Often food festivals are exotic, out-of-the-ordinary gastronomic experiences. But The Park’s Monsoon restaurant has dished up a great menu for the season that comes across as a special treat from kitchens in Tamil Nadu. And the food fest, aptly titled ‘Cultural Kitchens of Tamil Nadu’, is on till September 22 (today) for dinner only.
A delectable range of Chettinad, Kongunad (Coimbatore and surrounding regions) and Nanjilnad (Madurai and surrounding areas) cuisines is on offer. And there’s a good variety for both veg and non-veg palates. The regional cuisines of Tamil Nadu are known for their fiery and flavourful combinations of spices and herbs that make every bite an unforgettable experience. And it is this experience that Chef Jacob Kumar Sahay has set to do for Bangaloreans.
While Chettinad cuisine depends predominantly on the “maratti mokku” spice, which looks like a miniature of a plantain and is black in colour, Kongunadu cuisine relies on sesame seeds, groundnuts, dry ginger and roasted turmeric, while Nanjilnadu cuisine borrows dry coriander seeds heavily, and mixes it with other ingredients to prepare what they refer to a ‘coriander powder’.
The festival features an ‘a la carte’ menu showcasing a range of salads, podis and chutneys, rasams, five vegetarian and non-vegetarian main courses, rice dishes, paniyarams and parotas.
For starters try ‘Pallipalayam kozhi varuval’ (boneless chicken cubes marinated in Kongunad spices and deep fried), “Kanyakumar meen varuval” (fillets of seer fish marinated in coriander seeds mixture and deep fried), “Kongu kaalav varuval” (cubes of button mushrooms marinated in dry ginger based Kongu masala and deep fried) or “Karivepplai paalkatti varuval” (paneer fingers marinated in curry leaves and urad dal mix and deep fried). Or try the paniyarams, which will vanish from your plate in minutes!
For the main course, you could try "Vimalakka nalli saalna” (mutton shanks curry from a traditional Nanjilnad kitchen), “Kozhi varutha kari” (a signature chicken curry, Chettinad style) and “Pallipalayam kaalan perattal” (semi dry mushroom preparation). The “Chettiar meen kolambu” comes highly recommended and goes well with rice or parotas.
A good meal always ends with desserts, one can choose from “Elanir halwa” (a smooth halwa made from tender coconut and rice flour), “Kavanarsi halwa” (made from black rice and black jaggery) or payasam.
Chef Jacob, who’s been flown in specially for the food fest, said his interest in cooking goes back to early childhood days. “Today, it’s my passion. I thoroughly research all my preparations before cooking them.” And that definitely shows in the food. Bon appetit!
