he Madras Food Truck offers a melange of flavours to beach-goers in Besant Nagar

Orange with a chance of meatballs

If you have been visiting Elliot’s beach in Besant Nagar, you may have seen this cheerful orange food truck featuring an image of the Marina lighthouse. What is even more unmissable is the aroma of hot, buttery pasta mingled with Chinese fried rice, wafting from it.

 

The Madras Food Truck was launched in March last year. “The younger generation is curious to know more about food trucks but the older generation thinks we are just street vendors,” smiles Anand.

Ranjith takes care of the food. He previously worked as demi chef de partie at The Oberoi, Bengaluru and Hyatt Regency, Delhi. “Our cuisine is a fusion of Indian, Chinese, Italian, American and continental,” says Anand. Their focus is on using fresh ingredients. “We used to serve fries, but we stopped as we had to freeze the semi-boiled potatoes. Also, we have fish on the menu, only when there is a fresh catch,” says Anand.

Their honey chilli potato is a favourite among clients. The potatoes are tossed with a combination of spicy sauces and fried to crispy perfection.

Other popular starters include lotus stem, baby corn and barbecue chicken wings. The Italian mushrooms and white sauce pasta are well received too.

“Many customers have told us that the pasta they’ve eaten at fancy restaurants — typically costing ₹400 a dish — is not as good as ours. That’s the comment we’ve always longed to hear,” smiles Anand.

They also serve seafood: crunchy fish sticks topped with peri-peri mayonnaise and squid with addictive Indian masala.

However, it is the desi Chinese fried rice that is the star of the menu. “The cooking method is different from the traditional Chinese style, and we add a secret ingredient that’s found in everyone’s home,” grins Anand, mysteriously. The brothers enjoy running the truck: they say people who visit regularly have become friends. “Some customers encourage us to start more food trucks, and are even willing to invest in the business,” says Anand. They’re planning to scale up by starting a truck dedicated to South Indian cuisine before the end of the year. The Madras Food Truck is parked at Fourth Main Road, Besant Nagar and is open between 6 pm and 11 pm.

Mouth-watering vegetarian dishes of India

Goa – khatkhate, Almixacuti & Goan nevri

West Bengal - Luchi-ghugni, begun bhaja (fried brinjal), aloo posto (potatoes cooked in poppy seeds paste), and mochar ghonto (banana flower and potato curry). Bengali sweets, such as rosogulla, chomchom and sandesh.

Uttar Pradesh

Aloo puri puffy, crispy puris and piping hot potato curry. sweets petha, peda and rewari.

Kerala - A must-have foodie experience in Kerala is the sadya, which is served on a banana leaf. Avial, appam (type of pancake), porotta (flaky, layered flat bread), vegetable stew, idiyappam (rice noodle cakes) and puttu (steamed rice cakes with coconut) to match with kadala (chickpea) curry.

Karnataka - Mysore dosa smeared with a spicy garlic and red chillies chutney. Neer dosa (made with runny rice batter), allugedda (mashed masala potatoes) and bisi bele bath (made with rice, lentils and veggies).  Traditional sweet Mysore pak.

Sikkim - Food is mostly influenced by Nepalese and Tibetan cuisine. Momos and thukpa to delicacies like gundruk (leafy vegetable), Sikkim has some unique dishes to offer.

Telangana - Shahi tukda the Hyderabadi pudding comprises fried bread topped with condensed milk and flavored with a hint of cardamom and saffron. Sarva pindi  (a type of savory pancake), pachi pulusu (tamarind soup), polelu (flat bread stuffed with jaggery) and baghare baingan (brinjal curry).

Jammu and Kashmir - Dum-aloo, which is fried potatoes cooked in a curd-based gravy. Lyodur Tschaman (cottage cheese cooked in a turmeric-based gravy) and paneer chaman (cottage cheese prepared in milk). Breads such as sheermal and baqerkhani. 

