At her upcoming pop-up in Mumbai, Chennai-based amateur chef Shri Bala hopes to dispel preconceived notions about South Indian cuisine with a delightful spread of dishes from the region
Pineapple Rasam
ADVERTISEMENT
Dosa, idli, sambhar, and medu vada. Let's be honest — most of us are guilty of thinking that this is all South Indian food is about. At her upcoming pop-up in the city, Chennai-based amateur chef Shri Bala hopes to dispel these preconceived notions with a delightful spread of dishes from the region.
"I'll be showcasing dishes from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana," says Bala about her event, 'A Deccan Odyssey.' Although Maharashtra is also part of the Deccan Plateau, this pop-up focuses purely on southern flavours of the vast region.
Curd Vada
Bala had her first brush with cooking at the tender age of nine as she hails from a family of culinary experts. By 16, she could whip up a lavish spread for 30 people with ease. Later, when she was pursuing her chartered accountancy course in Chennai, she became friends with students from the other southern states. "Soon, I was calling their mothers and grandmothers, asking them for recipes and replicating those dishes at home," she says.
Ingredient is king
Bala insists that the authenticity of a recipe is rooted in its ingredients. "I don't compromise when it comes to certain ingredients. For instance, the jaggery I use comes from Kolhapur; it has just the right amount of sweetness, which I find hard to come by in the jaggery that's available where I live," she says.
Okra Moor Kuzhumbu
Similarly, she sources her kodampuli (Malabar tamarind) from a reliable Kerala store in Chennai, and the asafoetida she uses, too, is of the highest quality. The Spicy Malabar Veg Paneer, a dish she will present at the pop-up, uses coconut milk. But for Bala, the store-bought variety is just not an option. The time-intensive process of extracting the milk is how she infuses flavours in the dish.
No wonder, then, that she is carrying her asafoetida bottle and a special sambhar powder blend with her all the way from Chennai for this event. The menu features only vegetarian dishes, keeping with Bala's Brahmin roots. Interesting dishes on the menu that hail from Karnataka are the Bisi Bele Bath a rice preparation), the Sajjige Pops (inspired by a semolina upma made in the region), and the Pineapple Rasam, a soup that gets its heat from Karnataka's famed Byadgi chillies, in addition to Andhra chillies. Even the much-loved curd vada finds a spot on the menu.
Veggie mania
"The Hyderabadi Baingan (stuffed brinjal) and the Chamagadda Pulusu (taro root cooked with tamarind) come from the Andhra region. The pulusu is, in fact, a very rustic dish prepared in the hinterland," shares Bala. Apart from the Spicy Malabar Veg Paneer, another Kerala dish featuring on the pop-up menu is the Modugutal, a Brahmin dish that gets its flavour and heat only from black pepper.
Finally, from her home state of Tamil Nadu, Bala is cooking Okra Moor Kuzhumbu, a specialty featuring long strips of okra, shallow fried and served in a spiced, milk-and-curd-based gravy. "I will also be serving a Beans Paruppu Usili, which is a lentil dish that acts as an accompaniment to the Moor Kuzhumbu," she says.
To end her spread on a sweet note, Bala has chosen two traditional desserts. The Paladai Pradhaman is usually part of the traditional Onam Sadhya, while the Kasi Halwa, a Tamil Brahmin sweet treat made of white pumpkin, is usually served at breakfast on the day of a wedding.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
