By Devi Poojari
November 8, 2023
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Given the urban melting pot that the city of Chennai has now become, various sub-cuisines as well as global cuisines have influenced what can be deemed as iconic around the city. However, while the classics like idlis and dosas are forever timeless, here are seven more foods that also enjoy legendary status.
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This delightful variation of idlis use fresh jasmine flowers to infuse the idli batter with their natural fragrance and flavour, which imparts a unique and subtle floral note to the idlis.
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Made with all-purpose flour, or a combination of wheat flour and maida, the stuffing typically consists of grated coconut flavoured with jaggery and cardamom powder.
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In perhaps one of the city’s lesser-known pieces of food history, the Burmese atho – a noodle salad with julienned vegetables and a seasoning, sauce, the dish traces its origins back to the Burmese migrants who made the city their home in the 60s.
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These steamed rice noodles are eaten for breakfast or as a light supper, typically served with slightly sweet coconut milk, spicy meat or fish curries and chutney.
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A popular snack to enjoy by the beach, boiled peanuts are seasoned with various spices, onions, tomatoes, fresh coriander and raw mango, when it is in season.
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This seafood small plate made with small, silver-coloured fish known as nethili or Indian anchovies, is a flavorful and spicy fish fry that’s often served as an appetizer or side.
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A term used as a way of referring to a quintessential South Indian thali meal, the full meals in Chennai are a ‘mess’ concept that constitute rice, sambar, two or three vegetable preparations and buttermilk.
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