Odisha - Mouth-watering desserts such as ras malai, chhenapoda and rasabali. The vegetarian dishes that commonly figure in a main course meal here include dalma (a green gram preparation), pakhala bhata (a rice dish) and santula (vegetable curry). 

Mizoram - Chhum han is a simple dish made of steamed vegetables. Koat pitha (banana fritters), paanch phoron torkari (mixed vegetables) and bamboo shoot fry.

Gujarat - Khandvi is made with gram flour, the rolled snack is served with chutney. Snack on like dhokla, thepla, muthiya, fafda, khichu. Mohanthal, ghari and basundi are must-try sweets.

Tamil Nadu - Dosa, uttapam has toppings of bell pepper, onion and tomato. Idli, vada, dosa, lemon rice, sambhar, rasam, banana bondas, milagu pongal (savory rice dish) and murukku

Haryana - A paradise for vegetarians, Kadhi pakoda (gram flour balls cooked in curd), sangri ki sabzi (a preparation of stringy beans) and a variety of khichdi (rice and lentil dish) and dal preparations. Buttermilk is one of the much-loved drinks. Gulfi at Delhi.  

Madhya Pradesh - Poha-jalebi  the classic breakfast combinations here is poha (lightly fried flakes of flattened rice) paired with jalebi. With scrumptious dishes such as bhutte ki khees (corn cooked in spices and simmered in milk) and dal bafla (baked wheat balls with dal), Madhya Pradesh sure offers a good mix for food connoisseurs.

Rajasthan - Dal baati from the traditional dal baati churma (a dish made of lentils), gatte ki sabzi (made of gram flour), bikaneri bhujiya (crispy snack) to sweets like balushahi, ghevar and Alwar's milkcake, there are ample of dishes in Rajasthan to please all taste buds.

Andhra Pradesh - Known as pulihora or puliyodharayi, tamarind rice is a tangy rice preparation infused with tamarind pulp. Other well-liked dishes from the state include poornalu (rice flour stuffed with jaggery mixed dal paste), mamidikaya pappu (raw mango dal), koora (curry) and panasapottu koora (jackfruit curry).

Maharashtra - Vada pav from puran poli to vada pav and pav bhaji, the land of Marathas has some of the best food in the country. Other famous food from this region include missal pav, batata vada and modak.

Assam - Aloo pitika, a mashed potato preparation, other signature dishes include xaak aru bhaji (leafy vegetable stir fried), oou khatta (chutney made of elephant apple) and a variety of pithas (rice cakes).

Arunachal Pradesh - Bamboo shoots are used as an ingredient in most recipes. A separate dish prepared entirely with tender bamboo shoots is one of the most popular of the state.

Bihar - Staple food litti chokha (whole wheat flour balls with a stuffing of roasted gram flour) and sattu recipes like sattu paratha. Thekua (sweet dish), balushahi (dessert), dhuska (deep fried snack) and suran chutney (made of elephant foot yam).

Jharkhand - sweet Malpua (deep-fried pancake) and thekua & litti chokha.

Punjab - Makke di roti and sarso da saag (made of corn and mustard leaves). Lip-smacking Amritsari kulcha and lassi (yogurt-based drink).

Uttarakhand - Bal mithai is a dessert made with roasted khoya and coated with sugar balls. Apart from this, Uttarakhand has some unique dishes like the bhaang ki chutney (made with hemp, mint leaves and green chillies), Garhwal ka fannah (a dal preparation), baadi (a type of porridge), jhangora ki kheer (cereal-based dessert) and Kumaoni raita (a curd preparation)

Chhattisgarh - Muthia the dumpling served with chutney is made from rice batter mixed with spices and chopped onion. Aamat (tangy soup made with bamboo shoots), dubki kadhi (a kadhi preparation with chana dal dumplings) and chousela (rice puri).

Himachal Pradesh - Babru - Stuffed with black gram, this is a Himachali version of the popular kachoris. The Himachali pulao made with rice, nuts, spices and fruits is also a staple of the state. Apart from this, sweet, saffron-flavored rice known as meetha zafrani chawal and makhana raita (lotus seeds and curd preparation) are also popular.

