Brothers aim to showcase traditional Ambur cuisine to the city

CHENNAI: Passionate about food, Thadey Zeeshan Anees, Mohamed Samee and Mohammed Faraaz, cousins having solid roots in Ambur but born and raised in Chennai, wished to open a restaurant someday that speaks their tradition. After doing research for almost a year, the brothers carefully curated a menu highlighting Ambur’s traditional savours.

“As a result of our initial research, we learned that biryani has become quite popular among Chennaiites in the last decade . Many food outlets here claim to serve what they claim to be “Ambur biryani”. But, we strongly felt that the biryani we get here is nowhere near to how it is in Ambur,” starts Zeeshan. That is when the cousins decided to start Ambur Canteen, a diner that serves not only Ambur biryani but also various authentic Ambur dishes.

“People tag Ambur as a destination for biryani. There are other delicacies that are as wholesome and flavourful as biryani. We are trying to improve the recipes without losing their authenticity,” says Samee. This canteen serves an Ambur lunch platter which has khushka, chicken kurma, any starter, phaal, daalcha, green chutney and papadam. Vegetarian option is also available.

Their parents are also supportive of their idea to start a restaurant and are actively involved in shaping the traditional recipes. “We fear that the next generation might not have a fair knowledge about our conventional dishes. We want to document and preserve our legacy. We are also planning to host workshops to delve deep into authentic recipes,” shares Samee.

Talking about naming the restaurant as a canteen, the brothers said that they wanted people to experience casual dining rather than fine dining.

Nowadays, Chennai’s food culture is expanding with each passing day. Chennaiites are getting exposed to many regional cuisines like chettinad, nellai, dindigul, kongu and so on. “We saw different regional cuisines popping up and are being embraced here. We also have recipes with rich history and tradition. Seeing the trend, we decided to represent Ambur cuisine,” adds Zeeshan.

He also feels that the recent trend might be a result of lockdown. “During the pandemic, people started experimenting with their home recipes and the period witnessed a rise in the number of home cooks. People became more confident in showcasing their cuisine,” he explains. Adding to what Zeeshan said, Samee also thinks that it is amazing how there are pockets of different flavours within the state.

“Ambur is famous for its unique tea, with milk on the heavier side. We want to explore our full potential and take it further. Our focus is to provide a holistic experience of being in Ambur,” concludes Samee.