Chicken: Seven minutes, Prawns: Four minutes, Mutton: 20 minutes, Mushroom: three minutes. “That’s the ideal cooking time. Beyond this, it becomes rubbery,” says chef Damu, as he gives a demo at the ongoing food festival, Gramathu Virundhu, at Kiscol Grands. He pours oil on a pan, throws in garlic, curry leaves, masalas, and tosses in the chopped mushrooms and crushed pepper. In three minutes, the dish is ready. The mushrooms are succulent and have a delicious peppery aroma and flavour. “Mushrooms have water in them. You don’t have to add water while cooking,” he rattles off a tip. He also whips up a fiery prawn fry with red chillies that the non-vegetarians give a thumb up to. “Soft and juicy,” is the verdict.
Chef Damu is overseeing the food festival that attempts to bring back forgotten recipes, especially from the Madurai, Virudhunagar and Tirunelveli belt. “The mutton kuzhmabhu and chicken delicacies are a big hit. That’s why we have included them,” says TPS Kannappan, chairman of the hotel. You will find kozhi varutha curry, naatu kozhi varuval, biriyani, appam and paaya, kal dosa, meen kuzhambhu and more from the non-vegetarian platter. There are many vegetarian dishes too.
The welcome drink Paanagam has a refreshing flavour of dried ginger and builds the appetite. The crunchy bhindi fry makes for a good starter. I try nei keerai masiyal with steaming hot white rice and enjoy the fresh taste of the greens. The flavourful brinjal thokku and another slightly tangy curry made with drumstick and mangoes go well with the rice. The piping hot garlic rasam packs quite a punch.
The dishes are prepared in manchattis and all the masalas are handpounded to retain the flavour. “Milagu, thippili, adimaduram, seeragam, sukku…all the spices are powerhouse ingredients that have immense health benefits. Jeeraga kashayam controls indigestion and, in villages even today, they give it to expectant mothers to induce labour. Roasted and powdered cinnamon, fenugreek and dania can be had with warm water to control cholesterol, diabetes and blood pressure,” he explains
The celebrity chef, who has authored many books that cover over 2500 traditional recipes, commends seven meals a day. “Split up your three meals to improve digestion. Eat healthy.” Chef Damu also promotes traditional recipes on his TV shows. “I travel to over 35 countries to conduct demos where I stress the food-as-medicine concept.”
When it comes to oils, his choice is always the cold-pressed gingelly oil and groundnut oil. Some dishes that he makes at home like beans usili, radish and mutton curry, and minced meat and greens will be available at the festival. “I visualise the ingredients before I try anything new. I always check with elders back in the village before I try out something new,” says Damu, whose passion for cooking started when he was seven. The first dish he made was semiya upma. From then on, there’s no stopping him. “Even now, on Sundays I make it a point tocook at home. Everyone’s favourite is a mutton thokku made with minced meat and fried cashew. It has a golden hue to it.”
I round off my meal with the mildly sweet elaneer payasam and poosanikkai halwa. Other sweets on offer include thaen mittai, kambrakattu, elandhi vadai, suiyyam (fried dumplings with a filling of Bengal gram, jaggery and coconut), mysurpa , and more….