India's Food Scene

As part of my recent travels, I made my way back to my family's roots in Chennai, India. I hadn't visited India for over 7 years, and the food scene particularly stood out as I explored the city for the first time as an adult.

Before getting into this post, I'd like to note that most of the Indian food that we see in American restaurants tends to be North Indian or West Indian. Naan, butter chicken, tandoori chicken, pav bhaji…these are all from the northern and western regions of India. My family is from the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu; while we enjoy eating out at Indian restaurants in America, we're often disappointed by the inaccurate and infrequent representation of our food culture outside of India. Here's an article dedicated to the decadent Tamil and South Indian food culture that has played a huge role in my life.

TYPES OF RESTAURANTS

One of the iconic multi-cuisine restaurant chains of Tamil Nadu, Adyar Ananda Bhavan (A2B)

Multi-cuisine - I strolled upon quite a few popular multi-cuisine restaurants that typically offered a mix of South Indian, North Indian, Western, and Indo-Chinese dishes. While I expected these restaurants to specialize in good South Indian cuisine, I was quite satisfied with how well they represented the other cuisines. For example, these restaurants impressed me with their tangy Gobi Manchurian (fried cauliflower in a chili garlic tomato paste) and their buttery, golden grilled veggie sandwiches (famous in Mumbai). Turns out that a multi-cuisine restaurant can be a jack-of-all-trades.

Tea/coffee stalls are quite busy in India, where the baristas make their customers' order fresh in front of them. Biscuits and snacks can be seen around the stalls

Baristas pour tea/coffee from great heights to aerate and cool down the drinks, producing a thin layer of fizz on top

Chai and coffee stalls - It wouldn't be an India trip without endless cups of chai and coffee. The chai stalls are usually modest and small, as they are designed for customers to stop, stand, and sip a quick drink before they get going with their busy daily schedules. The serving sizes are significantly smaller than America's hot drinks, presenting the perfect kick of sugar and caffeine to keep customers going throughout the day. Due to the smaller serving size, it is not uncommon for Indians to enjoy a few cups of chai or coffee every day. These chai and coffee shops also feature sweet biscuits, salty "butter cookies", and tea rusks that pair nicely with a warm cup of chai/coffee.

I had a chance to go back to one of my favorite chai stalls a few times and speak with the owner about how he perfected his craft. His chai stall stood out because his chai was highly customizable to anything that the customer asked. Cardamom, ginger, lemon, green tea…not only was he was prepared to make the right cup with the right ingredients for every customer, but he would also adjust his proportions of water, tea, and milk upon request.

Vegetarian vs. nonvegetarian restaurants - It was common to see restaurants designate themselves as "vegetarian", "nonvegetarian", or both. India has a significantly higher percentage of vegetarians than most countries, so the restaurants make it easy for customers to identify whether they can grab a bite according to their dietary needs.

Chettinad Chicken, a dish named after the intricate spicing patterns and powders in Chettinad restaurants

Chettinad restaurants - Chettinad is a region in the southern part of Tamil Nadu, known for its iconic spicy kick and intricate spicing palate. Chettinad restaurants feature dishes made with freshly ground masala powders, rich whole spices (ex. Star anise, tamarind, cloves, and bay leafs), sun-dried vegetables, meat, and seafood. They represent the bread and butter of historically Tamil food.

RESTAURANT CULTURE

Tamil cuisine historically has been served on banana leaves. Weddings and religious events maintain this tradition

Presentation

• Tamil cuisine is authentically served on banana leaves. Nowadays, some restaurants stay true to the cuisine's cultural roots, while others use silver plates and normal dishes.

• The traditional thalis (a meal consisting of several samplers, including appetizers, main entrees, desserts, and sides) are typically presented on a banana leaf or with plenty of small, round, silver cups aligned in a big silver plate.

Waiting staff

• I found it surprising that it was uncommon for waiting staff to present customers with a menu. I oftentimes had to voluntarily ask for a menu. Waiting staff do a good job of rapidly listing out the daily specials and menu items from their memory.

• Waiting staff are extremely thinned out, despite there being plenty of staff at any given time. As a result, they are less concerned about being welcoming and nice to their customers; success in their jobs is more dependent on their ability to get the right food on time  and consistently checking in with customers to refill items.

• After finishing meals, waiters bring a bowl of warm water and a thin slice of lemon. This "finger bowl" is presented for customers to wash their hands by squeezing the lemon.

MY FAVORITE DISHES

The part that most of you have been waiting for: the highly Instragrammable photos of my favorite signature dishes. Here are some South Indian foods that most of you may not have heard of before.

Parotta and its soft, crisp, flakey layers

Parotta served with kurma (left) and raita (yogurt with onions)

Parotta and Korma

• Parotta is a thick, layered flatbread made from either wheat or all-purpose flayer, marinated with oil or ghee to provide a moist, buttery layer of shine on top of the flakey, soft layers. Parotta usually has a subtle salty flavor, but it is mostly left bland so that it can be paired with curries or gravies. Parotta is known to originate from Sri Lanka (the Ceylon region) and Kerala (the Malabar region), hence being called "Ceylon Parotta" or "Malabar Parotta." This is not to be confused with the North Indian Paratha, which is typically a stuffed flatbread that isn't layered or flakey like the South Indian parotta.

• Kurma is the perfect pair with parotta. Made from a base of tomatoes, onions, nuts, coconut, and hints of the rich Chettinad spices, kurma is typically a more watery curry that has a sweet, savory taste dominated by the nuts and coconut. It most closely resembles the Malayalee flavor palate from the Kerala region.

Idiappam, served with coconut milk and sugar

Idiappam

• Idiappam is a steamed stringy noodle dish made from rice flour. I remember making these as a kid; I'd press the rice flour dough into this wooden utensil, and it would squeeze the dough into these thin noodle strands. Idiappam can be eaten with just about anything, but I prefer it with coconut milk and sugar. The coconut milk's creamy, light, sweet flavor pairs perfectly with the soft idiappam.

Mysore Pak. Captains don't do justice for this sweet

Assorted sweets and snacks

• Tamil Nadu was filled with stores that offered a wide variety of assorted sweets. My favorite sweet was "Mysore Pak", which is a magical melt-in-your-mouth rectangle made of gram flour, ghee, and sugar. Mysore is a city in Karnataka, a neighboring South Indian state.

• "Nendhrangai chips", or plantain chips, are made by thinly slicing plantains, deep frying them, and seasoning the chips as sweet, spicy, savory, or all three. My personal favorite was the sweet chip, which had melted sugar or honey on top.

FINAL THOUGHTS

While I enjoyed every bit of the food experience in India, I realize that restaurants in India are structured according to the unique needs and societal norms that shape their country. It's unreasonable to recommend restaurants to try using a banana leaf or a finger bowl or any of the other restaurant practices, but perhaps American restaurants can draw inspiration from restaurants in India being a harmonious reflection of the Indian way of life.