There is more to Chettinad cuisine than the heavy chilli infested non-veg that unfortunately this cuisine has become associated with. I discovered this on a recent trip to the area. I was warned of the oily, spicy fare in store and people wondered what I was going to do there except see the unending parade of mansions all built in the same style. I couldn’t get enough frankly. Apart from the dusty, arid landscape, everything else was waiting to be discovered. The mansions, although similar, were each a reflection of their owner’s taste and history…stunning in their simplicity and a reflection of a way of life that, for some, still continues to exist. The food is also reflection of a community that grew wealthy over several centuries through what seems to be sound business practices, loyalty, trust and astuteness. With no private bedrooms in their mansions (men and women sleep on separate “platforms”) and no ornate dress – the men all wear a white dhoti and shirt (a single piece of cloth that is often mistakenly called a lungi), the only time they can show off their wealth is during marriages and through their love of food, which they happily share. Chettiyars were originally vegetarian but through their travels and with a keen desire to be accepted internationally, developed a liking of non vegetarian dishes. So much so that it would be almost an insult for a Chettinad table to be without quail, country chicken or seafood.
I avoided street food completely. This was wise. Home food isn’t accessible to everyone but fabulous local food, reasonably priced is available at The Bangala in Karaikudi. Dishes are redolent with aromas and subtleties which spices not harsh chilli renders. Deliciously light palakarams (dosa, idli etc), salads, sambars and curries, dry spice powders (known as podis), delicious cashew nut and veg stews, sodhis (light coconut milk curries) and mandis (a virtually unknown vegetarian preparation made with rice water and tamarind as a base) are just some of what you can expect when you visit. The Bangala is an exquisite boutique hotel in the heart of Kairakudi in Chettinad. Meenakshi Meyyapan runs this enchanting place which incidentally also serves some of the best food in the region…not only Chettinad but what she refers to in her beautiful cook book, The Bangala Table, as “Butler” dishes – dishes based on Anglo Indian or Christian recipes which have come down through our colonial past. Meenakshi was born in Bangalore but moved with her family when very young to Colombo in colonial Ceylon. With the outbreak of World War II, she returned to India and continued her education in Bangalore in Yercaud, going on to graduate from Queen Mary’s College, Madras. The daughter of a hospitable family, whose table was renowned for its superb Chettinad fare, Meenakshi married into the MSMM family, which was equally renowned for its food. She then lived between Madras, Karikudi and Malaysia. When the MSMM family opened The Bangala as Chettinad’s first ‘heritage hotel’, it gave her the natural opportunity to hone and showcase her flair for hospitality and to present and serve the most fabulous food in Chettinad. The recipes in her book are authentic but toned down I would say. The famous Chicken Chettinad or Milagu
Masala Kozhi as it is known locally lacks the famous south Indian spice kalpasi (dagad phool or black stone) but you have to use the round red dry chilli goondu milagi which is similar to the Gujerati bor mirchi. Meenakshi’s recipes are easy to follow and have been painstakingly tried, tested and compiled by her devoted team at The Bangala. I urge to try them but more important, please visit her home stay which is makes you feel like time has stood still…old fashioned hospitality at its charming best.
CHICKEN CHETTINAD PEPPER MASALA (Milagu Masala Kozhi)
This is really the flag bearer of Chettinad food. If there is one dish that people around India and the world know of Chettinad cuisine, Chicken Chettinad Pepper Masala is it! This is easily the most requested dish at The Bangala, its unique wet paste blend dominated by black pepper, giving it its Chettinad credentials. This recipe is the real thing – a far remove from the overly spiced, fiery –hot imitations found in most restaurants. It has balanced flavors with the mildly numbing but subtle heat of black pepper as the underlying essence that continues to linger on the palate, all wonderfully soaked up by the chicken
Ingredients
Wet Paste 1 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp cumin seeds
4 dried red chillies, mild, preferable goondu milagi, whole
1 tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp peeled and grated garlic
½ tsp peeled and grated ginger
Kalpasi (dagad phool)
Star anise (chakra phool)
Bay leaf
Curry leaf
½ cup vegetable oil
One 2-inch piece cinnamon
2 green cardamom pods
1 ½ medium (about 150 gms) onion peeled and finely chopped
½ cup fresh tomato puree, from about 2 medium tomatoes
1 tsp sea salt, or to taste
600 gms chicken (1 small or ½ medium chicken), cut into 8 pieces
Method
1. Place a heavy tava or flat pan on low heat and dry roast the fennel seeds, peppercorns, cumin seeds, dried red chillies and coriander seeds until fragrant and slightly darkened. Grind them on an ammi or mortar-pestle, adding a little water, or run them in a wet grinder to make a paste. Add turmeric, garlic and ginger to the wet paste and mix well. Set aside.
2. Place a large kadhai or wok over high heat and add oil. When hot but not smoking, add cinnamon, cardamom and onion and stir. Reduce heat to medium and saute for about 4 minutes or until onion is lightly colored before adding the tomato puree. Saute for an additional minute.
3. Add the reserved wet masala paste to the kadhai breaking it apart with a spoon and stirring well to incorporate. Continue to cook for 10 – 12 minutes scraping the bottom of the kadhai, till the oil separates from the masala. The mixture should look well cooked and should have darkened.
4. Sprinkle in the sea salt and stir. Then add the chicken, stirring to coat well with the mixture. Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes before adding 1 ½ cups of water. Scrape the bottom of the kadhai to deglaze and bring to a boil on high heat. Let boil for 3-4 minutes, then turn heat down to low and cook for 15-20 minutes, covered; stir occasionally.
5. Uncover and reduce till the sauce thickens to coat the chicken
6. Remove from heat. Serve immediately.