Reminiscing and recreating heritage

Bridget White Kumar, an expert on Anglo-Indian cuisine and an award-winning author, was recently in town to curate and develop a menu for an upcoming property of VM Hospitality. A handful of us were lucky enough to dine on some of the sumptuous dishes cooked by her during the process and also get an introduction to Anglo-Indian food.

“In terms of cuisine, besides British and Indian heritage, Anglo-Indian also includes those with Portuguese, French or Dutch heritage. The Portuguese have contributed a lot to the culinary landscape of India. They are the ones who brought vinegar, coriander, tomatoes, potatoes and chillies to India. And in exchange we gave them pepper and other spices”, remarked Kumar. Vindaloo from Goa is a fine example of Portuguese involvement, with a heavy dose of vinegar in it.

Our meal started with the Dak Bungalow Dry Chicken, which is a throwback to the days of the traveller’s bungalows along postal routes in the north of India. Although some of the dishes looked fiery red, they were mildly spiced and easy on the stomach. “We use spices very judiciously. The number of ingredients in a dish is kept minimal so that the diner can taste every ingredient individually. Our dishes are simple and my recipes are easy to follow,” said Kumar.

In the last decade or so, Anglo-Indian restaurants have been popping up in the big metros in India. “In 2004, I published my first book. Now I have six books in total. On popular demand, I have also published a book with only vegetarian recipes. Anglo-Indians living around the world are buying my books to recreate fond memories from their childhoods”, said a beaming Kumar, who is happy to be part of this revival movement. She is striving to preserve an important element in the heritage of the Anglo-Indian community, for future generations to reminisce, appreciate and recreate.

“I work with club chefs to prepare roasts and puddings during the Christmas season in Bangalore,” noted Kumar. The old clubs that were started during the British period still hold on to their tradition of sit-down dinners, served with fine cutlery and crockery and a continental menu tweaked to Indian taste buds.

The Railway Mutton Curry is a signature dish. “Many Anglo-Indians worked as pilots and guards on trains in colonial times. The meat was cooked with extra spices and vinegar so that it would last longer as they spent long hours on the line and hence the name Railway Curry”, explained Kumar. Cutlets and croquettes are also popular.

Many of the names of Anglo-Indian dishes have an interesting history. The name Bad Word Curry was born since some of traditionalists refused to use the word ‘Ball’ in Ball Curry! A dish with lady’s finger is called Bandecoy, derived from the Kannada and Telugu words for Lady’s Finger: Bendekai. The famed Mulligatawny Soup derives its name from the Tamil term Milagu Thanni.

We were also served Devil’s Chutney that looked bright red and fiery but was in fact sweet, tangy and only mildly hot. Devil’s Chutney is made by puréeing raisins along with vinegar and chilli.

The final plate that arrived was a light and buttery Bread Pudding with a generous topping of shaved almonds and roasted raisins. It was among one of the best bread puddings I have ever tasted.

The afternoon ended with Kumar signing my copy of her international award-winning cookbook, Anglo-Indian Cuisine: A legacy of flavours from the past.