Amma in the kitchen Shree Konar Vilas, Besant Nagar

“We will try just a few of their specialies,” says Harish. Fifteen minutes later, the table is covered with food – creamy brain masala, fluffy mutton kari dosai and their special kudal (intestine) tava fry. There are also the crowd pleasers: mutton chukka, bum parotta, veechu parotta, and pepper chicken 65. And of course, a pot of fregnant mutton biryani.

 

“We are known for home-style Madurai food. The recipes  are all by the owner’s mother, who still cooks in the central kitchen,” sats the beaming manager. Harish is a fan of the restaurant, which opened as a cramped space in purusaiwalkam in 2018. They recently launched this Besant Nagar branch.

Hot appams at nameless stall of Royapettah

The stall is seen only during the morning rush hour serves where many stop by to grab a quick breakfast on their way to work. 

The familiar aroma of appam and coconut milk hits the busy Venkatachalam Street in Royapettah every morning around 7 am.  cloud-white appams on an iron wok, Muniyamma Vishwanathan, who started the stall 35 years ago, walks in with the air of a supervisor, yelling out orders to the kitchen where Vatsalam and Vanitha — her daughter and daughter-in-law — stand. Pointing to Muniyamma, Vatsalam says, “My mother started this business. I remember tagging along, ever since I was 10 years old. Back then, we used to sell four idlis for ₹1.”

Owing to health issues, Muniyamma stopped the business a few years back, and her family took over — but she is still involved in it. They also had a brief hiatus when the apartment behind the stall was being constructed, into which they moved in eventually. Now, specific roles have been assigned to the family members — while Vanitha cooks from their home kitchen upstairs, Vatsalam and others make hot appams in the temporary facility as Karpagam takes orders and serves the customers.

Many customers carry parcels to work, says Vatsalam. Others — mostly employees at nearby offices — drop in for a quick breakfast. Regular customers also get the luxury of telling them how they want the dishes done. “If people want their eggs half boiled, scrambled or otherwise, we get it done. Some of them also ask for mutta dosa which we prepare according to requirement,” she explains. Other dishes served are: vadacurry (with appam), kurma, dosa, idli, chutney, sambar, omelettes and other egg items.

The stall serves, until 11.30 am — “sometimes it goes on till noon even,” Vatsalam says, as she serves more appams to the “bhaiyya.”
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The Dahlia City’s  oldest Japanese restaurant, catering to chennai’s many asian expartriates

Dahlia is at 37, Kaveri Comlex, 96, Nungambakkam High Road. Call 9840059852 

Happy tummies

Nei Idly Sambar is named after its speciality dish — big white fluffy idlis, doused in fragrant ghee and soaked in spicy, flavourful sambar. In addition, it also offers four varieties of podi idli (spicy, karvepillai, ellu and poondu) fiery and gleaming with a vibrant orange coat, idli with vadakari, filter kaapi and goli soda. “Since this is a Chennai-based food truck, we wanted the dishes to be quintessentially Chennai. The ghee used is made by Aditya’s aunt. “It’s organic and smells great,” he says. The batter for the idli too is made by her. With plans to add one new dish every month, recipes are being tested out. Uthappam and a few varieties of dosa (ghee, chilli cheese and podi) are in the offing. Among their ambitious plans is something called lava idli.

Nei Idly Sambar is open from 6 pm to 11 pm at Drive ‘n’ Eats, Vasu Street, behind Ega Theatre, Kilpauk. For details call: 9840561061

Alien Stone

Flashes of electric pink light radiate from a hulking black object at Palavakkam Beach. Fear not, it’s just Alien Stone, a food truck that’s been a regular at this spot since October 2018.This truck has all the fast food favourites: golden fries (in seven varieties including mushroom, lime and cheese), burgers, fish fingers and milk shakes. They even make steaks.

