There is something about a passionate foodie that defies convention. They can break rules, travel distances for the right consistency of a kebab. The author George Bernard Shaw was not wrong when he said ‘There is no sincerer love than a love for food.’ Yet, Dr Vidhya Shankar was treading a thin line when she chose to question the chefs at the Tanjore Tiffin Room (TTR) about the absence of seeraga samba rice in her biryani.

“I am not a person who often speaks their mind openly. But having grown up in Trichy, it was close to my heart,” the dental surgeon reveals. The traditional South Indian rice is particularly known for its fluffy form that gives texture to a biryani, in addition to its aroma.

Kavuni rice halwa; (right) Vazhapoo vadai