When R. Banumathi came to Madurai as a newly wed bride in 1975, she straight away entered her mother-in-law’s kitchen, not at home but at the shanty restaurant her husband’s family ran at Mookapillai lane tucked inside Tallakulam. The ammi , the aatukkal , the olakkai and the ural were her paraphernalia and inside the pigeon-hole kitchen, Banumathi and her mom-in-law Amma Thai spent the whole day grinding and mixing masalas. By then, little did Banumathi realise that she would later run one of the most successful restaurants in the city. “Those were simpler days, when there were fewer varieties. I used to grind lots of dried chilli, pepper, cumin seeds, turmeric and coconut on the ammi ,” she recalls. “ Viraal Meen Kozhambu was the speciality I learnt from my mom-in-law, for which the masala was carefully concocted following a slew of instructions from her. A single extra chilli or a slighter dose of cumin would alter the taste and it required so much care. There was a technique to wash the fish and the key was to fetch them alive.”
“Then, our shop served about a hundred people daily,” she recalls. Today, Chandran Mess is a sought after destination for meat-lovers from all around the State and a visit to the city is incomplete without a spicy lunch at the shop. It is the magic Banumathi creates in the kitchen that keeps up the steady flow of customers. Every single day, starting from 7 a.m. Banumathi juggles half a dozen ladles over eight earthen chulhas and three gas stoves till noon, busy as a bee, hopping between huge vessels of silver and Aluminium, dishing out gallons of curries, kozhambus and gravies. And yet, not a single thing goes wrong. “I make sure even the onions are chopped uniformly and just the right amount of curry leaves go into the curry. That’s how we maintain the taste and flavour,” she says. Except for a 10-day foreign trip, she has never given the kitchen a miss in the 42 years of the restaurant’s history. “I have never felt bored or burdened. It’s the interest to innovate that keeps me going.” She has introduced a number of signature dishes so far, including the Mutton Sukka, Nenjezhumbu chops and Mutta Kari.
Banumathi is no doubt a great cook who feeds amazing food to nearly 300 people daily apart from her family and friends. “But I am a fussy eater,” she confesses. “For long, I have wanted to become a vegetarian, but no dish leaves the kitchen without me tasting it. Perfection is all that I look to achieve in my recipes. Now, I am passing on the knowledge to my daughters-in-law and training them in the art.”
If Amma Mess has become a name to reckon with in the packed field of home food makers in Tamil Nadu, much credit goes to two women, Amma Thai and S. Sumathi. The ‘saas-bahu’ (mother and daughter-in-law) combo has been the guiding force behind the success of Senthilvel, the proud owner of the restaurant.
The story of Amma Mess
It was Amma Thai, who took personal care and attention in all food preparations of the Amma Mess when it began its journey in 1992. “We started this restaurant in her name as a mark of respect for her culinary skills. She was an expert in dishing out traditional delicacies such as ayirai meen kozhambu which is still the signature dish of our restaurant,” says Sumathi.
Born in Ponnamaravathi, a small town near Karaikudi, Sumathi was exposed to kitchen quite early in life. She was an integral part of a restaurant in Pudukottai run by her aunt where she learnt all the nuances of Chetttinad Cuisine. She came to Madurai after marriage in 1982.
Amma Mess gained the celebrity status when it caught the attention of people with its variety and taste. “I learnt a lot from my mother-in-law. I used to watch her pick masala and prepare recipes. She insisted on manual grinding as she believed it enhanced the taste. When you use electrical mixer and grinder, the heat generated while grinding may affect the taste of the masala. Even today we grind all our masalas on ‘ammi and aattu kal’ (stone grinders).
In the earlier days, 100 people a day would come to eat in Amma Mess. Today, at least five times more drop in during the lunch hours alone. “We have also introduced dinner menu with karidosa and nandu omelette, which are equally popular,” she says.
Now her kitchen is filled with women, most of whom are her relatives. “The kitchen belongs to us and there is no space for men here. I have more than 30 women helping me and I am comfortable working with them,” she says.
Some of their recipes ‘Kalli Kaatu Kozhi Charu’, boneless ‘Nandu’, bone marrow omelette have huge fan following. Amma Mess has gained star status with celebrities frequenting the restaurant. From popular Poet and Lyricist Vairamuthu to director Bharathiraja many celebrities never fail to visit when in Madurai.
Sumathi has also cultivated a habit of introducing a new recipe every year. Stepping into the silver jubilee year and keeping in line with the tradition, she plans to introduce new recipes this year too. But whatever they do, they begin in the name of Amma Thai. Amma Thai is no more but the rich legacy she has left is still the cornerstone for the success of the restaurant.
