Murukku Cheese Sandwich : Wait what?

Side view of the murukku cheese sandwich. 

I was in Chennai recently and when I asked the locals about the famous street foods here.

There was one thing I came up with that I've never seen or eaten anywhere else(so far) . That's the murukku cheese sandwich.

I know , the name is bizarre!!

And I'm sure most of you reading this haven't heard of it before.

As you can guess this dish is a mix of western and Indian food culture. The "murukku" in it is a typican Tamil food and the way it is served as a sandwich is pretty westernized, plus those cheese fragments add more exotic touch to it. If you ask me how it tastes , let me tell you it's wayyy tooo amazing.

It's rare. It's different. And obviously it tastes great.

The mint chutney gives you a sharp yet spicy taste(actually cheese nullifies that effect). So if you ask a person who is not used to sharply spicy dishes( pickles for example) , that person wouldn't be much impressed about it.

Lemme come again , I loove this thing sooo much.

                                                           

                                                               The making:

As you can see, there would be a first layer of murruku(not shown in pic) above which a layer of  onions and tomatoes come, some add cucumber along with it. The third layer is cheese gratings and above which the spicy mint chutney is added and the final layer of murruku is placed over it. And yes it's ready. People should try this at home and tell me how it went.

                   

The taste :

You pick the first and last murukku and eat it. Everything else will fall in place.This dish has a spicy,sour,cheesy taste. These combine to make your tastebuds thank you for eating it. As I said spice lovers would love it. And beware of cheese gratings sticking out of your mouth while eating. Duh.

PS: This post is intentionally made short.

Chicken Shawarma - Arabian Street Food

You can find this in every place they sell Shawarma. It consists of ground seasoned meat placed one over the other and heated with a heating grill which could be eiher electric or charcoal based. The cage like grill is red hot all the time and  heats up the meat.

This amazingly tasty street food is believed to have been evolved in the streets of Arabia and Jerusalem.

It is made with strips of seasoned meat stuffed inside a Roti like bread and rolled.

 The meat includes chicken , meat , lamb , beef or in some cases even mixed meat. 

In India Chicken is widely used , after all no one wants to risk their life stuffing beef (if you've heard of the term  meat ban). 

If you ask me how it tastes, trust me it's way too awesome.

 Worth trying. It costs around INR 80 per roll, and worth every penny of it. 

The dish has been "Indianized" in most of the restaurants with those Indian spices to make it more appealing to the customers.
Personally my favorite places to have shawarma here in Madurai , is house of sandwitch in K.K Nagar and Arabian Delight in Anna Nagar.
I heard the new restaurant called zaitoon in anna nagar sells one of the finest shawarmas in the city but I haven't tried it personally.  

 Whatever be it they are still as tasty as hell.
Let's get into how it's made.

Spoiler picture :

This is how it looks in the end. Yes it's a spoiler indeed. They normally don't cut it up. It was on my request they did so, so that I can show you people what's inside.

Step 1 :

Shawarma is cut into fragments from the rolling "always hot" meat , which consists of  ground chicken seasoned with Indian spices that enhance it's flavor. 

 Step 2 :

The fragmented meat is mixed with some pieces of cabbage and minced together with a
Knife.

 Step 3:

The raw bread ( which resembles roti ) is what wraps the meat after getting baked .

Step 4 :

The bread is placed in the red hot grill which apparently bakes the side exposed.

 Step 5 :

Same way the other side is exposed to the grill and is baked.

Step 6 :

The fully baked bread is placed in a butter paper , stuffed with the chicken and cabbage and finally wrapped.

Step 7 :

Garlic sauce is squirted over the bread which actually gives it a unique flavor.

Step 8 :

The mixture of chicken and cabbage is now layered over the bread which already has a layer of garlic sauce.

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Step 9 :

Finally a third layer of garlic sauce finishes of the stuffing and the bread is ready to roll. 

Step 10 :

The stuffed shawarma bread  along with the butter paper in which it was kept is rolled over and folded at the ends. It's usually heated in the oven for around thirty seconds prior to serving. And there you have a Shawarma all ready to eat.

