Kongunadu aroma mesmerises rock city

25 special dishes are on offer daily for 10 days

The Kongunadu spread on offer at a food festival at Sangam Hotel in Tiruchi.— PHOTO: M. SRINATH

A 10-day food festival at Hotel Sangam’s Cascade Coffee Shop hopes to revive lost recipes from the Kongunadu region, the historical seat of the Chera kings. The lunch thali menu is from 12.30 p.m. to 3 p.m. while the a la carte dinner is available from 7.30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Special non-vegetarian dishes to look out for are Thandu keerai urundai , a deep-fried meatball made with minced mutton and Foxtail Amaranth spinach, Special Kaadai (quail), Pollachi Mutton Kozhambu, and Kangeyam Mutton Biryani .

Among the vegetarian specialities on offer are soups like

Murunga Keerai (drumstick leaf) Rasam, and

Ahathi Keerai Sambar and main course items like

Kongu Kaalan Biryani with roasted peanuts, stuffed

Pollachi Veechu Parotta ,

Kovai Kotthu Parotta, and

Salem Onion Dosai .

Kongunadu comprises the modern day districts of Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Tirupur, Erode, Namakkal, Salem, Karur, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, parts of Dindigul, and Pallakad in Kerala.

“In our research, we found that Kongu cuisine used to be predominant in Tamil culture, but the dishes have been endlessly adapted and moulded into new recipes over the years,” said Anjan Chakraborty, general manager, Sangam Hotel. “We want to make the city aware of such a rich cuisine and give our guests an exposure to something other than the current south Indian menu,” he added.

Known mostly for its snacks and dry items, Kongunadu’s cuisine got its distinctive flavour from the use of spices such as ginger-root, turmeric, and copra (dried coconut kernel).

“We have tried to source the ingredients, especially the coconuts and black sesame seeds, from the Kongunadu region to give the people of Tiruchi an authentic taste of the cuisine,” chef Anthony Sami said.

At a taster meal, the non-vegetarian soup Naatu Kozhi Rasam gave a tasty and tangy start, followed by appetisers made of gram and banana blossom.

In the main course, guests could try vegetarian options such as the mushroom biryani or non-vegetarian dishes like rabbit curry and fried quail. Plain rice and dosai were on offer to mop up the gravies.

Desserts include Nongu (Palmyra fruit) halwa, Elaneer (tender cocout) Payasam and kachayam (banana fritters).

Around 25 special dishes are being offered daily throughout the food festival.