Bite in to These 5 Iconic Dishes of Chennai

Food-a-holics can expect to discover culinary gold in Chennai. The city is famous for its authentic South Indian food. Traditional recipes passed down generations can be found on the menu of almost every eatery in town. Go on a mouthwatering gastronomic adventure and bite into these five iconic dishes in Chennai.

Kuzhi Paniyaram

A dough made out of a batter of black lentils and rice, kuzhi paniyaram can either be steamed or pan-fried. While jaggery is used to sweeten, chillies spice the dish up and roasted curry leaves and mustard seeds serve as a garnish. Kuzhi paniyaram is often served with a coconut or peanut chutney. Definitely a must-try dish in Chennai!

Nethili Fry

One of the advantages of being along the coastline is that the seafood available is freshly caught and oh so delicious! Treat your taste buds to a party and feast on nethili fry. Spicy, crunchy and an anytime appetizer, this dish comprises fried anchovies coated with spices like turmeric and chilli along with garlic paste and curry leaves. You won’t need to go very far for nethili fry as almost all the local eateries have it on their menus!

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Venn Pongal

A breakfast staple and South Indian speciality, venn pongal is a rich combination of rice, clarified butter, pepper, peanuts and cashews. It is best eaten hot and with sambar and chutney! There are other varieties of pongal like puli pongal made with tamarind and chakkara pongal, which has coconut and is sweetened with jaggery. Needless to say, all of them are worth sampling.

Kothu Parotta

Similar to the North Indian paratha, kothu parotta is essentially a parotta dish that is shredded and served with a spicy concoction of eggs, chicken and vegetables. Usually served with chutney on the side, kothu parotta is an extremely popular street food in Chennai so look out for stalls serving this mouthwatering dish.

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Murukku

Literally meaning ‘twisted’, murukku is a savoury snack that has a spiral shape. Made from rice flour and split black lentils, the dough is seasoned with salt and cumin and deep fried. Murukku is lip-smacking especially if you pair it with authentic filter coffee that Chennai is famous for.

And here’s a bonus…

Meals

Not a dish but a gastronomical delight! A traditional meal in Chennai is served on a banana leaf comes with all delicious things like rice, apalam, rasam, sambar and varieties of local delicacies like koyambu, poriyal and kutu along with pickle and curd. Your loss entirely if you miss out!

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