When I moved to Chennai 9 months ago, I remember making a mental note of all the things to do here to fully experience the ‘big city life’. At the top of the list right under street shopping, was to check out its diverse food scene. Restaurants, old and new, recommended and side-lined, I wanted to check them all out for myself; especially the numerous cafés that kept mushrooming all over the place offering different cuisines. A few of these places we did try, and were not particularly impressed with. At the risk of sounding like a complete snob, I’m going to say that there was even one such café where the bolognese tasted like (pav) bhaji! In their defence though, it was a pretty good bhaji.
Scouring the city’s numerous restaurants in search of a good meal is not an easy job. I remember mentioning this to my father-in-law this one time, and he very appropriately summarized it as the paradox of choice. It is especially hard also, if it’s you who’s suggesting it to the people you’re asking to go with you – that’s like an added level of pressure where the outcome is not in your hands! Anyway, this is a story with a happy ending..
There was a newbie we chanced upon in the heart of the city that we thought was worth giving a shot. I ordered the herb-crusted fish that came with a spiced tomato sauce and boiled baby potatoes. It went down a treat, and by the time I ate my way through it, I was thinking up ways of recreating it.
My attempt was solely based off of what I had tasted, so I ended up using the general theme as a template and experimenting with the flavours. Fish and tomatoes – being a classic combination – works well with thyme and oregano, and the pinch of cumin really amplified its personality. It didn’t taste exactly like what I had eaten, but it was every bit delicious! Every recipe and every bite has a story. And this is how this dish was born.
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Where soul food meets body 
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