Pune on My Plate: How Tamil restaurants in city keep their signature flavours, traditions alive

Indian Express

5 days ago

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