The stone ural and why we still pound our masala
Every morning at 6, before the stoves are lit.
What makes food Chettinad
Not just chilli: pepper, fennel, kalpasi and the art of the dry roast.
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Notes from Kanadukathan Kitchen
Guides, care tips and stories from behind the counter.
A guide to the Sunday virundhu
Twelve dishes on a banana leaf, and the order to eat them in.
Nattu kozhi or broiler: why the chicken matters
Country chicken takes longer, tastes stronger and costs more. How it changes a Chettinad curry, and when farm chicken is fine.
Is Chettinad food too spicy for children?
How spicy our food really is, how we make it milder without changing the masala, and what children usually enjoy.
After the temple: eating around Srirangam and the Rockfort
A day of temples in Tiruchirappalli, with notes on timings, crowds and where to rest before a late lunch.
Where our gingelly oil comes from
A wooden chekku in a village near Pudukkottai, sesame seeds and palm jaggery: the oil behind every dish we cook.
Purattasi month: our vegetarian Chettinad menu
When many families give up meat for the Tamil month of Purattasi, the kitchen changes too. What we cook from September to October.
A family lunch for twelve: what it costs
Meals, extra dishes, parotta and a sweet: a realistic budget for a group of twelve at our Thillai Nagar dining room.
Your first visit to our dining room
Parking, waiting times, how the leaf is served and how to pay: what to expect when you come to Thillai Nagar for the first time.
Sunday special: Chettinad virundhu.
Twelve dishes on a banana leaf, every Sunday lunch, for ₹450.