Palatial houses, trade relations with foreign countries and multiple chefs to man kitchens at home. No, this isn’t the way of life of a new-age Mumbai business family but that of the wealthy Chettiar community of Tamil Nadu, who have lived this way for several hundred years now. The community’s trade relations with South East Asian countries like Ceylon, Malaysia, Indonesia and Burma made a significant impact on Chettiar cuisine, which is visible even today.
One such family are the Meyyappans, who in 1999 converted their century-old ancestral property in Karaikudi to the first heritage hotel, called The Bangala. The family-run hotel has since gained several fans around the world, especially for the authentic Chettinad food prepared by their traditional chefs. At the helm of the kitchen is 85-year-old Meenakshi Meyyappan, an authority on her native cuisine, who has even co-authored a book titled, The Bangala Table: Flavors and Recipes from Chettinad .
Exploring cuisine
It was on a road trip to Tamil Nadu last year that Thomas Zacharias, chef partner at The Bombay Canteen, got acquainted with The Bangala and their food. Zacharias ended up spending three days in their kitchen, learning 20 recipes, which has resulted in The Canteen Chettinad Table, in collaboration with the property. “He was quite willing to not evolve the cuisine and serve it as is, that’s what I am happy about,” says Meyyappan, who happily let Pandian and Kasi, two of her main cooks to lead the kitchen for the pop-up, so you can truly eat like a Chettiar.
“The idea of my travels all over India is to do an in-depth exploration of local cuisines by connecting with local experts. When I was looking towards Chettinad cuisine, everybody pointed me to The Bangala. While there, I spent all my time cooking with her chefs. A lot of traditional chefs around India are guarded about their recipes, but they were very nice. What is served as Chettinad food is not remotely close to the original, it’s a nuanced cuisine. Originally, there’s no dish such as the Chettinad Chicken, it’s just some person’s textbook version of a dish,” says Zacharias. Except for the fresh produce, the chef has sourced all his ingredients, from coriander seeds or the gundu (which translates to fat) chilli from Karaikudi, which has a distinct and less spicy flavour.
Traditional is best
“When we are grinding the masalas, we use less chilli and more coriander seeds. That’s the main difference. At The Bangala, we hand-grind the masalas every day on a stone pestle. All the recipes that will be served have been made at Chettiar homes for many years,” shares Meyyappan. At the pop-up, you can savour the elaborate Chettinad meal which is served on a banana leaf, and includes seven to nine different items. A typical meal includes seven vegetables on the leaf; on one side you have a rice preparation which is usually lime, curry leaf or coconut rice; white rice in the centre served with ghee; a thick curry (curry is called kozhambu in Tamil), and More Kulambu, the equivalent of the North Indian buttermilk kadhi, sambhar, rasam and curd rice, says Meyyappan. “Everything that has four legs or two legs we cook it,” jokes Meyyapan when we ask her about the meat preparations. In addition to Milagu Kaadai Masala (quail in black peppercorn masala) and Uppu Kari Kozhambu (dry cooked mutton with gundu milagi chili), meat eaters will also have Chettinad Lamb Chops, Moolai Masala (soft cooked bheja with a spiced onion tomato) and more to choose from the a la carte menu.
“Traditionally, we use no tomatoes, cinnamon, cloves or cardamom. But cooks today insist on using it, and it destroys the taste of the curries. I insist that the food in The Bangala’s kitchen is cooked in the traditional way and we don’t add the new spices. We also use shallots, and no big onions. Garlic is a recent addition,” Meyyappan clears a few misconceptions about Chettinad cuisine. We ask her if it was her mother or grandmother’s cooking that inspired her passion for food, and she replies in true Chettiar style, “I don’t know how to cook, I can’t even light a stove. My father always had very good chefs who would set great tables at our home, and I followed this tradition and had chefs after marriage too. So I didn’t need to enter the kitchen. But I do know what the food should taste like,” she smiles.
The Canteen Chettinad Table in collaboration with The Bangala is ongoing until May 19 at Bombay Canteen, Lower Parel; noon to 3.30 p.m. (a la carte) Dinner: 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. (a la carte). Chettinad Meal (limited seats; minimum two people; only on pre-orders for dinner; 49666666
