Chennai: It’s Margazhi, the season of music, and all sabhas are buzzing with activities with an array of concerts big or small, replete with delicious combo of food at their canteens. SPI Cinemas, which refined the cinema going experience in the city, has come out with an innovative idea this Margazhi.
The multiplex, which has lent out one of its screens for a music festival this season, SPI diners, famous for their chain of ID restaurants, have come out with a unique food festival to catch up with the fervour of the city's Margazhi season.
Called ‘Food of the Gods’and one of its kinds, the festival offers delicacies inspired by ‘prasadhams’, which are offered at iconic temples in South India.
Rakesh Raghunathan, a food traveler and a show host, curates these special recipes. He has joined hands with the chefs at ID to ensure everyone gets to taste the food offered to Gods.
“The idea of working on this temple food festival is to bring alive and give context to these temple recipes that have been around for thousands of years. It is an attempt to bridge the gap and let people sample the prasadhams by making it widely accessible,” explained Rakesh speaking about the festival.
“We wanted people who are not otherwise exposed to temple prasadhams to know about and experience them right here. We also focus more on using precise ingredients and oils that are used in temples,” says Siddharth Yadav, customer experience designer of SPI diners.
Chief chef L. Muthu Kumar adds, “In most of the temples, they don’t use chillies for their prasadham menu, and instead black pepper is the source
of spice. And of course, jeera and ghee will be added for flavour and taste.
We have almost replicated the same on our recipes here.”
“Of the sweets, Therali Kozhakattai from Attukal Bagavathi, Kerala, is made out of rice flour, jaggery and banana. The kozhakattai
is served hot rolled in cinnamon or bay leaves, is a must try. The flavour of cinnamon smelt divine,” says Rajalakshmi who was seen indulging with temple foods.
Ambalapuzha Paal Payasam from Ambalapuzha temple, Kerala, is a slow cooked kheer or payasam, which is also not to be missed. The unique thing about this dish is the red rice roasted in ghee and sugar, and then slow cooked for hours before it can be offered to the Lord. “Kids who come to watch films with family throng ID for sweet dishes in the festivals, as they love them,” says Siddharth.
Among the savories, Thirumaalai Champa from Soumya Narayana Perumal, Thirukoshtiyur, is a rustic rice dish made by cooking eggplant and bitter gourd in tamarind concentrate, roasted pepper and fenugreek powder.
From the Sri Krishna Matha Temple in Udupi comes the Pineapple Menaskai, a sweet and spicy dish, which was yummy.The festival also offers superb combo dishes like Sambar Saadam with Katrikaai Gotsu, a dish which is famous in Natraja Temple, Chidambaram. The festival also features authentic Thiruvallikeni Puliyodhorai from Parthasarathy Temple, Chennai, Thirumaal Vadai from Balaji temple, Tirupathi.
The on-going Temple Food festival in all ID outlets including Besant Nagar, Gopalapuram, Vadapalani and Chetpet, is open till January 3, 2019.