The "Plate"- A Picture Essay

With the best selling dish of the streets

Yes you read  that right. What you're about to see is called "plate".
It's one of the best sellers in most of the bhajji stalls.
Hopefully it's not just a plate.
It's usually made by mixing two samosas( but for some reason these guys prefer the term "somas" instead) and an egg bonda along with some channa gravy which you find steaming all the time.
Of course there are many number combinations other than the one I mentioned, but this is the most prominent one.
Other combos include something else in the place of the samosas, for example chillie bhajjies.
You ask me what has plate got to do with it.
 That's because this is apparently the only thing they sell in a plate in these shops.
 These are worth trying. They make a perfect spicy, hot snack.
You know how amazingly hot things get, when you put three hot stuff together(not what you think, you dirty minded jerk.! ) and mix them up. So yes here is how the story goes.

Step 1:

When you order a plate, they first pick up two of these(in the right). These are called samosas( somas) , they consist of  spicy onion 'n tomato rings which make them a tasty dish even alone.

Step 2:

Now he is the badboy who makes the "plate" a "plate". The key ingredient. Egg  bondas. This consists of a boiled egg in it's center. If you eat it alone don't expect it to be spicy.

Step 3:

The two mentioned above are mixed in a jar for around a minute. So their tastes get blended well.

Step 4:

This steaming(steam not shown in pic) channa gravy is now poured into the already spicy mixture which in turn makes this thing one of the best street foods out there.

Step 5:

After some further mixing it is transferred from the jar to a "plate"(satisfied?)  and some seasonings are done with some black pepper powder and onions, now you can picture how spicy it would be.

Step 6:

This is the total close up view of this dish.

But wait I'm a pure vegan :

                                            No big deal, there are vegetarian plates without the egg bondas, Which is made in a separate jar. You can ask for that.

Where to get in Madurai :

The entire stall. 

                                           Wherever you see a bhajji stall in the streets with a wheel, there is a 90 percent plus of chance they sell this. The best hand picked ones by me are in Anna Nagar near the eighty feet road opposite to a park. Another stall near K.K nagar bata showroom sell good stuff. Do try them.

Street Chicken - Smoking Hot From The Streets

RED HOT.!!

Ahh..This is one of my favorite ones.
 It's deep fried chicken.
 It is called by different names , chicken 65 , chicken pakoda ,etc depending on the person's social conditioning.
It's a bit risky one too..not all shops sell good quality fried chicken.
You can easily identify it.
 First and foremost the shop will ALWAYS have someone eating there , like the shopkeeper will never run out of customers.
Which means he sells good stuff that people eat at regular intervals.
 And the colour of the chiken too speaks volumes.
Perfect fried chicken are deep blood red and NOT BRIGHT RED.
Yes, the bright red ones just "look" good but frankly speaking , they taste like s**t.
Just keep the above two in mind before opting for chicken , plus in the end I'll introduce you to a wonderful shop where the best street chicken is sold.
It's a must try thing for all those "I love spicy stuff'" foodies.

The Recipe That Would Make Your Taste buds Praise You :

                                                                                                       

The marinated uncooked chicken

 Raw ,washed, cleaned, pieces of chicken.
 That's how it starts. Ginger garlic waste along with pinches of turmeric is mixed with the chicken. And then red chillie powder , black peeper powder , whole eggs, lemon juice are added.
 Normally a pinch of red colour powder is added at this stage to attract customers.
 The meat is mixed thoroughly and let to marinate for around one and a half an hour.
The raw meat is ready. It looks like the one in the above picture.
Now all that the shopkeeper does is that , he half cooks around 1 kg at a time by frying it in oil for a short interval of time and sets it in display.
Once you go to the shop and ask for a plate of fried chicken , he takes around 100 grams from the half cooked chicken and fries it deeply in oil until it becomes fully cooked and ready to eat.
The chicken is garnished with onions , lemon slices and served.

The half cooked ones kept in display are the main attraction of this street food , who can resist such a display combined with an amazing spicy aroma.?

The Taste :

The ready to eat finished product.

                    It has a spicy , masala filled taste. It has the notes of ginger and garlic. Lemon is slightly felt. Overall it tastes completely incredible. Trust me it's just incredible. And worth trying.

Combinations :

An inside view of the street shop

                          In Madurai people eat it with onion rings.
I was in Vellore where they ate this with an amazing combo , the "idiyapam" .
I know it sounds a bit weird , "Chicken 65 + Idiyapam" , I felt the same way when I saw peeps eating it in the streets so I just went out and tried it. It was just completely amazing. The soft tasteless idiyapam does wonders with the harder spicy chicken.

