Leaning against the low stone wall of the Vandiyur Maariamman temple theppakulam, I bite into a fluffy keerai vadai from a pushcart nearby. Dusk has set in in Madurai and street food vendors surround the landmark temple tank in the city, selling everything from paruthi paal to paruppu poli. But the keerai vadai — made with mullu murungai leaves (Indian coral) — that is served with a sprinkling of gun powder, is truly special. It is mild, nutty, crisp and chewy at the same time, and is among the most popular dishes from the Saurashtra community in Madurai’s food scene.
Mullu murungai keerai vadai is chewy and crispy at the same time.
| Photo Credit:
MOORTHY G
Saurashtrians are spread across several neighbourhoods in Madurai, such as Vandiyur, Nilaiyur, Munichalai, and Avaniyapuram. A majority of them are in the food business. From karupatti appam, paruppu poli, puttu, and pongal, Madurai’s Saurashtrians are known for their simple vegetarian food that is also easy on the pocket.
At Annapoorani Vilas Pongal Kadai in Madurai, known for vegetarian dishes such as tamarind rice, tomato rice, sakkarai Pongal and lemon rice.
| Photo Credit:
MOORTHY G
But the people, according to historian C Santalingam, arrived in Madurai to weave silks for royalty. “King Tirumalai Nayak, who ruled the region from 1623 to 1659, made Madurai his capital,” he says, adding: “He brought people from Gujarat’s Saurashtra to Madurai since they were skilled weavers.”
Over the years, when weaving lost its sheen, many of them took to cooking. “My father used to weave cotton as well as silk,” says R Bhuvaneshwari from the community, whose family is settled in Dindigul. “He entered the food business since weaving wasn’t profitable anymore,” she adds. Their sweet stop Jilebi Seshaiyer on Sandhai Road was started as a pushcart venture in the 1960s. Bhuvaneshwari says there are several Saurashtrians in her neighbourhood selling puttu, idiyappam and idli at their doorstep and on pushcarts.
Tamarind rice at Annapoorani Vilas Pongal Kadai in Madurai
| Photo Credit:
MOORTHY G
MG Vedhavathi is hugely popular in Madurai for karupatti appam and kara paniyaram sold with thin coconut chutney. A Saurashtrian, her roadside shop opposite the Sourashtra Boys Higher Secondary School on Kamarajar Salai, that has been around for 14 years, is known as ‘Akka kadai’ among her customers. She arrives with a large trough of caramel-coloured batter and steel boxes filled with butter at 6.30am, making live appams, and selling out by 10.30am. She too is from a family of weavers, and took to cooking after her grandmother who sold puttu and appam at Villapuram in the city for four decades.
“We are also known for our creamy venpongal and sakkarai pongal,” says Vedhavathi. What drew them to the food business? “Most of us are good cooks,” says Vedhavathi’s son-in-law CK Senthil Kumar, who owns a grocery store in the city. “Turning to cooking was a natural choice when weaving started failing us around 15 years ago,” explains the 41-year-old.
The making of mullu murungai keerai vadai, a popular snack from the Saurashtra community in Madurai.
| Photo Credit:
MOORTHY G
Their food, mild on the palate, is the preferred choice for lunch for many in the city. “In some neighbourhoods, one can buy meals for just ₹20 from sellers on bicycles,” says Senthil. “They sell kulambu and poriyal in small pouches from 11.30am to 2pm.” In Madurai, Senthil points out that apart from such streetside ventures, Saurashtrians also cook large quantities for functions such as baby showers. “They mostly take orders and cook at home,” he says. While people from the community also cook non-vegetarian food, their vegetarian dishes are more sought-after.
Annapoorani Vilas Pongal Kadai is among the oldest Saurashtrian restaurants in the city. Located at Munichali, the eatery has been in existence for over 55 years. There is no free table, I note to my dismay, as I walk in for lunch one afternoon. AG Jayaram, whose grandfather AR Rajaram started the place, is scooping out dollops of variety rice from large steel containers on plates for customers.
MG Vedhavathi has been selling karupatti aappam on Kamarajar Road in Madurai for 12 years.
| Photo Credit:
MOORTHY G
He sells seven rice varieties including vegetable pulao, lemon, tamarind, and tomato rice, venpongal, sweet pongal and kesari. The golden-brown tamarind rice is surprisingly mild and not too tangy, while the tomato rice tastes like fragrant biryani. The gleaming, deep brown rava kesari is sticky, sweet and drips with ghee. Prices range from ₹25 to ₹35; a steal considering the quantity and quality. “The cooking is done by the women in the family, namely AJ Ganga and AM Hema,” explains Jayaram.
The 500 sq ft space with its wooden tables, yellow walls, blue wooden door, and framed photos of gods on the walls has an old-world charm, which Jayaram adds to with his poise despite the surging afternoon crowd.
There are some dishes that Saurashtrians cook only at home. One such is the paruthisor, loosely translated as ‘cotton rice‘. Vedhavathi explains that it is cooked for pregnant women to be offered during the valakappu ceremony. “To make it, we soak cotton seeds to grind and extract milk,” she says, adding: “This is cooked with rice, to which karupatti syrup is added gradually until all the ingredients bind well.”
While in Madurai, Saurashtrians do not have a unique cuisine of sorts, their food represents the spirit of the community, and the city itself: simplicity and staying grounded.
Published – October 30, 2025 01:34 pm IST
