{
  "id": 4625375,
  "title": "This Tamil restaurant in Chandigarh refuses to sweeten its sambar",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/this-tamil-restaurant-in-chandigarh-refuses-to-sweeten-its-sambar",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-31T10:18:19.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/food/features/this-tamil-restaurant-in-chandigarh-refuses-to-sweeten-its-sambar/article71364943.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Gunasekaran P, the 43-year-old founder of Karthik South Indian Restaurant, runs a Tamil restaurant in Chandigarh that does not sweeten its sambar. The majority of his customers are North Indian, but he remains true to traditional Tamil flavors. Despite initial resistance from his customers, he continues to cook sambar without sugar, following the traditional method passed down from his mathematics teacher. Gunasekaran started his first restaurant in 2005 and now has multiple outlets across Chandigarh and Ludhiana. He emphasizes the importance of eating with one's hands and blending masalas in-house, as opposed to buying them from outside. The restaurant uses ingredients such as rice, appalam, banana leaves, coconut, wood-pressed oil, and filter coffee, all sourced from Tamil Nadu.",
  "summary": "In Chandigarh’s Sector 46, Gunasekaran P, founder of Karthik South Indian Restaurant, has maintained his dedication to authentic Tamil cuisine by refusing to alter traditional recipes",
  "key_points": [
    "Gunasekaran P runs Tamil restaurant without sweetened sambar.",
    "Majority customers are North Indian, but he follows Tamil flavors.",
    "Restaurant uses homemade masalas and local ingredients from Tamil Nadu."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}