So for many who think south indian food consists of Idly, dosa, Sambar and chutney and that all South Indian are madrasis!🙄

Well you are highly mistaken. South India has 4 States and they all have different culture and food habits and in all four states people have non vegetarian food.

In Tamil Nadu predominantly the non veg food is made in the Chettinad style, but not limited to it off course.

So the evening did get exciting as I kept trying new dishes at the newly opened restaurant Murukku Messai Mess at Ambattur, chennai.

The chef is an expert in Chettinad cuisine and the parotta master was excellent in his Rythmic way of making his kothu parrotta.

Started the evening with panakam. This is a drink that is made using jaggery, lime and dry ginger. Basically this helps you build your appetite.

The mutton soup was well balanced and aromatic!

The starters were an array of the best Chettinad food that one can ever think of.

Eral/ mutton liver pepper fry. This was cooked to perfection and the spices were perfectly blended.

The prawn tokku was yummy juicy and the perfect small size. Did you know small prawns are much more tastier than the large one’s?

The Vanjaram meen varuval (sheer/ king/ surmai fish tawa fry) is their speciality and it comes with a secret recipe. The fish was fresh and well-done.

The nethali/ anchovies were crispy fried with a dash of curry leaves that gave a authentic aroma to it. Again the fish was fresh and that did make a big difference.

The kola urandai/ mutton balls were soft and had an excellent meat flavour.

The chicken with podi had the whole chicken breast piece marinated in secret south indian spices and shallow fried.

The break from starters happened with nannri sarbath and Goli soda. They serve 5 flavours of Goli soda. I tried the Kala katta and paneer soda.

The main course was as exciting as the starters.

The Kari / meat dosa had a very nice south Indian flavour.

The bun parotta and egg tokku was yummy. The bun parotta was soft even after it went cold,did not get rubbery.

The kothu parrotta was well balanced in flavour. I loved the way the parotta master made the parrotta. He used glass to chop it and there was a Rythm in it.

Check my YouTube link to watch it

The semiya kothu was as good as the kothu parrotta.

Idly with fish curry sure was my favourite.

The mutton Biryani does need a special mention. One of the few places that had the perfect madurai seeragai Samba rice biryani.

The rose milk gave the dinner a sweet ending!!!

Maa ka khana is what you can find at the maestro of Punjabi cuisine at Hyatt Regency Chennai. The festival is on till 31st March for lunch and dinner!

Chef Sweety Singh Baluja has done magic with his hands by giving chennai the most authentic home style food. His food is made with love and fresh ingredients.

We started our evening with Bhangra and chit chat with the chef. He explained in detail to us about asli Punjabi food that is made with fresh ingredients, slow cooking and love!

The Kesar lassi was enticing and I had to start my evening with it. The flavour was subtle unlike the lassi that I have had before that is loaded with sugar. The flavour of Kesar/ saffron is rich and that makes it the best lassi!

Moving on to the starters:

The chicken tikka was extremely mild on flavour with minimal masala and rich with the right spices and not loaded with colour. Totally my type of tikka.

I am a seafood lover and am very particular about the taste and freshness of the fish. And it did not let me down. The fish was fresh and I was happy it was not basa and the flavour was outstanding!

Masala Aloo was cute little baby potatoes with the right masala and tang.

What is Punjabi food without paneer? Chef got it right with flavour and texture.

Moving on to main course.

The chicken kukkad masala was very close to a chicken butter masala. But was far superior in texture and taste.

Amritsari meat/ Tari Ghost was one of my favourite the meat was tender and loaded with fresh spices.

Paneer Makhanwala had all the right original flavour.

The palak (spinach) and corn gravy was a perfect blend of green leaves, green spices and sweetness of the corn. Definately a delight for the vegetarians.

Dal makhani is another favourite dish of mine as far as Punjabi food is concerned. I really love this dish and I think chef sweety actually stole my heart by getting it perfectly on the spot with slow cooking, fresh ingredients and loads of love poured into it!

Pindi Chole is a speciality of the Punjabi cuisine and not everybody gets it right. This is another dish that was cooked with lot of patience, since it needs slow cooking. And had the flavour right.

The kheer was a sweet ending to the soulful dinner !

Good food is always enjoyed with good company!

This food is all about recipes from generations that has been passed on, fresh ingredients, no short cuts, slow cooking, secret spices and loaded with love!