On most evenings, their solid assorted burgers, no bun burgers and prawn frizzles draw crowds who surround the food truck, like fans around a rockstar. While customers wait, they can play a game of Speed of Light — an arcade game — that’s built into the side of the vehicle.

The kitchen has three people whipping up the dishes, “We make sure to clear out the stock for the day with some special offers at night, so we get fresh products daily,” he says.

Alien Stone is parked at Karunanidhi Beach Road, Palkalai Nagar, Palavakkam. It is open between 5.30 pm and 11 pm. For details, call: 8939866899

MIDNIGHT MOR

in Thousand Lights leads customers to Rajan, selling chilled buttermilk off his old TVS 50

Tufts of yellow sponge peek out of the torn black seat of a classic green TVS 50 parked on Murugesan Complex Road, Greams Road. Mounted on it is a red plastic pot serving fresh buttermilk, every night between 9 pm and 4 am.

Eighteen years ago, he sold the buttermilk off his TVS 50 for ₹3. Today, the drink costs ₹30 and Chetta employs four people at his shop.

He now sells tea, veg puffs, bun-butter-jam, samosas and veg rolls as well. Chetta also takes catering orders for wedding and parties. “Our USP is that we function during the night”, says D Arvind who has been working at Chetta’s for 13 years. “Even at 2 am in the morning, there are customers flooding in. It is mostly IT workers who come at that hour. Our customers are mainly from Sowcarpet and Nungambakkam, but some come from Ambattur, Avadi, Poonamallee, ECR and Kovalam as well,” he says.

Rajan says that the curd for this buttermilk comes from a dairy farm in Walajabad, Kanchipuram district. “The curd arrives at 4 am and we make around 50 litres of buttermilk at 4 pm everyday.”

With visibility on the Internet, location availability on Google Maps and open options of Google Pay, PhonePe and Paytm for payments, Chetta Buttermilk is customer-friendly. “We hope to tie up with Zomato within a month’s time,” he says.

 

Triplicane Ramadan Walk

Against the fading evening light, the Big (Wallajah) Mosque stands tall in Triplicane and is brimming with people, all decked up. Soon, it will be time to break the fast. And so, we are guided to the right wing of the mosque where a line of women sit on cane mats, their bowls filled with generous amounts ofnombu kanji . We too, are asked to sit and before we know it, we are being served:nombu kanji, vegetable fried rice, onion samosas, rose milk and so on. They don’t heed to our repeated requests to serve less -- “No, it’s okay, please have as much as you can” and move to the next line. Before long, as theazaanresounds in the air, everyone begins feasting.

This is from where the fourth edition of The Park Ramadan walk begins, to discover the iconic places in Triplicane that serveiftardelicacies. “This mosque shows the best example of living in harmony. Many non-Muslims, especially Gujaratis and Sindhis, set up shop during Ramzan. In fact, they make the food and serve too,” says Chef Ashutosh Nerlekar, who curated the walk.

After a one-and-a-half kilometre walk, we reach Fakir Street which houses the famous Basha Halwawala: the board outside declares “no branches” as the empty ‘New Basha Halwawala’ looks on from the opposite side.

Dumka roat is the first dessert in line. Easily the highlight of the walk, this sweet is the perfect combination ofsooji, khoa,ghee and sugar. It has a gooey consistency and the strongly caramelised bits on top taste like toffee. The sweetness is not overpowering, making a second or third serving possible.

It’s time to end the evening with hot badam milk. An old man on a scooter selling attar directs us to a badam milk outlet, called Mani Lassi Shop. The simmering milk fills a steel cauldron up to the brim. A man scoops up the boiling drink in a ladle and pours it diagonally from atop — the action is done to separate the cream from the milk. As people watch, he serves glass after glass of steaming badam milk; with and without a dollop of cream on top, depending on customer preferences. The milk is a soothing respite to an evening of sampling most of Triplicane’s most colourful culinary secrets.