Places To get This :
                                 In Madurai there is a shop in Anna nagar , it's near the new branch of arun bakery and is placed in front of an unused park.
 I'm a fan of that guy's chicken. He sells the best.
 But if you're a chickenholic and  simply love chicken , then I suggest you to make a trip to Vellore. That's paradise for any chicken lover.
There are street chicken shops in huge numbers over there like three to four in a single street.
They have a good variety too , chicken pakodas, chicken chops , chicken kebabs , chicken chips...the list goes on.Good luck trying.

Bombay Chaat - The Spiciest Chaat.

BOMBAY CHAAT: 

Yes. This is my blog post after one helluva long time. Health issues.
So had to restrict on street food.
 But it's okay, I've decided to chuck it and start blogging. I'll get active again.
So this is what I've covered today, "Bombay chaat". Just like the name suggests this dish originated in the streets of then Bombay(now Mumbai) .
It is a very less popular chaat item.
But trust me it is a million times tastier than bhel puri , masala puri and stuff. And I highly recommend you to try it.
Besides it's humble appearance , it has the highest number of spices of all the chat items. And it's flavour.!!!
The taste will stay in your mouth for a loong time. Not all would have tasted this.
And that's such a baaad thing.!
 Once you eat it you'll feel addicted to it.
And remember , you only get addicted to things that take away stress and pain from you.
 So it's doing more good than harm. Now let's get into what makes this dish soooo special.

 The Magic Recipe :

At first , crushed papads , chopped tomatoes , onions and mashed potatoes start the dish.

A few papads are crushed in the plate.
That's how this masterpiece starts.
After pappad comes chopped tomato , onions and mashed potatoes ( These three are one killer combo.!!).

These are those spicy chutneys that add the magical flavor to the dish.

And then a few dabs of ginger paste and date chutney(aka, date sauce) .

This channa gravy alone ,has a lot of spices in it , which gives the dish more a more Indian touch. The gravy remains hot with the help of a stove. It tastes incredibly great when cold curd mixes with this hot gravy.

Here comes the best part , a spicy hot channa gravy is poured all over the plate.
Throughout the making of this dish ,no mixing must take place. Ever.
This ain't martini and you ain't James Bond.
Seconds after the channa has been poured a few spoons of curd is poured on top of the dish.
 Over the curd comes mint chutney and chaat masala.

The masalas

 The finishing touch is "sev" sprinkled generously all over the plate and garnished with coriander. And baaaang.!! An edible masterpiece in your hand.!!
 

Places To Get This :
                                  This spicy bomb is available in 98% of the chaat stores out there ( The ones that ain't got this aren't worth visiting) .
In Madurai out of my personal experience I've found "Kolkata chaat" (They spell it in a weird way though) as the best place to have this dish.
The shop is found opposite to reliance fresh in Anna Nagar.
 It has another branch in M mall.

The Wallet Factor :

                                Okay I agree. This is costly compared to the other chaat items and street foods.
It costs around 40 Rupees a plate. But it is worth the money.
 You can take my word for it. Why.? Because it more spicier.
 It has more of "Indian spices" in it. And It's stomach filling too. I've given you my opinion.
The choice is yours to take or not.

The finished piece :

Finished piece. Irresistible. Both it's looks and It's taste.  

 
So that's it peeps. Feel free to leave your comments below.

                                                                                                                                                                            

   

One Fruity Flirty Evening

                                                          The Fruit store :

In my last post I stressed a lot around the non-vegetarian stuff.
The vegetarians felt like hitting me with a brick , as if there is no good street food from their side. The thing is there are tons.
 So now I have come up with an exclusive vegetarian Fruit stall.
They sell up to fifteen varieties of fruits each costing around rupees 10 per plate.
 But there are two things this stall stand out for.
The fruit salad. The watermelon juice. Let's see in detail about both the dishes.

