“You know, apart from helping my mother in the chopping and dicing, I had never cooked a single dish until after I got married. I used to spend months observing my mother-in-law and sister-in-law in the kitchen before trying my hand at cooking,” says culinary expert, P. Sugunavathi.
This 65-year-old who hails from Vijayawada, but is settled in Chennai, is in the city on an invite from Hycinth by Sparsa to head an Andhra Food Festival at the hotel. She will be serving traditional Andhra food from the regions stretching between Visakhapatnam and Nellore. Keera soup, Kheema vadai, Pesarattu dosa, Menthi kura pappu, Kodi molakeera, Mamidikaya pulihora, Pootharekulu and Sunnivundalu are some of the dishes on the menu that will change on a daily basis.
Andhra food, says Sugunavathi, is unlike the food served in Telangana, which bears similarity to Mughal cuisine. “Andhra food is extremely fiery and we use very little masala. I have however toned down the spice level to suit the palette of the denizens of the city,” says Sugunavathi as she serves me prawns biriyani, mutton gojju and Andhra fried chicken.
Prawns biriyani
The basmati rice is fluffy and the prawns plump and juicy. Thankfully, the perfectly spiced dish is not ghee-laden and heavy on the tummy. Mutton gojju is a semi gravy dish. The meat is delicious and falls off the bone. The flavour of fresh ground spices is predominant in the chicken dish.
Brushing my protests aside, she serves me second and third helpings. Her husband, Narasimha Rao, who joins us at the table, laughs as he recalls: “In the early days of our marriage, Suguna would encourage me to take several helpings until there were none left for herself.” Sugunavathi smiles and says: “I enjoy my time in the kitchen. The look of pleasure I glimpse on the faces of those who try my dishes, makes my day.”
For dessert I am served Pootharekulu, a paper thin square sweet that melts in your mouth, and Kakinada khaja, which is dry on the outside and juicy inside.
The once novice cook agrees she has come far. With the encouragement from family and friends she has turned from home-cook to savvy entrepreneur. “My Andhra chutney podis such as Kobbari karam (spicy coconut powder), Kandi podi (toor dal spice powder) and Nalla karam (coriander seed spice powder) and pickles made with garlic, curry leaves and gongaru leaves are popular with friends and family. In fact, I have brought bottles of my pickles and podis for the fete in the city by the dozen. I decided to start a small factory unit called Jyothi’s Foods at Cholaimeedu, Chennai, as I kept receiving orders for the various podis and pickles. We have recently rechristened the factory to Maruthi Spices and Pickles.”
The factory, says Sugunavathi, is a small one, with just six women working for her. While machines handle tasks like drying, roasting and grinding, some jobs like the slicing of mangoes and the peeling of garlic for pickles, are done manually. The soft-spoken entrepreneur says, with pride in her voice, that her podis and pickles are served at all the major star hotels in Chennai.
When asked if it was practice that helped her in becoming a culinary expert, Narasimha, quips saying, “She is someone who hums while cooking; she loves serving food to those around her. The reason her dishes tastes good is because she adds a liberal dose of love in it.”
The Andhra Food Festival at Hycinth by Sparsa, Thampanoor is on until June 25. It starts in the evenings from 7.30 pm to 11 pm. The buffet dinner is priced at ₹999 plus taxes.
