While I have enjoyed countless breakfasts at MTR, writing this essay provided the perfect excuse for yet another visit.

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While I have enjoyed countless breakfasts at MTR, writing this essay provided the perfect excuse for yet another visit. Comparing notes with my father, I found that the experience remains largely unchanged.

Idlis, a highlight of their menu, are traditionally made from rice. However, during World War II, the Japanese invasion of Burma, the region’s largest rice producer and South India's primary supplier, caused a significant shortage. MTR, like many eateries, was affected.

Yagnappa experimented with rava (semolina), soaking it in curd, adding curry leaves and coriander, tempering it with mustard seeds and cashew nuts in ghee, and then steaming it like a regular idli. This resulted in a fluffy, lighter idli that remained popular long after the war ended.

Yagnappa's innovations didn't stop there. After returning from Europe, he created the chandrahara, a pastry-like dessert made from deep-fried layers of flour, topped with a sweet, thick sauce made from khoya.

Read this excerpt from Ruth Dsouza Prabhu's ‘India’s Most Legendary Restaurants’, published by Aleph Book Company.

#mtr #ravaidli #idli #rice #kesaribath #rava #semolina #vegetablecurry #chandrahara #americanicecream #dosa #pudi #bhaji #ghee #filtercoffee

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