Madurai food fest in the city pays culinary tribute to Thoonga Nagaram

CHENNAI: Madurai is renowned not only for its devotional and historical sites, such as the Meenakshi Amman Temple, Theppa Kulam, Gandhi Museum, and Thirumalai Nayakar Mahal, among others. The connection between Thoonga Nagaram and food dates back to the 12th century, featuring a delightful array of dishes.

Turyaa Chennai is organising a food festival that pays a fitting tribute to the culinary heritage of this ancient city. “People from other regions visit Madurai at least once in their lifetime to savour its delectable traditional street foods. We wanted to offer the same experience here while maintaining authenticity. We use homemade masalas, and our dishes are inspired by different villages in the region,” says chef Arun Raja from Turyaa Chennai. To provide variety for guests, the restaurant changes the menu every week.

Over the past few years, exposure to micro-regional cuisines in major cities has gained momentum. Delving deeper into this, the chef explains, “Previously, there was a surge in interest in continental cuisines, leading many restaurants to open solely for that purpose — to the extent that people forgot traditional dishes. Now, we are returning to our roots, embracing healthy food, and rediscovering forgotten recipes.”

As for the exotic dishes, we began with the mutton elumbu rasam, which had the perfect consistency and flavour. Our favourites included the comforting briyani and the delicious naatu kozhi arachuvitta kulambu. The meat in both dishes was juicy and cooked to perfection. The spiciness in the chicken varuval was quite mild. The muttai pundu gravy complemented the briyani very well. However, the mutton pieces in the chukka were a tad chewy.

For vegetarian lovers, the paal katti milagu perattal, which is basically paneer pepper fry, is a must-try. There was a wide variety of options in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes including fish curry, brinjal gothsu, parotta and kari dosa, among others. The aval payasam had a subtle sweetness, and the texture of the beetroot halwa was mind-blowing.

Indulge in the traditional and authentic flavours of Madurai at this food festival, which is on until February 28 at Turyaa Chennai, Perungudi.