All
you
high-flying
metro
dwellers,
who
routinely
make
a
beeline
to
your
McDonalds
and
KFCs,
or
pay
through
your
noses
for minuscule servings
of
bland
pasta,
bamboo
shoots
and
other
exotica
in
the
dim ambiance of
posh
restaurants,
here’s
giving
you
a
whiff
of
the
culinary
delights
waiting
to
be
discovered
on
the
narrow
streets
of
Madurai.
We
confess
to
a
dearth
of
pizzas,
burgers
and
submarines
and
concede
that
‘eating
out’
for
Maduraiites
normally
connotes
a
humdrum
menu
of
naan
and
paneer
butter
masala,
biriyani
and
tandoori
chicken,
noodles
and
fried
rice
with,
of
course,
a
‘dosa
festival’
or
two
tossed
in
for
extra
crispness.
But
who
needs
food
courts,
when
there’s
a
whole
world
of
taste-bud-tickling
fare
to
be
savored
alfresco,
with
surprisingly
acceptable
standards
of
hygiene
to
boot?
Welcome
to
Madurai’s
Rottu
Kadais
(Roadside
shops,
for
the
uninitiated).
Keep
your
eyes
open
in
the
environs
of
South
Masi
Street
for
roadside
carts,
from
whose
sides
sprout
ornamental,
ivory
sprigs
of
blossom
from
the
coconut
tree.
These
barrows
are
stacked
with
log-sized
chunks
of
thennang
kuruthu
– layers
of
bark
are
peeled
away
from
the
trunk
of
the
coconut
palm
to
expose
the
tender
kernel
of
the
stem.
These
wafer-thin,
moist,
crunchy
slices,
packed
in
newspaper,
have
a
delicate
flavor
all
of
their
own.
Head
for
the
East
Marret
Street
area
and
its’
jigger
thanda
– one
of
Madurai’s
best-kept
secrets.
This
ethnic
‘milk-shake’
is
every
bit
as
soul
shaking
as
the
resonance
of
its
name
suggests!
A
scoop
of
‘bhai
ice
cream’
(a
light,
caramel
colored,
utterly
delicious,
home-made
concoction),
some
cold
milk,
a
spoonful
of
jaggery
syrup,
a
dollop
of
edible
seaweed,
a
generous
helping
of
clotted
cream
– in
a
jiffy,
you
have
Heaven
served
up
in
a
Rs.5/-,
Rs.10/-,
or
Rs.15/-
glass.
‘Take
away’
jigger
thanda
is
also
enterprisingly
on
offer
in
little
plastic
pouches.
By
the
way,
all
calorie
-
counting
readers
are
advised
to
ignore
this
paragraph!
The
sweetmeat fastidiously wrapped in plastic and packed in fancy cartons
may masquerade by the name of halwa. But, for the original,
melt-in-the-mouth version, try North Aavani Moola Street or West Veli
Street. Piping hot, oozing ghee, and served on pieces of banana leaf
– that’s the only way to eat any halwa worth its name.
Come
evening
and
it’s
time
to
follow
the
staccato
rhythm
of
iron
spatulas
on
sizzling
tawas,
that
punctuates
street
life
in
several
parts
of
our
city.
You’ll
find
yourself
in
one
of
Madurai’s
inimitable
‘parotta
kadais.’
Have
your
parotta
whole
as
‘saadhaa
parotta,’
minced
as
‘kothu
parotta,’
or
thin
and
crisp
as
‘veechu
parotta,’
accompanied
by
some
form
of
chicken,
egg
or
mutton.
Every
part
of
the
goat
[with
the
notable
exception
of
the
hide
and
hair!]
is
cooked
and
served
in
various
combinations
and
permutations.
Watching
the
‘parotta
master’
kneading
dough
or
wielding
his
spatula
is
as
fascinating
as
any
cordon
bleu
chefs’
flipping
of
pancakes.
A
word
of
caution:
a
‘half
boil’
in
parotta
kadai
parlance
refers
to
an
egg
in
its
fried
avatar
– sunny
side
up,
with
overly
generous
lashings
of
salt
and
pepper
-
and
has
absolutely
nothing
to
do
with
its
cooking
time!
For
that
‘in-between’
something,
the
vadais
at
Karimedu
just
about
hit
the
spot.
The
‘masters’
practiced
hand
is
a
blur
of
motion
between
the over sized bowl
and
the
gargantuan
wok,
as
he
drops
flattened
lumps
of
channa
dhal
batter
into
the
steadfastly
simmering
oil.
As
fast
as
they
are
fried,
the
vadais
-
crisp
and
redolent
with
the
aroma
of
fried
onions
– are
put
into
paper
bags
and
into
the
waiting
hands
of
customers.
The
pristine
white,
piping
hot,
soft
and
fragrant
string
hoppers
[‘idiyappams’
to
South
Indians!]
that
emanate
almost
around
the
clock
from
the
decades-old,
modest
stall
in
East
Veli
Street,
are
teamed
with
sugar
and
grated
coconut
and
have
the
elite
rubbing
shoulders
with
the
hoi
polloi
as
they
await
their
share.
These
hoppers
are
reputed
to
be
easy
on
the
digestive
system
and
are
the
preferred
diet
of
many
patients
in
the
Mission
Hospital
in
the
vicinity.
The
food
handlers
use
plastic
gloves
as
they
pack
the
orders!
This is but a sample of what Madurai’s streets have on offer. We ‘Temple City’ dwellers are absolutely spoilt for choice. So, bring on your Pizza Huts and Baristas – Believe me: our Madurai’s Rottu Kadais are ready to give them a run for their money!
This is but a sample of what Madurai’s streets have on offer. We ‘Temple City’ dwellers are absolutely spoilt for choice. So, bring on your Pizza Huts and Baristas – Believe me: our Madurai’s Rottu Kadais are ready to give them a run for their money!
