kozhukattai
This snack is prepared with the proper mixture of poornam and rice. Poornam is formed when dal and jaggery is mixed. All the homes in Chennai during Vinayaka Chaturthi will have this mouth-watering dish.
4.
Idli
I would not do justice to this article if I don’t include Idli. It is mostly taken for breakfast by the Chennai people. It’s preparation is very simple; urad dhal and rice are grinded for the flour.
5.
Payasam
Payasam comprises various varieties including milk payasam, vermicelli payasam, dhal payasam etc. Appropriate milk and sugar is added with the necessary dry fruits.
6.
Chicken Chettinad
This is a hit recipe in Chennai and it is prepared with red chillies, cumin seeds, coconut, cardamom, garlic and ginger to name a few. It’s aroma is so tempting that you will feel like having more and more.
7.
Murukku
While there is a tinge of nativity in the name itself; murukku in Tamil means twisted. Being prepared from urad dal flour and rice flour it is a mouth-watering snack. When you are glued to the TV it proves to be a perfect snack..
8.
Chana Sundal
This lovely food is made using white chickpeas. It is stir fried and coconut is added at the last. It is highly sumptuous!
9.
Idiyappam
This is an age-old dish of Tamil Nadu. Rice flour is made into noodle form and eventually steamed. Egg or potato goes well with it. And any spicy side dish will just make your day!
10.
Kothuparotta
This should be definitely tried by non-vegetarians. This is made using egg, salna and meat. For the uninitiated, salna is a fantastic sauce. This Parota is sold mostly in the streets.
11.
Kuzhi Paniyaram
This is a typical Tamil dish and is prepared by steaming batter. The batter is prepared with rice and pulses. And the good thing is that it is prepared in sweet as well as spicy form.
12.
Mysore Pak
This is a sweet that is made with butter. But the specialty of this is that good amount of sugar, ghee and gram flour (and not to miss cardamom!) are used to prepare this. A definite try in Chennai!
13.
Sweet Pongal
This is a sweeter Pongal and is prepared in the festival times of Tamil Nadu. Jaggery gives the desired sweetness for this dish.
14.
Pongal
Have Pongal as breakfast and forget your lunch! Yes, it is that sumptuous. It is made using raw rice, moong dal, pepper and ghee. And what a taste it gives accompanied with sambar or coconut chutney!
15.
Thalapakatti Biryani
This version of Biryani is so typical of Tamil Nadu and its unique masala gives a special taste to it. Generally called as Dindigul Thalappakatti Biryani it is something that is different from other types of Biryanis. In Chennai it is available in Anna Nagar, Velachery, Paris, Besant Nagar, Nungambakkam, Ashok Nagar, Ramavaram, Guindy, Porur, Tambaram, Mount Road, Medavakkam, Mogappair, Central, ECR, OMR etc.
16.
Dosa
Well, it’s the king of Tamil dishes…dosa…it is prepared with the right proportion of rice and urad dhal. You may complain about its frequency but you cannot stop appreciating its taste.
17.
Vada
Deep frying can be best understood when you eat Vada…It forms the menu in most of the Chennai hotels. Whether it is medu vada or sambar vadai or curd vadai it is a beauty in itself.
18.
Koozhu
And now something which has a nutritional facet to it…it was actually widely prepared in most of the Tamil houses of yesteryears. The specialty of this is that it is served in pots. Now also you can see street vendors in Chennai serving this authentic food. It is prepared with ragi along with green chillies and onions. It surely has a distinct taste!
19.
Meen Kuzhambu
There is a special masala that is used for preparing this kuzhambu. Also tamarind is added to the meen kuzhambu. You can either have it with boiled rice or with the delicious dosa.And should I say that the meenvaruval adds life to the kuzhambu?
20.
Filter Coffee
Filter Coffee of Tamil Nadu…sounds too good to resist right? A drink that is prepared with boiled milk and decoction that is got from coffee powder, it is a sure try while in Tamil Nadu…
