Apple milk, Madurai

Apple mix or apple milk, an ice cream-like dessert served at Amsavalli Bhavan in Madurai.
| Photo Credit:
G. Moorthy

Nothing much has changed at Amsavalli Bhavan on Madurai’s East Veli Street ever since it was started 75 years ago. The hand-painted signboard, mosaic flooring, a narrow flight of stairs that leads one to the dim-lit air-conditioned dining room upstairs… In the 1970s, a new dish was added to its strictly non-vegetarian menu: apple mix, popularly known as apple milk or apple ice cream. Since then, it has become a ritual for anyone who eats their seeraga samba biryani to follow it up with a cup of the frozen dessert.

“My grandfather Gopal Pillai came up with the recipe after a trip to Goa,” says G Arunraj, the third-generation owner. Gopal arrived at the current version after a lot of trial and error. Apple milk is Amsavalli’s version of vanilla ice cream served with chunks of apple.

The dessert consists of plain milk, let to simmer for several hours with sugar, after which a suggestion of vanilla flavouring is added. It is frozen and served after adding diced apple. The result is a sweet, creamy, milky concoction punctuated by crispy cubes of apple.

“We make only small batches every day, that get sold out by 7pm,” says Arunraj, who adds that they have several “die-hardfans,” for the frozen dessert. “They wouldn’t hesitate to give us an earful if we run out of it,” he laughs, adding that they sometimes get requests from regular customers to set aside a cup or two.

Arunraj says that several political leaders have enjoyed their apple mix. “I have heard that my grandfather offered it to the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi when she came to Madurai on an official visit,” he remembers.

Located at 42, East Veli Street, Madurai. Call 0452 2620117.

Jelly with ice cream, Nagercoil

Warens’ vanilla ice cream with jelly
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

When the nation woke up to news of its independence from the British on August 15, 1947, a small ice cream shop was being inaugurated in a town in Tamil Nadu. The owner Parameswaren was unaware of how monumental the day was. Today, Warens Ice Cream’s main store still stands in the same spot on Balamore Road in Nagercoil. “The neighbourhood had an agraharam behind it then, and someone who had a radio there heard that India had attained independence on our opening day,” says Babu Arunachalam, Parameswaren’s grandson.

Warens on Balamore Road in Nagercoil
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

Warens is known for jelly with ice cream, its signature dessert that has remained a constant on its menu since 1947. “Grandfather initially sold a range of cold drinks such as sherbet that he made at home,” says Babu. Britishers, who would come to the Salvation Army Catherine Booth Hospital (CBH), near where Parameswaren’s shop was located, enjoyed his drinks. “They suggested he also make ice cream and even helped him import an ice cream machine,” says Babu.

At Warens, while the rest of the flavours are sourced from outside, they make their own mixed fruit jelly and vanilla ice cream. “When he started out, grandfather sold a cup for 25 paise,” says the 52-year-old, adding that today, the same costs ₹60, while their vanilla ice cream costs ₹30 a scoop. People from the city, who have settled elsewhere for work, make it a point to stop by for a cup of their jelly with ice cream, whenever they visit.

“We also have grandfathers bringing their grandchildren, reminiscing about the days they had ice cream here in their younger years,” says Babu. Warens has two branches in Nagercoil, and Babu says that they have plans to expand to other parts of Tamil Nadu . The name is short for Parameswaren, which was easier for Britishers, their first customers, to pronounce.

Located at Balamore Road, 92A/115, Tower Junction, Nagercoil. Call 9443375014

Jigarthanda, Madurai

Madurai’s popular jigarthanda, has been around since 1977, and was formulated by Sheik Meeran, who settled in Madurai from his hometown of Thoothukudi.
| Photo Credit:
G. Moorthy

The origin of this now omnipresent ice cream-based dessert can be traced to a corner shop in Madurai’s Keelavasal. It all began as an ice cream venture in the Sheik Meeran household in the 1960s. Meeran came to Madurai from Thoothukudi’s Arampannai village to make a living. “His was a large family, and everyone, including his two sisters and four brothers, pitched in,” recalls Mohammed Rabic, a relative.

“He started selling homemade ice cream door-to-door in a thooku vaali,” Rabic says. “He would serve it in a leaf placed on a vaazha mattai (banana stem fibre).” Meeran’s venture was driven by necessity. “His family struggled for their three meals,” says the 37-year-old. They gave their all into making the ice cream business a success. Gradually, people started noticing them.

The dessert has been around since 1977, and was formulated by Sheik Meeran, who settled in Madurai from his hometown of Thoothukudi.. Photo, . G / The Hindu.
| Photo Credit:
G. Moorthy

Meeran graduated from selling door-to-door to a pushcart, finally opening his own shop in 1977. He also made nannari syrup himself, and kept soaked kadal paasi (agar agar) that he sometimes added as toppings to his ice cream. “One evening, when there was a particularly high demand, he threw in everything he had: ice cream, kadal paasi, and nannari syrup and served it to customers,” recalls Rabic.

“It was an instant hit.” Meeran realised he had arrived at something special, and worked on it for six months. Thus, was born jigarthanda, meaning, ‘that which cools the heart. ‘

Rabic says that 90% of jigarthanda consists of milk, that they source from villages near Madurai. Everything, including the ice cream and the basundi topping, is made in-house. Jigarthanda has become synonymous with Madurai, something Meeran could never have imagined.

Located at 94, East Marret Street corner, Madurai. Call 9150099971/72

Mango ice cream, Chennai

The recipe of the mango ice cream is by the founder Kunhiraman, who started a petty shop in Madras in the 1920s.
| Photo Credit:
B. Jothi Ramalingam

C Kunhiraman General Stores in Royapuram sells what is arguably the best mango ice cream in Chennai. To buy a cup, one has to first get a token from the store, which makes the experience all the more charming. The mango ice cream at Kunhiraman is the result of the founder’s research and perseverance.

“It was launched in 1953,” says 46-year-old Akilesh Baskar, Kunhiraman’s grandson. Royapuram, says Akilesh, had plenty of Ango-Indian families back then, who suggested that his grandfather try making ice creams. “He came to Madras from Calicut in the 1920s, and first started a petty shop,” says Akilesh. “He later developed it into a grocery store, selling sodas and cold drinks on the side.”

C. Kunhiraman General Stores in Royapuram has been selling mango ice cream, made in-house, since 1953.
| Photo Credit:
B. Jothi Ramalingam

Kunhiraman, based on ideas by Britishers and Anglo-Indians, started researching on ice creams. “But before he could start making them, he passed away. His staff made ice cream in his memory, two years later.” The grocery store has also been selling grape juice from 1958, and Akilesh has also added chocolate milk and pista milk over the last one year. Kunhiraman’s mango ice cream initially cost less than one paisa, and was served in thick glass bowls. Today though, the bowls have been replaced by disposable ones.

“Most of our customers are from South and central Chennai,” says Akilesh, who has plans of expanding their brand. “I hope to sell our ice cream at restaurants in South Chennai soon,” he says. But the Kunhiraman experience will be complete only if the ice cream is had in front of their ancient grocery store, right where it all started.

Located at N Terminus Road, Chetty Thottam, Royapuram. Call 044 25904889.