A Chettinad Culinary Experience: Nagarathar Virundhu This Weekend in Chennai

Opportunities to experience a traditional Nagarathar virundhu are rare, making this weekend’s collaboration between Chef Goku and Vishalla Vairavan, cookery expert and cookbook author, a noteworthy culinary event. The first edition of the feast brings to the table a cuisine shaped by the Nagarathar (also known as Nattukottai Chettiars, a Tamil community from the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu, India) community’s trading legacy, where travel across Malaysia, Myanmar and Southeast Asia left lasting impressions on local food traditions. Ingredients such as coconut milk, kalpaasi, karupatti, kavuni (black) rice and star anise lend the cuisine its distinctive depth and flavour, explains Chef Goku.

Served on a fresh banana leaf and laid out in a time-honoured sequence, the virundhu reflects generations of culinary wisdom. The non-vegetarian menu features mutton uppu kari, meen kulambu, eraal masala and kozhi milagu kari. Vegetarian highlights include masala cheeyam, palakka kola, thayir keerai, vellai poondu sadham, pacha milagu kulambu, vathal kulambu, along with thogayal, kootu and poriyals. The meal concludes with carrot payasam and aadi kummayam, traditional festive sweets that complete the experience.

January 11, Vishalla Vairavan’s residence, Adyar. Slots at 12 pm, 1 pm and 2 pm. ₹1200 for vegetarian and ₹2000 for non-vegetarian. Pre-booking: 98410 74777.