(condensed milk), making it
rich and creamy.
The most exciting side to
Madurai, however, comes alive
at night. The city has long been
known to its dwellers and the
rest of the state as thoonga
nagaram, or the ‘city that never
sleeps.’ Most eateries open
later in the evening and their
operations extend well past
midnight. The energy of the
city transforms from being
solemn in the early hours of the
morning to electrifying after the
sun goes down. The repertoire
and variety of streetside snacks,
especially on the main road
of Kamarajar Salai, is nothing
short of mind-boggling,
with a diff erent street cart at
practically every corner. The
vadai cart, for example, stocks
fritters of various colours and
shapes, including the puri-
like keerai vadai made with a
medicinal plant called mullu
murungai. For a cold salad
experience, the sundal cart gives
one a chance to mix and matcha selection of chickpeas and lentils
stir-fried with coconut and curry
leaves. There’s also the paruthi
paal, a unique warm beverage
made with the milk extracted
from dry cottonseed, which one
can try at Sri Thirumalai Madai
Paruthipaal Kadai.
My favourite amongst
Madurai’s street food specialities
is the bun parotta, and no one
does it better than Madurai Bun
Parotta Kadai at Aavin Junction.
It pairs perfectly with diff erent
curries and kulambus like naatu
kozhi kulambu (country chicken
curry), thala curry (made with
goat heads), and kaada kulambu
(quail curry).
Although I had crowdsourced
dining recommendations and
researched extensively, many of
Madurai’s food gems, especially
its street food, were chanced
upon by being an inquisitive
traveller. This sense of discovery
and wonder, which the city feeds
so marvelously, is why I think
Madurai’s such an incredible
food city, and yet practically a
secret. Then again, for the sake of
retaining that sense of wonder,
it’s best left that way.It has also been ruled by
several characteristically
diff erent dynasties, such as the
Pandyans, the Vijayanagaras
of Hampi, the Delhi Tughlaqs,
and of course, the British.
Modern-day Madurai, also
known as the Athens of the
East, is famous for the ancient
Meenakshi Sundareswarar
temple. Although the temple
city attracts hoards of pilgrims
every year, what most people
fail to tap into during their visit
is its underrated food potential.
The Tamilian concept of
a ‘mess’ is an integral part of
the city’s culinary scene, and
Madurai has some fantastic
ones. A ‘mess’ is a family-run
restaurant where food is cooked
in the traditional home style
with recipes that are often
closely guarded and passed on
through generations—each
one has dishes they’re famous
for. Amma Mess is a legendary
establishment that dates back
80 years. It specialises in dishes
such as rabbit biryani and bone
marrow omelette. What is truly
exceptional at Amma Mess
is the ayira meen kulambu, a
spicy curry soured with country
tomatoes and tamarind starring
tiny, freshwater fi sh called ayira
meen or Indian spiny loach that
practically melt in your mouth.
Kumar Mess, on the other
hand, is popular for dishes such
as the crab omelette and the
ever-so-popular quail 65, not
to forget the mutton kari dosai,
a fl uff y dosai the thickness
of a deep-dish pizza topped
with one layer of egg and then
another of mutton masala,
which is then kissed on the
tawa to get a char.
Even the most celebrated
restaurant in Madurai, a tiny
spot near the temple quarters
called Murugan Idli Shop
(muruganidlishop.com), comes
across as being deceptively
ordinary. There is no printed
menu, and you can count the
number of dishes they serve on
one hand. The podi idlis here
are by far the best I’ve everhad. If your breakfast cravings
still need to be satiated,
Gopu Iyengar Ti n Center
(gopuiyengars.com), a stone’s
throw away from Meenakshi
Temple, has a range of excellent
dosais, their ghee masala roast
and the podi dosa being the
standouts.
One can’t quite ignore the
desserts of Madurai either.
The city’s famous contribution
to the world of beverages
is their favourite roadside
drink—the jigarthanda. The
sweet drink is believed to have
originated during the brief
Madurai Sultanate rule of the
city in the 14th century. Apart
from milk and homemade ice
cream, jigarthanda gets its
body from badam pisin (a gum
obtained from the almond
tree), and fl avour from nannari
(a syrup made from the root
of the sarsaparilla plant).
The special version available
at Famous Jigarthanda
( famousjigarthanda.com)
is fi nished with basundhiTHE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPSMadurai has long been known to its
dwellers and the rest of the state as thoonga
nagaram, or the ‘city that never sleeps.’ Most
eateries open later in the evening and their
operations extend well past midnight.CLOCKWISE: COURTESY OF SUMEDH NATU FOR THE BOMBAY CANTEEN; SANJAY RAMCH
ANDRAN; SHUTTERSTOCK
Clockwise, from top: Jigarthanda is a sweet beverage
specifi c to Madurai; The Bombay Canteen serves
innovative Indian cuisine; ghee roast dosa.travelandleisureindia.in