Coffee, Ghee Podi Idli & Nostalgia: Why Murugan Idli Shop Is And Always Will Be Boss

Local, outsider or in-betweener, Murugan Idli Shop is too iconic to miss. Be it for their onion utthapam or their inimitable podi idli.

South Indian meals, Podi Idli, Onion Utthapam, Ghee Pongal

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Authentic flavours of South India, and that unmistakable Chennai nostalgia.

Really? Ambience? Who cares when you have divine idlis, dosas and coffee sitting before you! But if you must know, it’s got bench-like tables, and plastic chairs, an open kitchen and someone running about with at least seven steel tumblers of coffee at any given time! Ghee, coffee, batter and fresh pongal is usually the dominating aroma that you can get from a mile away. 

We trooped here {the T Nagar branch} for an early morning breakfast, and luckily it wasn’t crowded. Kicking things off with podi idli seemed only natural. And it was as we’d hoped — soft, fluffy and just that bit crunchy thanks to the podi it came coated with. The podi, slightly spicy, was perfect to offset the heavy, ghee-soaked idli. We added to the ‘tiffin’ with a divine onion utthapam — with fried shallots mixed in. It went really well with the sambhar {unfortunately a bit cold}, and the tomato-onion chutney, as well as the coconut one. It’s rather good unaccompanied as well! Dosas are good too here — the paper thin sorts.

But save space for the ghee pongal. It’s loaded with dried fruits, ghee and jaggery, and you’ll want to skip lunch after it! Wash all this down with one — no, two, tumblers of coffee, and life is good. They also have meals for lunch, in addition to varieties of rice ranging from lemon and tamarind to tomato and of course, curd rice.