How many of you have heard of a Bihari dish like Litti Chokha or tasted Rasawal, a traditional dessert from Madhya Pradesh? You no longer have to travel across the country to experience these regional flavours. The newly opened Parva in Panaiyur brings together dishes from nearly 23 states across India, giving Chennai diners a rare opportunity to explore the country’s diverse culinary traditions under one roof.
Chef Arupam Baidya, who is also the restaurant’s managing partner, says the idea behind the place was to celebrate India’s diverse food culture. “Parva means celebration in Sanskrit and that is why our tagline is ‘Celebrating India’s Kitchens’. Every dish here represents a region, a story and a culture. Usually, when people think of Indian restaurants in Chennai, the menu is mostly Punjabi or Mughlai cuisine. But India is such a vast country with different ingredients, traditions, and cooking styles. We wanted to bring recipes from different parts of the country under one roof,” he says.
Many of the dishes are difficult to find in restaurants in the city. Arupam says the team consciously stayed away from predictable dishes that are available everywhere. “For example, we don’t serve paneer butter masala or dum aloo because those dishes are already common. Instead, we have paneer tikka masala, where the paneer is cooked in the tandoor before being added to a spicy gravy. In place of dum aloo, we serve Aloo Ke Gutke, a popular dish from Uttarakhand. We have tried our best to bring authentic flavours from different regions while also adding a few innovations of our own, keeping the Indian base intact,” he explains.
One of the highlights on the menu is Litti Chokha, a famous dish from Bihar. According to Arupam, the dish carries a long history. “Litti Chokha is not just food; it has a story that dates back nearly 2,500 years to the Magadha and Mauryan empires. It is one of Bihar’s most celebrated comfort foods,” he says.
The restaurant also places strong focus on sourcing ingredients from their places of origin. Arupam believes the authenticity of a dish depends greatly on the ingredients used. “We try to source ingredients directly from the states they belong to. For example, for a Manipuri dish called Chakhao, we get black sticky rice directly from Manipur. Similarly, we source Gondhoraj lemons from West Bengal. Gondho means fragrance and raj means king, so it is known as the ‘king of flavours’. The aroma and taste are completely different from regular lemons,” he says.
He adds that many guests enjoy hearing the stories behind the dishes just as much as tasting them. “I love explaining the background of the food to guests. They are not just eating a dish, they are also learning something new about the region and its culture,” he says.
Arupam’s love for regional Indian cuisine comes from years of travelling across the country. “Because of my work, I travelled to almost every corner of India. Being a foodie, I was always curious about local dishes and ingredients. Everywhere I went, I would search for food that was unique to that region. Slowly, I realised many people don’t even know these dishes exist. That is where the idea for Parva started,” he says.
Another unique item on the menu is Rasawal, a dessert from Madhya Pradesh. “The word comes from ‘ras’ and ‘chawal’, meaning sugarcane juice and rice. The rice is slow-cooked in fresh sugarcane juice and served with milk separately. When you mix it and eat it, you get the flavour of sugarcane juice in every bite,” he explains.
The menu also includes interesting twists inspired by dishes from different states. One such example is the Potli Egg Curry. Arupam says the idea came from dishes he tasted in Goa and West Bengal. “In Goa, they serve Ros Omelette, where chicken curry is poured over an omelette and eaten with bread. In West Bengal, there is Dimer Dalna, where omelette pieces are cooked in curry. Inspired by both, we created our own version where a boiled egg is wrapped inside an omelette and then cooked in curry. Guests are loving it,” he smiles.
Located along the ECR stretch, the restaurant also hopes to connect with people from across the country who now live in Chennai. “A lot of people from different states live and work in the OMRECR belt. I wanted people walking into the restaurant to feel a connection with the food. Maybe, they recognise a dish from their state or discover something from a neighbouring region. Food has that power to create familiarity and memories,” Arupam says.