Coimbatore, Nov. 19
'Eat locally grown food to stay healthy'. Are you hearing this advice often these days? Oh yes, we do hear them from health experts who strongly believe that consuming local cuisine minimizes the chances of fatal diseases like cancer. Over the years, we've accustomed ourselves to cuisines from all over the world. But don't forget, compromising local cuisine is a curse for our health, say connoisseurs.
Local cuisine is not just about taste or the culinary skills of the people or the ingredients. Indeed, a depiction of the personality of the people and the culture of the region. A good example for this would be the 'Arisi Paruppu Sadam' an iconic dish of Coimbatore. Like the people of this city, the dish sounds simple but truly a sumptuous filling and a nutritious dish.
Customarily, coconut is the chief ingredient for our Kongu cuisine. Most of our dishes, be it a basic keera poriyal or gravies, get pampered with a generous dash of coconut paste or milk. Is it the abundance and incessant supply of coconuts to the Kongu belt the reason for adding coconut to our dishes? Hmm..it sounds true! Certainly, the local food depicts the region.
"Yes, there is a drift in people's culinary taste. They embrace, relish and cherish their local cuisine over other cuisines. And, that's the reason we thought of hosting the version 2.0 of 'Thattu Kadai' (means street food in English), a Kongu-based food festival" says Chef Arul Selvan of Gokulam Park Hotels, here.
Let's see the interesting quotient about 'Thattu Kadai'.
"A food festival should be like a festival in itself. Not just the cuisine, the ambience should induce the guests to indulge in the cuisine" the Chef believes.
How true was his statement? Indeed, a hundred percent! As we sneak-peeked into their dining hall, it was completely disguised. Their corporate dining hall had taken a whole new suburban street-like avatar. With colourful paper decorations, a 'potti' kadai and a bullock cart with a stack of hay and not to forget the differently shaped mudpots brimming with flavoured dishes.
Before glancing at the food counters, we stopped for a second at the 'potti kadai'. With local magazines hung in a rope, rounded glass jars lined up with kadala urundai, then mittai, 5 paise orange mittai, goli soda and inji morappa, it was so much real! Just the seller was missing.
As we walked through the menu, the pepper and curry leaves infused mutton liver fry in the steaming hot iron cast caught our attention. We don't usually find items like liver fry in a food festival.
The fluffy, piping hot idlis paired with thakalli kulambu was worth a try. Breaking the usual stereotyping of idli sambhar combination, the famed thakalli kulambu of Kongu region reminded so much of home. Arachu vitta nattukozhi kulambu paired with spongy kal dosas', authentic paal poli....the kongu flavour goes on and on at the food festival.
"Following the over-whelming reception for our last year's debut 'Thattu Kadai, this year, it's 'thattu kadai 2.0' version" said Mr. Rafiq, General Manager of Gokulam Park Hotels.
"Over the years, things have changed a lot in terms of food. We had earlier organised Chinese, Kerala and many other food festivals. But the reception was unlike this. Even during such food festivals, guests here would prefer ordering local cuisine. And, that's how the idea of hosting 'Thattu Kadai' emerged", he added.
"As 'Thattu Kadai' means 'street food', all food counters are made live. Other than briyani and gravies, all dishes are prepared fresh at the counters. Traditional kulambu varieties are prepared in mud pots using hand-pounded condiments used in Kongu region. Black pepper, coriander seeds, fennel, jeera and fresh curry and coriander leaves are the key ingredients used by Kongu people . And, we have used the same generously here", observed Chef Arul Selvan who is well-versed in international cuisines after working in cruise liners for about 12 years.
"People here prefer having specialised items like liver fry, botti fry than the usual chicken 65 kind of dishes that are very common" he added.
"Coimbatore people have a great taste for food. Local cuisine is a must for them. Rice, kulambu and rasam with some raosted vegetable or a non-veg side dish will make their day," he pointed out.
Well, there are equal options for the vegetaraians as well at 'Thattu Kadai'. From kalans (mushroom), seppa kilangu roasts (Arbi roast), mor kulambu, ghee kushkas and payasams, the veg lovers do have options.
For people who would want to give a Kongu touch to your lazy Sunday meal or dinner, do visit the Thattu Kadai at Gokulam Park on Avinashi Road.
We do come across a lot of specialty food festivals like Kerala, Andhra, Maharastrian and more. But hosting a Kongu cuisine in the Kongu capital, sadly shows how much our local cuisine has gone far away from our kitchens. It's time we revived our lost recipes or they might be lost forever and no better way to do it than celebrate it with a feast.