Pune on My Plate: How Tamil restaurants in city keep their signature flavours, traditions alive
In the lanes of Pune, a quiet cultural revolution is simmering — in the form of piping hot sambar, crispy dosas, soft pongal, and filter coffee. Tamil food, with its regional diversity and deep-rooted cultural significance, has a loyal fanbase in the city. From temple-style meals to spicy street food, restaurants across Pune are offering a taste of Tamil Nadu to the people.
'We don't just serve food, we serve memories of home,' says Aravindh Subramanian, 47, manager of Akshayapatram Restaurant in Pimpri. 'Most of our customers are working professionals or families from Tamil Nadu who miss the taste of traditional meals. Our core strength lies in serving full Tamil-style vegetarian meals — what we call 'Virundhu Sappadu'. It includes rice, sambar, rasam, poriyal, kootu, appalam, pickle, and payasam — all served on banana leaves, just like it is done back home,' he says.
On maintaining the authenticity of Tamil food, Subramanian says, 'We source our ingredients like sundakkai, manathakkali, and even our nalla ennai (gingelly oil) from suppliers in Tamil Nadu to retain the same taste. The preparation of our sambar is still done using the stone-ground masala we make fresh every morning — no shortcuts. The rasam here is made with crushed garlic, jeera, pepper, and real tamarind pulp — not readymade powders.'
The most popular item on their menu is the Special Mini Tiffin. 'It's a combo of idli, medu vada, pongal, masala dosa, kesari and filter coffee. It costs just Rs 150 and gives a complete breakfast feel. On weekends, we serve over 700 thalis and 900+ tiffin plates,' Subramanian says. 'During Pongal, we serve sakkarai pongal, ven pongal, thalagam kuzhambu, and aviyal — all prepared using temple-style recipes. Customers queue up from 8 am on Thai Pongal day. For us, it is not just business, it is a way to bring Tamil culture alive in Pune.'
'Tamil food is also spiritual food — made with intention, devotion, and love,' says Suresh Kannan, 35, the store manager of Ayyappa Center in Pimple Nilakh. Kannan adds, 'The Ayyappa Center started as a small prasadam counter during Ayyappan puja gatherings, and now it has grown into a must-visit for Tamil folks in Pune. We are famous for our authentic Kanchipuram idli, puli aval, and nei appam — all made using traditional techniques, with no compromise.'
Their Kanchipuram idli is a favourite for many. He says, 'It is steamed in lotus leaves and has pepper, jeera, ginger, and curry leaves — just like it is made at temples in Tamil Nadu.'
The highlight is their Ayyappan Prasadam Combo, which includes lemon rice, tamarind rice, curd rice, sakkarai pongal, sundal and appalam — all for Rs 90. 'We keep the prices low because our goal is to serve people, not profit,' he adds. During the grand Ayyappa Swamy Makara Jyothi celebration, 'we serve ellu sadam, chakkarai pongal, and kadalai paruppu sundal to over 2,000 devotees who gather from all over Pune. Volunteers help us serve meals continuously for six to seven hours.'
Deepa Rajalakshmi, head of Aph Aparna Hotel in Baner, 76, says, 'We bring that ooru (village) feel — whether it is in our Madurai kari dosa, Chettinad chicken curry, or nethili fry. Here at Aph Aparna Hotel, we specialise in street-style Tamil food that you would find in towns like Madurai, Thanjavur, and Trichy. Everything is made with freshly ground masalas, and we don't use frozen meat or canned gravies.'
On the dish that is most in demand at their store, she says it is 'our Madurai bun parotta with mutton salna — a soft, layered parotta soaked in spicy gravy. Priced at Rs 210, it sells out every night by 9 pm.'
Other crowd favourites include meen kuzhambu and Thalappakatti biryani, besides grand festival menus. 'During Deepavali and the Tamil New Year, we go all out with a 20+ item saapadu, including thengai sadam, inji puli, kari kola urundai, and boondi laddu. We also prepare adhirasam and Mysore Pak in-house — just like our grandmothers used to,' says Rajalakshmi. 'Our sales peak during the Tamil New Year and Pongal. We do 2,500+ parcels a day during those festivals. Tamil food is about diversity, tradition, and bold flavours, and we celebrate that in every dish.'
Mr and Mrs Iyer's Kitchen, a humble home-style eatery in Ghorpadi, focuses on sadhya-style meals served on banana leaves. 'It is essential to understand the originality of the authentic Tamil experience. The most famous dishes are part of the sadhya — sambhar, rasam, payasam, avial. Meals are something special during sadhya servings,' says Iyer.
They also serve fast-moving items on regular days. 'The Tamil variant of ghee podi dosa is very famous. Ghee podi, sponge onion uttapam, and pongal are fast-moving items. Chakkarai pongal, arisi payasam, chana dal payasam, kesari, yellni payasam, and coconut water payasam are other popular items,' he says, adding, 'It is essential to understand the originality of the authentic Tamil experience through which we forge a deeper sense of culture and belonging in the Indian subcontinent.'
