With a day to go for Easter, preparations are in full swing at Smitha Kuttayya's house. A set of traditional delicacies—hot cross tarts, stuffed roast chicken, pork chops with mash and her iconic Simnel cake are being made. Kuttayya, a Coorgi settled in Chennai, are a home chef and Instagrammer who goes by the handle "Global Theeni."
Most of us associate Easter with Easter eggs, bunnies, hot cross buns and all things chocolatey. While Easter eggs symbolise the resurrection of Jesus Christ and hot cross buns signify the end of 40 days of Lent, there's more than these to an Easter meal.
"Simnel cake has been an important part of our Easter Feast for over three generations, a recipe my grandmother learnt from a British neighbour when we lived in Coorg," said Kuttayya pointing out how she still follows childhood traditions at home. Kuttaya layers the cake with Marzipan and decorates it with 11 balls of Marzipan that represent the 11 apostles (minus Judas).
Legend has it that an old couple called Simon and Nell decided to use the leftover ingredients from Christmas to make a cake for spring. But they argued over the technique, Simon wanted to boil it, and Nell wanted to bake it. They compromised by doing both; hence the name Sim-Nel was coined.
Kuttaya also specialises in making stuffed roast chicken. She blends the potato mash with cheese, butter and herbs and stuffs it inside the chicken. She then smears the chicken with her secret barbecue sauce made with Kachampuli (a dark Coorgi vinegar made of a fruit called Panapuli), spices and seasonings and marinates it for 4-5 hours. It is then popped into the oven and roasted to perfection.
The buzz begins a week ahead of Easter at Zynndyy Daniellie Namazi's home in Kotturpuram, Chennai. She has been cooking her favourite St. Louis style beef/pork ribs for many years. Who doesn't like a good ol' plate of tender ribs covered in a dark sticky sauce? An Anglo-Indian, Easter is very special for Namazi, and she carries forward her family's recipes with ultimate care.
Namazi smears powdered spices like paprika, pepper, cumin, and oregano on the rack of ribs and leaves it to marinate for at least an hour. The meat is baked for three to four hours until it falls off the bone. She dabs the barbecue sauce on the chicken towards the last 15 minutes of baking to make it even yummier; the ribs, literally, drip with her secret sauce.
Pot roast pork is yet another traditional recipe of her family. The pork is marinated in spices like pepper, red chilli powder, ginger garlic paste, and cinnamon powder and left to marinate. It is then pressure cooked for about 30 minutes until juicy and tender. Namazi can be found on Instagram as Ovenly Pleasures By Zynndyy.
Aishwarya Yadava, a home baker who runs the Bakers Bay (also her Insta handle) in Chennai, prefers to bake savoury dishes over confectioneries on Easter.
"I make crisp and juicy chicken croquettes for children every year," said Yadava, who quit her job as a pastry chef at an international hotel to become a full-time home baker.
The glazed chicken is another treat on her menu; it's a dish that her family and friends love.
"They love the glazed chicken wings that are perfectly crisp and juicy with mouth-watering flavours," said Yadava, who adds red wine to give a deeper colour and flavour.
"The act of baking is a form of self-expression that makes me happy, and baked delicacies make everyone happy, which is a double joy for me. Spreading happiness is something I strongly believe in."
Deepa Shri Rajan is a food, travel and lifestyle blogger and Instagrammer based out of Bengaluru
Watch the latest DH Videos here:
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels | Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks