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 

Choose to grow organic

Farm-to-table or garden to table are concepts that may have seemed unattainable for city dwellers with busy lives till now, but Hari Mitti will make it possible for you. The New Town-based start-up grows over 40 varieties of vegetables, fruits and herbs and air purifying plants that you can plant in your own homes.

If you do not have a green thumb, do not worry. Hari Mitti provides soilfree mulch lined crates that are loaded with vermicompost and cocoa peat and only bring plants to you once they are “hardy enough to survive beyond the nursery.” “Most plants need a lot of care during the seedling stage. Our aim is to take away the hassle of urban gardening. All you need to do is water them,” says founder Surhid Chandra.

Maintenance of the plants is all natural and free of harmful chemicals. “You may even call it organic but we avoid the label since there is no accounting for acid rain or even groundwater,” says Chandra. What he can vouch for is the potency of the nutrient rich greens. “We have had clients who say they cannot stomach coriander and tomatoes from the vegetable seller after growing their own,” he says.

From your garden variety beans to “exotic vegetables like bell peppers broccoli and oyster mushrooms” they grow it all. “We have studied that if one opts for about 30 to 35 crates, then a family of three can sunstain on what they grow and need to only buy potatoes and onions,” says Chandra.

If you want to pass on the gift of growing to friends and family, Hari Mitti has also designed pinewood boxes of herbs. “These small pots already come packed with enough nutrients that they continue to grow without needing extra maintenance,” says Chandra. Price Rs 500 per crate or box plus installation cost Details harimitti.com

Treats of childhood past

How an engineer, craving the candy of his childhood, gave up his job to make high-quality kadalai mittai. Stalin set up a unit at Kariapatti near Madurai in 2015. Today, his brand, called MotherWay Karuppati Kadalai Mittai, is available at 160 organic shops in the State, including Chennai, Madurai, and Coimbatore, besides Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

He has a team of six people working at his unit, and the entire process, right from frying the peanuts, to mixing, cutting, and packing, is done by hand. “We use a clay oven,” explains Stalin.

Karupatti peanut candy has the right amount of sweetness, and is a shade darker than the regular variety. Recently, Stalin launched a line of sweet balls, including peanut, white and black sesame seeds, and coconut, and a multi-grain version made of cashews, fried gram, and peanuts.

“Customers are even suggesting that I make lollipops for their toddlers,” he says. His candies are gaining popularity, and Stalin sees it as his bit for healthy snacks for today’s children. “It’s the Cuckoo Movement for Children (a Tiruvannamalai-based organisation that works with children) that got me thinking on these lines,” he says.

Now based in Madurai — where his wife Gowthami runs the packaging and despatch unit — Stalin markets through his Facebook page and also takes orders online.

He recently posted a photo of a wizened lady sieving sesame seeds. “She’s my grandmother Ilanji Ammal who’s 97 years old,” he says. “She wanted to give me a hand.”

For details, visit www.facebook.com/KaruppatiKadalaiMittai, or call 9994846491.

Colours of Athangudi

The tiles are known to last for over a century without losing colour and texture. Nandhini Sundar reports

Asplash of colour greets you as you enter the work centre in the fascinating village of Athangudi near Karaikudi.

On one side of the thatched-roof work centre lie stacks of freshly dried and finished tiles, while on the other, you can see piles of cement and river sand mixture ready to be used with the cans of striking colours: yellow oxide, red, green, blue, black, white, amongst others.

Athangudi tiles, a common feature in the erstwhile grand Chettinad mansions, are known to last for over a century without losing colour and texture, the tiles only increasing in beauty as they age.

The process

Cement-covered hands pull out the selected frame and after placing the cleaned glass on the frame, proceed to dexterously pour the bright colours into the individual slots of the frame. The frame is then shaken to ensure the oxides poured into the slots spread evenly to the thickness of 3 to 4mm.

The dry mixture of cement and fine sand is sprinkled over this to seal the liquid colours. The sprinkling again requires skill as the thickness of the dry mixture not only has to be perfect, but uniform.

The wet mixture of cement and sand is poured over this, sealing the frame fully and finished with a final sprinkling of the dry mixture.

The emerging handmade tile is left to dry in the shade before it is slipped out of its frame and transferred to the soak pit where it is soaked in water for two days.

Though the frame slips out after the initial drying process, the glass continues to be glued to the tile while being soaked in water. The glass finally slips out once the tile is left to sun dry for about a week.

Skilled workforce

Says Ayyappan, proprietor of Jyothi Tile Works, which has been making Athangudi tiles for over seven decades, “Crafting these tiles appears to be a simple process. But there is a lot of work involved. Getting the right proportion in laying the colours and later packing the cement mixture involves skill and years of experience.”

Interestingly, the tiles can also incorporate handmade designs where there is no fixed frame used to mark the design. “Here, the colour is poured freely, and the design emerges by physically drawing the desired pattern with fingers. The designs in every tile would be unique and cannot be replicated,” he explains.

Needless to add, the hand-designed tiles call for even greater skill when compared to the use of a frame. While the frames can also be customised to suit individual leanings, according to Ayyappan, older designs are more popular today as they offer the feel of traditional Chettinad houses.

Colour options

These tiles are an inch thick and do not break easily. The average vitrified tile, in comparison, is only 5mm to 6mm thick and breaks easily, says Ayyappan. “The colours of the tiles do not fade if the formula opted traditionally is followed,” he says, adding, “Green and blue are best avoided in areas exposed to sunlight while other colours do not react to the exposure.”

Incidentally, the traditional dyes used for the colours a century ago were made from vegetable dyes, hence, the hues were far superior. “Today, we have lost the knowledge behind creating the dyes, and currently it is oxides that are being used.”

While making the tile calls for dexterity and experience, the laying of the tile requires equal expertise as it done differently compared to conventional machine-made tiles. “A cement and lime mixture is applied over the concrete while laying the tiles. The appropriate curing of the tiles is imperative and once laid, they require finishing with a final rubbing using a grain mix,” explains Ayyappan.

Further life is breathed into the laid tiles with a thorough swabbing using coconut oil mixed in water. Since the laying requires skill as well as knowledge of the traditional practice, skilled workmen are employed.

Not only do these stunning handmade tiles usher in the traditional beauty and craftsmanship of our skilled village folk, they also prove to be far easier on the pocket, given that the cost per square foot of a magnificent Athangudi tiled floor is approximately Rs. 50.