Alister Augustine is an intern with The Indian Express. With inputs from Tanay Iyer
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
11 minutes ago
- Time of India
Summons sent to lawyer for his role as co's ind dir: ED
Representative Image NEW DELHI: Faced with criticism, Enforcement Directorate Friday said it issued summons to senior advocate Pratap Venugopal as part of its ongoing investigation against Care Health Insurance Ltd (CHIL) in which Venugopal was an independent director. ED's Mumbai zonal office is conducting a money laundering investigation in which it has been alleged that shares of CHIL were issued at a much lower price in the form of ESOPs on May 1, 2022, in spite of the rejection of the same by Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). "As part of the investigation, summons was issued to Pratap Venugopal, an independent director of CHIL, to understand the circumstances under which the company has issued ESOPs despite its rejection by IRDAI and subsequent discussions in the board of CHIL in this regard," the agency said about the summons which it withdrew after protests by lawyers' bodies. In a statement, the agency emphasised that IRDAI on July 23, 2024, had directed CHIL to revoke or cancel any ESOPs that were yet to be allotted and had also imposed a penalty of Rs 1 crore on CHIL for non-compliance with regulatory directions. "In view of the fact that Pratap Venugopal is a senior advocate in Supreme Court, the summons issued to him has been withdrawn and the same has been communicated to him," the agency said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo In the said communication, it was also stated that if any documents were required from him in his capacity as an independent director of CHIL, the same would be requested to be submitted by email, the agency added. Further, ED has asked its units not to issue summons to lawyers, saying summoning them would be violative of Section 132 of Bhartiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023. "If any summons needs to be issued under the exceptions carved out in proviso to Section 132 of Bhartiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023, the same shall be issued only with the prior approval of the director, ED," the agency said.
Hans India
24 minutes ago
- Hans India
Cognizant to build IT campus in Vizag, generate 8,000 jobs
Visakhapatnam: In a significant development for Andhra Pradesh's IT ecosystem, Cognizant Technology Solutions is all set to establish a world-class IT/ITES campus in Visakhapatnam with an investment of Rs.1,582.98 crore. Providing the much-needed relief to unemployed youth, the project is expected to generate 8,000 jobs over the next few years. In connection with it, Cognizant sought 21.31 acres of land at Kapuluppada and the state government would allot the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority land for a nominal rate of just 99 paisa. In a move which is considered another major endeavour for Visakhapatnam as an emerging hub for IT investments, setting up IT/ITES campus is in alignment with IT minister Nara Lokesh's vision to draw investments and develop IT across Andhra Pradesh. The company has set a target of March 2029 for the commencement of its commercial operations. With the entire project being 100 per cent self-funded, Cognizant's expansion into Visakhapatnam reinforces its long-term commitment to Andhra Pradesh that further cements the state's reputation as a future IT hub. Welcoming the move, government whip P G V R Naidu (Ganababu) expressed gratitude to IT minister Nara Lokesh for bringing multinational companies to Visakhapatnam. 'The IT minister kept up his promise made to IT employees. It is a commendable initiative to create employment for 8,000 people with an investment of Rs.1,582 crore. With this, the long-cherished dream of Vizagites is going to become a reality soon,' he posted on the 'X' (formerly Twitter).
Hans India
24 minutes ago
- Hans India
Indices rebound amid crude price drop
Mumbai: Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty rebounded sharply by over 1 per cent on Friday after sliding for the past three sessions, propelled by bargain hunting in financial, telecom and tech stocks amid a correction in global crude prices.A largely supportive trend overseas and renewed foreign capital inflows supported the domestic equities amid easing tension in the Middle East, traders said. After a flat start, the 30-share BSE Sensex later found its mojo back and surged 1,046.30 points or 1.29 per cent to settle at 82,408.17. During the day, it jumped 1,132.62 points or 1.39 per cent to 82,494.49. The 50-share NSE Nifty climbed 319.15 points or 1.29 per cent to 25,112.40. 'Equity indices surged as Middle East tension moderated with risk of immediate military actions reduced as US dialogue with Iran is expected to take place. The development led the crude price to correct, favouring domestic markets and boosting foreign investors' sentiments. 'In the broader market, rapid fall in VIX index and buying was witnessed in rate sensitives and consumer-oriented sectors like Finance, Auto and Reality and in anticipation of better Q1FY26 results led by rate cuts benefits, drop in inflationary pressure and rebound in consumer spending,' Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited, said. From the Sensex firms, Bharti Airtel, Nestle, Mahindra & Mahindra, Power Grid, Reliance Industries, NTPC, Eternal and HDFC Bank were among the biggest gainers. In contrast, Axis Bank and Maruti were the laggards Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 934.62 crore on Thursday, according to exchange data. Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) also bought equities worth Rs 605.97 crore. On Thursday, the 30-share BSE Sensex declined 82.79 points, or 0.10 per cent, to settle at 81,361.87. The Nifty dipped 18.80 points or 0.08 per cent to 24,793.25.
