Can healthy, organic, responsible food be tasty? Gandhimathi Azhaguvel, the owner of Diet-in, a niche restaurant in Vadapalani, attempted to prove that a healthy meal can also be fun. To make her point, on all full moon nights, she holds a dramatic dinner on her restaurant terrace.
The event, named ‘Nila Soru’ (which literally translates into moon rice), has been held every full moon night since 2012. The food is vegetarian, and always accompanied by music. The imaginative menu is made from ingredients rarely seen in today’s urban cooking, whether it’s in homes or restaurants. This includes Navadhaniyam and a range of traditional millets.
The event, held recently, began with thirikadugam soup, spiced with dry ginger, black pepper and thippilli (Indian long pepper), a combination of healing spices used to aid digestion. The next course comprised millet vadas and kandarappam, made with a blend of rice, dal and jaggery.
Explaining why they make an effort to host this dinner every full moon, Gandhimathi says Pournami or the full moon has a cooling effect, and she believes that eating in the moonlight can be a powerful experience. They inevitably get a good turnout — some regulars, some health buffs, and many who come out of curiosity.
“I enjoyed the red rice puttu and the jackfruit payasam the most. So did my kid,” says Shyam Sundar who works in the Organic Farming Association.
Venue: 7/12, West Sivan Koil Street, Vadapalani, Chennai- 600026
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