A Traditional Iyengar Vegetarian Meal in Chennai
Bio:
Anuradha lives in the heart of Chennai in a home where four generations of her family have lived. She has been cooking for the past 40 years and still enjoys cooking in the traditional style using recipes passed down to her through generations. Anuradha fondly remembers the time she spent at her grandparents’ home, as it was there that she developed her passion for cooking and first learned to cook typical Tamil vegetarian tiffin (breakfast) dishes. Decades later, these dishes are a huge hit with her children and grandchild, and she eagerly looks forward to their visits. Apart from learning from earlier generations, she owes a lot to Andal, the cook who has been with their family for the past 35 years.
“I am very passionate about cooking and feeding people. I love traveling and look forward to sharing my experiences with others, as well as hosting guests from different cultures.”
What to expect:
Cooking Experience:
Enjoy a cooking lesson with Anuradha and learn how to prepare two of the dishes that you will enjoy together. After your lesson sit down together to enjoy your South Indian meal, which will also include several other dishes that will have been prepared in advance.
Meal:
Anuradha will welcome you with a refreshing drink of elanir (tender coconut water). After an introduction to traditional Iyengar Brahmin cuisine, you will join her at the dining table for lunch. You will be served a typical Iyengar Brahmin vegetarian meal along with some family specialties that you may not find in restaurants. Anuradha will walk you through the entire course of the meal, served on a steel thattu (plate) lined with banana leaves with accompanying side dishes served in dhonnais (little bowls made of betel nut plant husks) in a clockwise manner. She will explain the significance of the order in which the dishes are served and consumed.
The meal is rice-centric and each course includes rice served with a different curry starting with sambar (lentil-based vegetable stew), moving onto rasam (a tangy soup), mor kulambu (spiced buttermilk gravy with coconut) and, lastly, yogurt. There will be a wide variety of accompaniments including urulakazhangu karimadu (fried potato), beans and paruppu usili (stir-fried beans and lentils), kosmalli (cucumber, raw mango and lentil salad), rawa vadai (semolina fritter - a family speciality), papadum (traditional rice crisps), homemade banana crisps and green chilli thokku (similar to a spicy pesto). Some desserts like unniappam (deep fried rice, coconut and jaggery dumplings) and akkaravadisal (rice based sweet dish cooked in milk with nuts and dried fruit) will also be served to sweeten the palate. You may also get to try Anuradha’s kancheepuram idli, a family specialty not to be missed. You will end your meal with a strong cup of traditional South Indian filter coffee.
Choose a starting time, either: 11:00am or 6:00pm.
Note:
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