A Chennai Chettinad kitchen that cooks by the Tamil calendar

At Chettinad Canteen, every new Tamil month brings a new story told through food. Their menu for Purattasi, was one of their most adventurous yet: deeply Tamil in spirit, but designed to take diners on a trip around the world. Our journey began with an amuse-bouche, a papadam topped with curious little bits of strawberry and spice meant to be eaten in a single bite, like a pani puri, a fleeting explosion of flavour that hinted at what was to come: familiar roots, global expressions.

Where every Tamil month brings a new feast to this restaurant

Then comes the tomato rasam. The teeny-tiny pools of oil shimmer like glitter when the light hits just right. The aroma is gloriously tomato-forward, but it tastes more of regular rasam than tomato, which is a small relief, though the flavour of jeera does push itself forward more than we’d like.

From the shores of the Mediterranean comes the vellai paniyaram with peanut hummus and muhammara, a visual delight. The hummus leans lemony and nutty, while the muhammara (a red pepper, breadcrumb, and olive oil blend) starts gentle and then builds a quiet heat. It feels like peanut and red chutneys that took a Mediterranean vacation and came home transformed.

Then, from Mexico, we had the dish of the night, podi corn ribs. Served on a bed of seasoned sour cream, they’re crunchy, sweet, gritty, and spicy, a textural marvel that’s addictive enough to dream about later and vow to recreate at home every other day. Its non-veg counterpart, Chettinad chicken wings, tastes well-seasoned, though the meat could use more tenderness. The gravy, however, is lovely.

From the streets of Mexico again come the dosa tacos, one with prawns (a bit overcooked) and another with sweet potato (an unexpected delight). The dosa itself, made with added tomato purée and Kashmiri chilli powder, is crisp on one side and porous on the other, perfectly engineered to hold and absorb flavour.

Then we move east to Thailand with the idiyappam and mushroom Thai curry that’s homely and comforting in its spice, followed by Malaysia’s saffron roti canai with mutton kothu kari and poached egg. The roti steals the show, beautifully layered and crisp.

Dessert is kavuniarisi payasam served in a shell with ice cream. You almost want to oyster it down whole, if only it weren’t too big for that. A fitting finale to a meal that circles the globe and still tastes like home.

Meal for two: ₹1,290++. From 12.30 to 3 pm and 7.30 to 10 pm.
At Chettinad Canteen, Teynampet.

Email: shivani@newindianexpress.com
X: @ShivaniIllakiya

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