On the spice route

It’s not just the weather in Visakhapatman which is hot and fiery. At Hotel Grand Bay, it is raining spices, chillies and all things sizzling! For someone who likes food on the wrong side of spicy, things can get hot very quickly at the Amaravati – Madurai Express Food Festival. But if you like it spicy, do walk in at the hotel’s Café Oceanic. As the food arrives on the table, the dining area is redolent with the aroma of spice. The food festival is a celebration of the richness of spices in regions connecting Amaravati and Madurai, many of which are in the bordering areas of AP and Tamil Nadu.

“Amaravati, the new capital of Andhra Pradesh, and the entire Guntur region is known for its incredibly hot chillies. While chillies rule the roost in that part, the cuisine from the Dindigul region of Tamil Nadu has an overwhelming presence of pepper,” explains the hotel’s executive chef Sridhar Kare as the first dish is placed on the table. One bite in to the kodi sukha and I understand what he was referring to. This particular dish is a chicken starter and has a strong peppery taste. The live counter whips up some mouth-watering kari dosai and a variety of idiyappam made from ragi and vegetables. I try the gunta punugulu, one of the Andhra favourite snacks, made from rice batter tempered with spices. After the hot peppery taste of the kodi sukha, this significantly brings down the spice factor and is a nice break to have.

The twist comes with the Dindigul, avakai and ulavacharu biryani — each giving distinct taste to relish. The Dindigul biryani is a must-try since it is something very new to the city. Each grain of rice absorbs all the ingredients of the masalas, making it rich in flavour and aroma. The taste of pepper and red chilli is dominant, but the key lies in the marination. This meaty treat leaves me craving for more.

I overdosed on avakai biryani for its pickle-flavour. And then arrives the best part of the feast — the steamed fish from Bapatla, a town in Guntur district. The mustard flavoured salmon melts in the mouth with each serving. The buffet spread is pretty elaborate with 17 dishes. “Each day of the festival will have a different menu since our objective is to highlight dishes of lesser known places along the Amaravari-Madurai belt,” says Kare. I binge on Erode killi kari, Tiruchi urandai kolumbu and a lot more before settling for the desserts. The culinary journey ends with traditional sweets like kobari borelu, pooran borelu and halwa.