Chettinad Eatery Log: The famous Amma Mess

Day 2: Lunch at Amma Mess, Madurai

On the second day of your trip we drive from Karaikudi to Madurai. Madurai is probably the second biggest city in Tamil Nadu after Chennai. It is also known to be a city that never sleeps, thanks to the famous Meenakshi Amman Temple that it is home to. Pilgrims visit the temple day and night, and to cater to these visitors, there are a host of street food vendors, selling everything from jigarthanda, to kothu parota, paniyaram and whatnot!

Madurai Meenakshi Temple

Our first stop in Madurai was Amma Mess. On reaching the mess we were welcomed by the owner, Mr. Senthilvel. He welcomed us, placed banana leaves in front of us, and urged us to eat well. It is not uncommon in such messes for the owners themselves to also act as the hosts, treating diners like guests to their home. What makes it more homely is that Amma mess is a family run business. Mr. Senthilvel’s wife is the head cook, and their son takes care of the finances. Mr. Senthilvel’s brother and sister own two other equally famous messes in Madurai, and it was their mother who taught them everything they know.

Amma mess serves typical Chettinad style food, although, the family themselves are not Chettiars, but Asaiva Pillais. “Asaiva” means non-vegetarian, and Pillai is an aristocratic land-owning community in Tamil Nadu. But this family had been in the catering business for quite a few generations.

At Amma Mess

Once we were given banana leaves the lunch service was quick. We ordered regular meals, supplemented by several of Amma Mess’s specialty meat and offal dishes. 

The basic meal

Being the carnivore that I am, I was to try everything with an open mind, and I found that I could appreciate something about each meat dish we tried. Whether I will go on to be the biggest fan of the meat or not, it would take more tastings to tell. But here are the Amma Mess meat specialties we ordered in my order of preference:

1. Quail – although a small bird, the meat was incredibly tasty!

Quail

2. River fish – the tamarind based curry was alright, but the fish itself (I’m not sure of the name) was very flaky and flavourful

River fish in tamarind based curry

3. Rabbit – the meat is very tough, but once you get past that, fairly flavourful, I found.

Rabbit curry

4. Intestine – Intestines were something I expected to be very chewy. But instead they were fairly tender, with a bit of a bite – somewhat like well-cooked calamari. The masala was good, but the large intestine did have a rough texture, that took some getting used to…

Large intestine and small intestine masala

5. Brain – I’d always been curious to try brain. After having tasted it I would compare its textture to soft-cooked egg whites. Creamy, but without much flavour of its own, I do wish the masala had been spicier. I also want to try brain again a few times before I fully form my opinion about it (any suggestions for good places in Bangalore?)

Brain masala

6. Heart – I’m not a big fan of offals, and I especially don’t enjoy the flavour of liver. And I expected heart to taste quite similar. But it had a much milder flavour. I think that was also partly the masala. It did have a soft, and somewhat creamy texture, which was nice.

Heart masala

After the hearty meal of meat, curry, and rasam-rice, we asked Mr. Senthilvel if we could meet his wife, the head cook, and see their kitchen.

Down in the kitchen, Mrs. Senthilvel proudly told us that they cook for about 500 odd people everyday, each time preparing all the masalas from scratch!

In the kitchen area with Mr. and Mrs. Senthilvel in the centre

She also told us about an interesting variety of pond fish called “Airey meen”, which is local to the region. This fish is no bigger than one and a half inches in length. Since they are so small, they cannot be gutted. Instead, there is a special way in which their insides are cleaned. The airey meen is bought live, and left in a pot of coconut milk overnight. The fish feed on the coconut milk, so their guts are filled only with that – and cleared of any impurities they may have fed on in the pond. The airey meen curry is then prepared in a traditional earthen pot.

The tiny Airey Meen, about 1.5-2 inches long, is eaten whole

Clay pot in which Airey Meen curry is made

Subsequently, on return from my trip, I was discussing this very process of the airey meen curry with a lady named Ambika, who is deeply involved in embracing traditional cooking methods. She told me that traditionally in Tamil Nadu, there are utensils specific materials used to make specific foods, all for scientific reasons. Most curries are made in clay pots, some dishes made in kalchatti (stone pots), and rasam was always made in eiyachombu (tin pots). Why tin, I asked, surprised. Apparently, tamarind rasam must never be boiled. As soon as it simmers, it must be removed from heat. Tin is a metal with a very low melting point, and so if it is left on the stove till the rasam boils, you will have little blobs or silvery mental in your meal. The low melting point of the pot inherently acts as a preventive measure from overcooking the rasam! How fascinating and ingenious is that?!

That afternoon in Madurai I learnt so much ­– about food traditions, about dining etiquettes, and about my own carnivorous likes and dislikes. It was probably the single most learning-packed meal of the trip for me! And of course, I must sign off by saying, if any of you are ever in Madurai, DO NOT MISS AMMA MESS.