Chennai Gen Z and millennials reinvent Deepavali recipes through tradition and novelty
Younger generations in Chennai are personalising festive celebrations by combining heirloom recipes with modern culinary influences.
Generations of Gen Z and millennials in Chennai are reinventing Deepavali traditions by blending nostalgic heirloom recipes with modern twists, according to a report by The Hindu.
Content creator Praveen Duraivelu, 27, describes how he replicates his mother Latha's festive meal of idli, vada, and mutton kuzhambu. Duraivelu noted that his mother uses a 30-year-old grinder to achieve the perfect texture for her vadas.
Other residents are also introducing new elements to traditional offerings. Rahul Mo Seyon, who runs tasting table and supper club experiences in Chennai and Bengaluru, incorporates Burmese influences into his household's Deepavali plate.
Seyon said his family makes a savoury seeyam, a lentil ball, which he enhances by adding fried shallots, garlic, and homemade chilli oil. He attributed this influence to the proximity of Burma Nagar in Ennore.
Seyon's father, Mohan Arumugam, also participates in the cooking. Arumugam noted that the family traditionally makes snacks like murukku and adhirasam, sometimes using white sugar instead of jaggery.
For this year's festivities, Seyon plans to make sweet and savoury versions of seeyam, thinai payasam, adhirasam, and thattai with the help of his cousins.