The Unsung Foodie Destination of India

For most part of my life when someone asked me about the best city for food in India, I would say, "it must be Delhi or Kolkata".

Now, of course I understand that this is subjective and in a country with a diverse culinary culture like India, it is impractical to call any particular place 'best for food'. Despite that I have been guilty of bestowing this label to the capital of India or the erstwhile capital i.e Kolkata. I realise I have been wrong, not because I labelled a city as best; but because I did not know that there is another city which is the shining star on India's culinary horizon. And if you are a meat lover then probably it will be difficult to find another place that offers as much variety of meat, chicken, fish and egg dishes as this one does.

Ladies and gents, I am talking about the South of South India, a city in Tamil Nadu that even people in Chennai think is too far south to visit. Have you guessed yet? Nope?

Historically, the capital of the Pandian kingdom and in my personal opinion the present food capital of India, Madurai. Yes, Madurai. Now most of us folks who have shuttled around in low fare domestic flights between Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad, this may come as a surprise. But sample this, Madurai restaurants serve tongue to tail meat dishes in extremely flavourful curries and the streets of Seemakal, Mathuthavani and other suburbs of this city are paradise for food lovers despite the chaos and cacophony. Not just that, people from Madurai are extremely proud both of their city and its culinary heritage. I would love for you to go and discover Madurai for yourself, because a blog post can at best provide a super small sneek peek into what is a culinary powerhouse.

So here are a few dishes and where I tried them. They are in no particular order and definitely not in the order of decreasing deliciousness. Nor are these the only places that serve great food, there are many more. Treat this only as a starting point.4

Motta or Egg Dosa:

The name says it all, right? But what it does not do is providing you the experience of biting into a crisp Dosa with an egg on top with  sprinkled spices. For that you will have to visit Madurai. If you are like me who likes Eggs in every form, this Dosa will probably become your favourite. Masala Dosa and Uttapa; etc will fall behind on your list.

Egg dosa is available in other cities across Tamil Nadu as well, though it is a lot more common in Madurai. And the preparation at Simakkal Konar Kadai and the mix of spices they used made it my best Egg dosa experience. Ever.

Restaurant: Simakkal Konar Kadai

Seafood Omlette:

We've all had different types of Omlettes - Masala, Spanish, Mushroom and Tomato. But at least I never thought that Seafood Omlette could be a thing. But apparently it is, in namma Madurai. There is an institution by the name of 'Amma Mess' close to Mathuthavani. And no, it has nothing to do with the ex - CM of Tamil Nadu. It is probably called Amma after the lady from the husband-wife pair that started this place. The place has a bit of a legendary status, and hence the food is slightly more expensive than a regular Madurai kadai(restaurant). But it is still a must visit.

They do a whole range of non vegetarian dishes, from bone roast to brain roast. So if you are a die hard fan of meat, this is the place to prove it. I settled for the Seafood omelette, which I guess had Crabmeat, Prawns and Fish puree blended into an Omlette. It was pretty tasty and the curry leaves and pepper powder on top, added that final bit of satisfying zing.

Where? : Amma Mess

Curry Dosai:

Think of your favourite Tomato or Onion Uttapam. Now think of it, topped with roasted Mutton instead of veggies, and sprinkled with a mixture of Jeera powder and other spices. Not just that, it is then served with a curry and not your regular chutney. Sounds like a delicious adventure, right? Oh yes it is!

If there was one dish for which I will keep going back to Madurai then it would be for the Curry Dosa at Simakkal Konar Kadai. And trust me, once you taste it, you will probably want to move to Madurai.

Evening Street Snacks:

Placing themselves on street corners in Madurai evenings are hand pushed carts that deliver every possible spicy and savoury local snack. It is not just one dish, snacks range from boiled peanuts with onions, fried lentils, boiled or roasted corn, spiced raw mangoes and many others. I am salivating even at the thought of those evenings. I would skip dinner most times only to eat multiple items from these carts, and I was hardly ever disappointed.

Where?:  The best place to find these carts are close to Meenakshi Amman temple in the evenings post 7pm.

Jigarthanda:

It may look like a humble milk based drink, but Jigarthanda is stuff that legends are made of. This coolant of a drink has a hazy origin, but it has been immortalised in Tamil songs and there is even a movie based on Madurai which is called 'Jigarthanda'. 

It is a cocktail of Almond resin, Ice cream, Chinagrass, condensed milk and Basundi. Every person in Madurai swears by it and in a city of so many culinary inventions, that must mean something. I personally rate it better than the Falooda because it is lighter and tastier with the Basundi and Almond resin. So whenever you are in Madurai and want to wash off an indulgent meal, you know what to go for.

Where? : Famous Jigarthanda Shop

Laddu Prasadam:

Now whether you are the devotional type or not, you will agree that the Laddu prasadam from Madurai's Meenakshi amman temple is pure goodness(after you eat it, that is). High on Ghee and Sugar, this one is almost a transcendental experience. 

Where can you find it? - Meenakshi koil - da!

Hope you get to Madurai soon to discover the visual and culinary delights of the city, And when you do, drop me a message, will you?