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Fresh from Chettinad

Essence of Chettinad at Dakshin, offers the best of cuisine from the Chettiars

SPICY SPREAD Veg and non-veg Chettinad delicacies

Say Chettinad and gourmets might well chime in with the word `chicken'. On the contrary, Chicken Chettinad is just the tip of the `spiceberg' in the cuisine of the Chettiars, the very business-oriented folk who live this side of the globe.

Chef Chalapathi Rao of ITC Kakatiya Hotel Sheraton and Towers says he has a collection of about 100 recipes, some of which are so rare that just the fingers will do to count the number of kitchens that make them. Dakshin, the South Indian restaurant at the Hotel is playing host to a food festival that features a range of recipes from Rao's collection.

"The food is a bit on the spicier side and hits you right here," Rao says and points to his throat. In true Chettinad tradition, rasam is the only soup served followed by tart-sized banana appam and sewiyan dosa as appetisers.

The festival fare covers a range of vegetarian and non-veg dishes that are liberally doused with spices to ensure you keep reaching for the glass of fresh coriander-spiced buttermilk to soothe your throat.

But spices are the soul of this cuisine. In fact, the chef's recommendation turned out to be a pungent curry made with onions, garlic pearls and sun-dried gooseberries (Vathal Kozhambu), a hot and heady combination with steamed rice. Among the other veggie delicacies are Kalan Curry (fresh mushroom cooked in spicy gravy, a Karaikudi speciality), Pala Kilangu Masiyal (thick masala made from a variety of tubers), Aachi Veetu Kathirikkai (spicy baby brinjal poriyal) and Malli Mochai Mullangi (a poriyal made of dry coriander, butter beans and radish).

Non-vegetarians can feast on Yera Manga Kozhambu (prawns cooked in delicately spicy Chettinad gravy with a subtle flavour of mangoes), Nandu Milagu Fry (crab meat tossed in a pepper flavoured gravy) and Meen Kozhambu (tender morsels of fish in gravy). There's the Malabar Parathas and dosas to go with the gravy dishes. Rice lovers can choose between veg and non-veg biryanis.

Moving over to desserts, or madhuram as the Chettiars would say, there's Thiruvizha Paal (made of condensed milk, raisin paste and sugar candy), Arisi Vella Mandi (kheer made or rice and jaggery) and Adhirasam (made of rice flour and jaggery).

K. SACHIDANAND MENON

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