Mamallapuram: At the end of day 1 of the summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping was served a buffet comprising some of the classic dishes of the region. While PM Modi was served several signature vegetarian dishes. Here’s a list of what the two leaders ate. 

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President Xi Jinping was served dishes such as the Thanjavur kozhi curry which is chicken gravy made from a blend of spices. Another dish on the menu was Yerachi getti kuzhambu which is yet another gravy made with lamb and spices. Arachuvitta sambar is a lentil soup made of ground coconut and spices that is usually eaten with plain rice, Mamsam biryani from Andhra Pradesh was included which is a lamb biryani slow cooked with long grain rice and flavoured with spices and a Kerala style mutton roast were also on the menu for the Chinese President. 

On the other hand, PM Modi was served a variety of vegetarian dishes such as Thakkali rasam which a watery extract of tomato and spiced with pepper and cumin. He was also served Keerai vada which is nothing but spinach fritters and Kadalai Kurma which is a thick gravy made of black grams cooked in cashew and tomato gravy. Another dish on the menu was Poosnikkai more curry which is ash gourd cooked in spiced and tempered curd. A dish from Andhra Pradesh which is a beetroot-gongura chop was also served.

However, the desserts too were elaborate such as Kerala’s Ada Pradhaman made of rice palettes cooked in jaggery and coconut milk, Kavanarisi Halwa, a pudding made of black rice; and mukkani ice cream which is based on the three traditional fruits of Tamil Nadu, Mango, Jackfruit and Banana.