A toast to the Konkan coast

A pan-fried mackerel with a crispy layer sat pretty on my plate. The diagonal slits on both its sides were smeared with a fiery marinade made of lime juice, Kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric, cumin and fenugreek powder. The sight of it transported me to a shack by the beach in Goa. This was just one such instance, as the guest chef Harish Suvarna served plates of other delicacies of the coastal belt, one after the other, as part of the ongoing 10-day Konkan Coast Festival at Madras, The Raintree, Anna Salai. 

Fresh from the sea
Chef Harish grew up in Mangaluru. He joined the workforce after completing class 6 and now has over 18 years of experience in Konkan cuisine. “I learned cooking by working at small shacks. I’ve worked in a couple of star hotels and now I run a catering service for weddings. Ask any Konkani and he/she would vouch for home-made pastes and fresh condiments. We take pride in our close-guarded recipes,” shared the chef.

The seafood is locally sourced and fish is caught fresh off the hook every day. For this fest, the chef is particular about using hand-pound masalas that he has brought from home. One of his specialities is kori rotti. Kori is chicken and rotti refers to the crisp, dry rice wafers that turn soggy once you drench them in the chicken curry. “This is a staple at home and at weddings. The batter for the wafers is watery and can spread on a steel pan. It’s left to cook on the heat with no oil. This is the reason behind the texture,” explained chef Suvarna. 

Coconut indulgence
The menu features other classic staples from Mangaluru, Udupi, Kundapur and Goa. Our favourite pick was mutton vindaloo paired with steamed neer dosa. Unlike a pork vindaloo that has layers of fat, this spicy red curry has sizeable chunks of just the meat. “Ginger and garlic paste, cumin, pepper, coconut and Kashmiri chilli form the core of all our curry masalas. Our food is spicy and the powders are made coarse, just the way we like it,” said Suvarna. 

Although the cuisine is popular for its non-vegetarian varieties, the vegetarian options are equally tempting. A tangy curry made of brinjal and drumstick with a tomato base happens to be an heirloom recipe of many from the coastal communities. All seasonal vegetables, fruits and condiments are used keeping in mind the nutritious aspect.

“The menu has both thali and a la carte options that will keep changing every day. You can expect everything in seafood from octopus and squid to pomfret and shrimp. Our poultry offerings have only chicken and mutton,” said Suvarna, as we washed down the richness of the coconut flavours with spoons of paan ice cream and doldol made of palm jaggery and red rice flour. 

The Konkan Coastal Festival will be on until March 22. Meal for two is priced at Rs 2,500 exclusive of taxes. For details, call: 43939999