It doesn’t take much of an effort for Chef Damu to recall the best biryani he has ever had. “It was at a simple shop in Vedaranyam,” he says, instantly remembering the texture, colour and the flavour of the biryani. “I feel like eating it now,” his eyes light up. But it’s Thai Poosam when he doesn’t eat meat. Chef Damu’s expressions are as animated as his recipes. Whether it’s about the garamaloo parathas he had on the Delhi-Haridwar Highway on a winter morning five years ago, the ghee rice at Kayalpatnam or the karuvaattu Kozhambu he tasted at a village in Kanadukathan, he never misses the details. “The paratha had a blob of butter still melting and glistening on it.” “The Kozhambu had a tangy flavour that was unmistakable,” he leaves the listeners slurping.
“I am someone who loves to cook and eat well. My recipes are a mix of time tested formulae and new age experiments,” says the celebrity chef who has written 26 books containing over 5,400 recipes. “However, the best of recipes are the simplest ones. I know to prepare over 20 varieties of biryanis and each distinct from the other. A minor change in the ingredients or the proportions can alter the flavour and the end product in a big way.” He says a common thing like the green chilli can lend a different taste if slit vertically instead of being chopped. The following he enjoys on cookery shows and the patronage his books get are testimonies for his success.
Chef Damu has done extensive research in bringing back the forgotten recipes of South India. He travels across villages and learns cooking from the old paatis. On one such visit to a village in Chettinad, he learnt a peculiar recipe. “The old woman was the gatekeeper at a farm and she offered to dish up some quick lunch. I saw her harvest farm fresh raddish, wash it in the running waters of a nearby channel, slice them into perfect discs and in no time she made a kozhambu with raddish and chicken,” recalls Damu. “It sounded bizarre but the taste was brilliant and I was taken aback. Till then, I didn’t know chicken could be cooked with raddish.” “The Kozhambu was the accompaniment for Kezhveragu Kazhi .”
Damu is now on a mission to revive the traditional millet-based kazhis. “Our ancestors had invented many such healthy and wholesome yet tasty dishes. Unfortunately, we have forgotten them.” Another unusual recipe he learnt was the Sorakkai and Chinna Eral kozhambu . “The villages around Kanadukathan are rich with cooking knowledge. I can never forget the Paruppu thuvaiyal and nei soru I ate there,” he says. “Only there, I realized that something very basic like the paruppu keerai masiyal and Pazhaiya sadham could be heavenly. In just a week at Chettinad, I gained six kilos of weight,” he giggles.
The cooking method matters, he says. “For the food to taste authentic, it’s important to use the age-old techniques, the vessels and equipment like the ammi. For example, there’s something called a Kadaisal chatti which is a round bottomed brass vessel that was used in the olden days for making masiyals. It’s a pleasure to watch the paatis squat on floor and pound dal and spinach with a wooden stick in the vessel.
Known for his innovations in food festivals, Chef Damu is also a three-time Guinness record holder. He has the distinction of performing the longest cooking marathon spanning 24 hours, 30 minutes and 12 seconds, in which he prepared 617 dishes, cooked 15,400 kilograms of vegetable curry in a single vessel, dubbed as the longest curry preparation in the world that served 2,40,000 people at a show in Singapore. He also made the longest dosa measuring 48.2 feet two years ago in Madurai. Talking of Madurai, he says, “The city has a special place in my heart. I am grateful for the idlis and the hot tomato chutney, it served me at midnight, during a visit few years ago.” “My trips to Madurai are incomplete without the Kozhi Vellai Kurma from Janaki Ram Mess and the Ayirai Meen Kozhambu from Amma Mess,” he says.
Damu will soon be seen in an upcoming film Ulkuthu , due for release in April, directed by Caarthick Raju. Upon sporting the hat of an actor, the chef, says, “The movie is about fishermen and fishing and was shot at Muttam and Colachel in 45 days. The people there were familiar with my shows and I felt at home.” Damu who plays the chief of the local fishermen says, “The costume is the highlight of the character. I can be seen wearing a check lungi, a pair of sunglasses, T-shirt and a shawl. It was amusing and as my first time on the big screen, I found it gratifying. I have faced the camera only from behind the kitchen counter and to act and deliver dialogues was a nice experience. Acting helps to discover an unknown side of yourself.”
