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Fruits of devotion
Any list of the cuisines that dominated Madras and continue to live on in our palettes would be incomplete without a mention of the fare from ‘madapallis’.
‘Madaipallis’ or temple kitchens play an important role in preserving the food culture of communities. After offering prayers at the sanctum sanctorum, devotees then head over to the ‘prasadam’ stall where traditional foods, first offered to the deity, are sold. Delicacies such as atkaravadisal, puliyodharai, sarkarai pongal, adhirasam, sojji appam and thenkuzhal, are infused with the fragrance of ghee and the quintessential aroma of a wood fire. And it’s not just the older folks who love these items, but youngsters too who are eager to keep in touch with their past.
Sarkarai Pongal at Parthasarathy temple, Triplicane: Those who walk along the street to the south of the Parthasarathy Temple will find it difficult to resist the aroma of this temple delicacy — a rice-lentil-jaggery pudding topped with raisins.
A specific recipe is carefully followed. For every two kilos of rice, half a kilo of cashew nuts, 400 grams of dried grapes and 700 grams of ghee is added. The rice and lentils are cooked to a blend separately as jaggery boils in another huge vat. The trick is to bring the two together in the precise proportion.
C. Rajagopalachari was said to be a great lover of this delicacy and whenever he was in Chennai, a portion used to be sent to him. Cricketers too seemed to have been fans according to V.Ramanujam, an official with the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. He recalls inviting Sunil Gavaskar, G. Vishwanath, and S. Venkataraghavan to his house and serving them sarkarai pongal. Even the West Indians were great fans of the delicacy, he says.
Milagu Vadai of Nanganallur Hanuman temple: Although built relatively recently, the Nanganallur Hanuman temple is very popular among devotees as is the free prasadam offered here daily. Puliyodharai (tamarind rice), pongal and sarkarai pongal are famous but the pride of place goes to its milagu vadais. Devotees who throng the temple are offered a big treat after the daily prayers, when a garland of milagu vadais adorning the idol is removed, and then distributed.
Utmost care is taken while blending the paruppu and pepper as this determines the taste and the crispness of the vadais. The vadais are strung together with jute thread, and offered as a garland to the deity. Several devotees pay for these vadai maalais (garlands).
Sundal at Kapaleeswarar Temple: Sundal, a preparation of peas, sautéed and seasoned, and kalee (a flour paste) are the key elements of the temple cuisine here. Thiruvathirai kalee, a prepared on thiruvathirai of the Margazhi month, has innumerable fans. It is said that Senthanaar, a Saivite saint, who used to offer full meals to devotees of Shiva regularly, was not able to carry out his service on a rainy day. He was forced to mix water with flour and make a paste that was distributed to the starving devotees.
That became a hit and every year on that day, thiruvathirai kalee was prepared as a mark of respect to Senthanaar. Yet another item that is much sought after from this temple kitchen is black gram sundal offered to the deity at night, just before the temple is closed.
Vadapalani Murugan Temple and panchaamirtham: The temple is famous for its panchaamritham, prepared with fruits, coconut, honey, sugar candy and raisins. It is sold in tins and packets. Some regulars to the temple say that although the panchamirtham offered by the temple may not be as spectacular as the one offered by the Palani Murugan temple, the taste does linger for long.
Amman temples and koozh: The month of Aadi sees celebrations in honour of the goddess Amman. Hordes of devotees cook gruel called koozh at the temples in great quantities and distribute it to others. While technically, this does not come out of the kitchen in the temple, it is still an integral part of the food scene as temples allow devotees to cook on their premises. Sometimes, pieces of dried fish are also offered outside the temple premises to devotees who drink the koozh.
Fruits of devotion - The Hindu
Any list of the cuisines that dominated Madras and continue to live on in our palettes would be incomplete without a mention of the fare from ‘madapallis’.
‘Madaipallis’ or temple kitchens play an important role in preserving the food culture of communities. After offering prayers at the sanctum sanctorum, devotees then head over to the ‘prasadam’ stall where traditional foods, first offered to the deity, are sold. Delicacies such as atkaravadisal, puliyodharai, sarkarai pongal, adhirasam, sojji appam and thenkuzhal, are infused with the fragrance of ghee and the quintessential aroma of a wood fire. And it’s not just the older folks who love these items, but youngsters too who are eager to keep in touch with their past.
Sarkarai Pongal at Parthasarathy temple, Triplicane: Those who walk along the street to the south of the Parthasarathy Temple will find it difficult to resist the aroma of this temple delicacy — a rice-lentil-jaggery pudding topped with raisins.
A specific recipe is carefully followed. For every two kilos of rice, half a kilo of cashew nuts, 400 grams of dried grapes and 700 grams of ghee is added. The rice and lentils are cooked to a blend separately as jaggery boils in another huge vat. The trick is to bring the two together in the precise proportion.
C. Rajagopalachari was said to be a great lover of this delicacy and whenever he was in Chennai, a portion used to be sent to him. Cricketers too seemed to have been fans according to V.Ramanujam, an official with the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. He recalls inviting Sunil Gavaskar, G. Vishwanath, and S. Venkataraghavan to his house and serving them sarkarai pongal. Even the West Indians were great fans of the delicacy, he says.
Milagu Vadai of Nanganallur Hanuman temple: Although built relatively recently, the Nanganallur Hanuman temple is very popular among devotees as is the free prasadam offered here daily. Puliyodharai (tamarind rice), pongal and sarkarai pongal are famous but the pride of place goes to its milagu vadais. Devotees who throng the temple are offered a big treat after the daily prayers, when a garland of milagu vadais adorning the idol is removed, and then distributed.
Utmost care is taken while blending the paruppu and pepper as this determines the taste and the crispness of the vadais. The vadais are strung together with jute thread, and offered as a garland to the deity. Several devotees pay for these vadai maalais (garlands).
Sundal at Kapaleeswarar Temple: Sundal, a preparation of peas, sautéed and seasoned, and kalee (a flour paste) are the key elements of the temple cuisine here. Thiruvathirai kalee, a prepared on thiruvathirai of the Margazhi month, has innumerable fans. It is said that Senthanaar, a Saivite saint, who used to offer full meals to devotees of Shiva regularly, was not able to carry out his service on a rainy day. He was forced to mix water with flour and make a paste that was distributed to the starving devotees.
That became a hit and every year on that day, thiruvathirai kalee was prepared as a mark of respect to Senthanaar. Yet another item that is much sought after from this temple kitchen is black gram sundal offered to the deity at night, just before the temple is closed.
Vadapalani Murugan Temple and panchaamirtham: The temple is famous for its panchaamritham, prepared with fruits, coconut, honey, sugar candy and raisins. It is sold in tins and packets. Some regulars to the temple say that although the panchamirtham offered by the temple may not be as spectacular as the one offered by the Palani Murugan temple, the taste does linger for long.
Amman temples and koozh: The month of Aadi sees celebrations in honour of the goddess Amman. Hordes of devotees cook gruel called koozh at the temples in great quantities and distribute it to others. While technically, this does not come out of the kitchen in the temple, it is still an integral part of the food scene as temples allow devotees to cook on their premises. Sometimes, pieces of dried fish are also offered outside the temple premises to devotees who drink the koozh.
Fruits of devotion - The Hindu
