Chennai city has many restaurants, food chains and hotels that serve typical authentic food. The speciality of the town is it also houses many famous street food corners and low-cost eateries which each class of individuals can afford.
Though there are many new restaurants with different cuisines, there’s variety of authentic South Indian dishes that are all-time famous and most preferred by people here.
Here, we’ll see a number of the mouthwatering authentic dishes that you simply should never miss in Chennai.
Top 15 Authentic Dishes of Chennai:
1. Idli
Idli popularly known as the pancake of South India is definitely a very famous breakfast in Chennai which is prepared by the combination of rice and black gram flour. Idli is usually served with Sambar and varieties of flavorful Chutneys.
2. Vadai (or Vada)
Vadai is a type of deep-fried delicious dish served in almost every hotel for breakfast. There are sorts of Vada like Medu vadai, Masala or Parupu vadai, Sambar vadai, Thayir vadai, etc.
3. Dosa
This delicious dish is made by the combination of rice and black gram flour and it’s one among the favourite food for several people across the world. There are various types of Dosas like Masala Dosa, Onion Dosa, Ghee Dosa, Uthappam, etc.
4. Idiyappam
Idiyappam may be a noodle-like dish which is prepared by boiling rice flour in steam. Idiyappam is commonly served with sugar and coconut milk.
5. Paniyaram
Paniyaram is another authentic dish of Tamils which is cooked inside a special vessel called as Paniyaram Pan. This yummy dish comes in two versions, sweet and spicy.
6. Pongal
Pongal is another common breakfast dish in Tamil Nadu which is served with Chutney and Sambar. This healthy dish is prepared using raw rice, Ghee, a great deal of pepper and nuts.
7. Sakkarai Pongal
Sakkarai Pongal is another version of Pongal which is sweet and has dry fruits like cashew nuts and resins. It’s generally prepared for all festive seasons in Madras. This dish is prepared using Jaggery for sweetness.
8. Thalapakkatti Biriyani
It is a type of Biriyani which is usually called as Dindigul Thalapakkatti Biriyani. This mouthwatering Biriyani is authentic to Tamil Nadu and it’s originated from an area called Dindigul.
The Dindigul Thalapakkatti Biriyani is served in many shops across the town which is additionally called by an equivalent name. This Biriyani is best known for its unique flavoured masala and it tastes totally different from the regular Biriyanis.
9. Chicken 65 at Buhari
Chicken 65 may be a deep-fried chicken starter which was first introduced in Hotel Buhari in Chennai within the year 1965. Today, it’s one among the foremost preferred chicken starters in almost every South Indian hotels.
10. Sapadu (meals)
Eating meals (lunch) in Plantain leaf or Banana leaf may be a tradition followed in Tamil Nadu for over many years. It’s a standard practice where food is served in the banana for the relatives who are visiting their home.
A typical Sapadu (meals) will have unlimited rice, sorts of Porials (Cooked Vegetables), Kuzhambu (Veg or non-veg gravy), Rasam (Pepper soup), Curd, Buttermilk (Diluted curd with masala) and a sweet dish (Kesari or payasam).
Though the tradition is to serve every meal in Banana leaf it’s very famous for lunch and lots of hotels in Chennai follow that.
11. Parotta
Parotta may be a common dish in every hotel in Chennai. it’s prepared from Maida flour and it’s sort of a multi-layered bread. Though it’s not considered as healthy food, it’s one among the foremost selling dishes thanks to its taste.
Parotta is usually served by Kuruma(or Chalna) or the other gravy. There are many sorts of Parotta like Veechu Parotta, Egg Parotta, Kothu Parotta, coin Parotta, etc.
12. Appam
Appam is another authentic food of Chennai which is formed from specially ground rice flour. This dish is usually served with sweet coconut milk and also with spicy gravy.
There are many sorts of Appam like stuffed Appam, Chicken and Mutton stuffed Appam, etc. the foremost famous outlet that serves this dish is Nallas Appa Kadai.
13. Jigarthanda
Jigarthanda or Jil Jil Jigarthanda may be a famous refreshment drink originated from Madurai, Tamil Nadu. This delicious drink is ready by mixing milk, nuts, Nannari Sarbath syrup and frozen dessert.
14. Kozhukattai
Kozhukattai may be a famous snack prepared using rice flour and Poornam. Poornam may be a mixture of dhal and Jaggery which is stuffed inside the layers of rice flour. This yummy dish is usually prepared during Hindu festival times like Vinayagar Chaturthi, etc.
15. Puliyodarai
Puliyodarai or Tamarind rice is ready by mixing rice with specially cooked tamarind paste. Puliyodarai may be a common dish in not only Chennai but also the entire of Tamil Nadu and it’s mainly prepared for takeaway when people are travelling. This heavenly dish is additionally served a day in many temples in and around Chennai.
These are not only the top 15 authentic dishes of Chennai but also the most savoured dishes in the entire Tamil Nadu!