                                             
                                                                  Fruit Salad :

This is the fruit salad . A perfect evening snack

The fruit salad is actually too healthy to be called street food.
It's prepared in a hygienic way too. Notice the gloves the man is wearing in the first pic.
 The recipe is the same as what your kinder garden cookery teacher taught you , to familiarize you with the names of fruits.
This salad consists of ten fresh fruits neatly cut and mixed.
They are papaya , pineapple , watermelon , grapes, guava, cucumber , carrot , apple , dates and banana. It is served in a disposable plate.
If you are seriously into the sweet dishes then you can eat it as such. But if you are like me , in love with the magical taste that comes out when sweet and spicy taste mixes.
Then you can tell him to top it with some black pepper powder.
You will be given a toothpick to eat it with. You needn't limit yourself , this is completely healthy and safe.


                                              Water Melon Juice :

This is the juice concentrate , consisting of sliced watermelons and ice cubes.

Ahhan . Drinks.My favourite part.
 I'm not an expert in mixology Nor have I been a cocktail mixer.
But I know what tastes good with what. This is tastes good.
It is the best thing you would have ever drunk in a hot summer afternoon ( after beer though :P ) .
The juice concentrate is mixed with a little amount of red sherbet.
The concentrate is actually, watermelons and ice cubes.
Preserved in a closed vessel.
So yes this drink is just a mix of sherbet and watermelon slices along with ice cubes.

The red sherbet. Taste enhancer.

This juice costs around 15 to 20 rupees depending on your bargaining skills.

Mixing.!

So you have come to the end of the blog. Hope you enjoyed. Leave your comments below.

An inside view of the fruit stall

The Madurai Street Dinner : A picture essay

Okay..now I've done so far the best thing I've ever thought of , A complete picture essay of all the typical Madurai food that are eaten as dinner dishes.
The spicy non-vegetarian type
Madurai is one of the best places to have a dinner , the best part is you can get food at any time , even at 3 am. YES , any time..! Provided you are patient enough to search for a shop.
If you are a lazy reader , then this is especially for you.
If you have a slow mobile data , I pity you the most. This blog is full of pictures.
So let's go ahead for the stuff.

                               


                     Egg Parotas (popularly called as  "mutta parota") :

Stage 1 :
                                                                               

This is how it begins , hand chopped parotas , onions and tomatoes with a sea of egg in the centre.
Look at the heart shaped egg , these guys are romantic too. :P 

Stage 2 :

This is the so called "secret ingredient" , some amount of local gravy is poured into the sea of egg in the centre. The gravy is called as "chalna" or "kuruma" by the locals.

Stage 3 :

I swear you would love to see this , this is the best part of this dish , the man vigorously chops the mix with that chisel like instrument in his hands. The sound could be hear from miles..!


  

Stage 4:

After a few minutes of the vigorous chopping , the egg parotas are finally ready .

Stage 5:

This is the amount of egg parota you get when you order for one plate of it , it is garnished with  black pepper powder before serving.

                                                           



                                  Tandoori Chicken :

Okay..this is not that much of a "Madurai" dish , it originated in the street dhabas of Punjab. But still it has become dead famous in Madurai in the past few years.

Stage 1 :

Raw chicken , mixed with masala. It marinates for around 6 hours.

Stage 2 :

And now , the marinated chicken is inserted in a sharp metal rod and  put inside a tandoor oven and it stays there for some minutes till it gets fully cooked.

Stage 3:

A few of the tandoori chicken prepared in the previous stage are hanged outside in hooks to attract the customers , how tactical.!!

Stage 4:

This is how it is served , with onion rings, cabbage , lemon and mint chutney!!

Stage 5 :

What else left.? Just start eating.
P.S: THIS IS NOT ME

                                                               

                             Mutton Dosai :

This is "The" Madurai food. This has got history with Madurai. And is popularly called as "Kari dosai"

Stage 1 :

How it begins.? Eggs are first beaten in a vessel like this.

Stage 2 :

After the eggs are beaten , it is mixed with "mutton chukka" and is beaten even more.

Stage 3 :

The mixture of mutton chukka and eggs are poured into an "yet to be cooked" dosai.

Stage 4 :

It is left as such for a few minutes, till the bottom of the dosai is cooked.

Stage 5 :

The dosai is flipped to the other side , left as such for a few minutes and there you have the spicy mutton dosai.!! 

                                  



                          An additional combo- Parotas with butter chicken :

If you haven't tried this combo before , I highly suggest you that you try it , this is like drugs for your taste buds .

So here comes the end of this picture essay , hope you enjoyed , leave your comments below :)