Crossing the border for chicken | Rahmath Border Chicken at Courtallam

Everyone needs a friend like Muhusin in their life, the one that motivates you to cross borders to eat, but that motivation does not bear fruit unless you have friends like Aslam and Dr.Sneha.

A mouthwatering discussion about Rahmath Porotta stall at Courtallam, Senkottai in Tamil Nadu got us 4 geared up for a drive to taste the spicy-juicy goodness. It was a shame that among the 4, the food blogger of the lot (eyes this way, please) was the one who was about to taste this for the first time in her life!

We drove almost 107 kms covering Nedumangad, Madathara and Thenmala to reach our destination. Let me help you with a picture to make it easy for you to spot:

Let me warn you well in advance, the place is going to be packed! Just walk in with full confidence and sit as soon as you find yourself a seat, second thoughts will leave you minutes away from relishing the biriyani, chicken and porotta.

We ordered 1 chicken biriyani, 1 mutton biriyani, 2 plates of pichi potta kozhi, border chicken fry, porotta and 3 glasses of cold lemon juice.

A typical Tamizh styled spicy masala rice with a tomato base covering the fried chicken beneath. The same rice is used for mutton biriyani as well. Unlike other states, the price for Mutton and Chicken remain fairly same in Tamizh Nadu, maybe due to the easy availability of the meat. The mutton that you get in TN is also super tender. Both the Biriyanis were priced at Rs. 160/-

Coin porotta: Small – medium sized crispy porotta, not to be confused with the flaky big ones we get in Kerala, this one is fried in oil and has a slightly crunchy exterior. Served alongside with a salad (sliced onions mixed with thick curd). Priced at Rs.8/- for one.

Pichi potta kozhi literally translates to chicken shredded by hand. Shredded fried chicken tossed in a pool of spices where black pepper elevates the flavour game. The right kind of punch that does not hit you at the back of the throat.

To cool it all down we got ourselves a glass of cold lime juice, the hint of liquorice (Narnari / Naruneendi) makes all the difference, this was a bit too sweet for my liking though. I would have loved the addition of basil seeds in it.

If you are travelling from Trivandrum let me warn you in advance that the road that connects Trivandrum to Thenmala is under construction and is in a pathetic condition, but beyond that, its lush green and beautiful. Make sure to stop by and take a break near the paddy fields of Senkottai and enjoy the cool breeze. If you spot vendors who sell Nongu (Ice apple/ Tad Gola) do not miss a chance, jump in! Keep your bargaining skills in handy, they might loot you with prices that are off the charts.

Direction | Maps: Help yourself

Would you cross the border for food? Let me know in comments.