CHENNAI : In February this year, a young Japanese couple Nihira Hiroyuki and Keiko, attended a cooking class conducted by Sundari Krishna. They were so attracted by and to the Tamil culture that they decided to get married in Brahmin style. Nihira and Keiko are just one of the many foreigners who are enthusiastic to learn about Indian cuisine and culture. And catering to their likes is Sundari Krishna, a Tamil Brahmin home chef, who conducts cooking experience classes. “Both of them were just crazy about everything they were exploring. In my classes, I keep sharing little stories of Tamil culture and tradition. This interests my students the most,” says Sundari.Besides being a cook, Sundari also became a priest for the day and conducted a mock wedding for the Japanese couple.
A twist in the class
After her class ‘Cook with Sundari Krishna’, she takes her guests on a tour to the local market, showing them the outlets where coffee is ground fresh, and flour is ground.A year ago, Paulina, a student on an IIT-exchange programme, from one of the remote islands in Central America, enrolled into Sundari’s classes. “Before coming to my classes, one has to select the dishes and give their customisations to it. This guest had too many restrictions in her selections. No diary, no wheat and some vegetables were also requested to be ignored. It was difficult for me to prepare for the session.”
However, when the student arrived, she revealed an entire different world to Sundari. “The island she comes from is self-sufficient. They grow their own vegetables, fruits, grains and whatever they eat. There are just 300-400 residents on the island, and they had expanded their community by marrying within the community. They use lot of coconut, mustard and jaggery in their cuisine.”
Keeping in mind all the limitations, Sundari tried her hand at teaching Indian cooking. “It was then that I realised that we take everything for granted. When she narrated the challenges she faced back in her island, I was blessed to be surrounded with items that are available so easily. I became less fussy after I met her and heard her stories,” she asserts.
In the first week of March, a father-daughter duo from Reunion Island in France to Chennai attended Sundari’s cooking class. “Francis, the father had a great great grandfather who was from Pondicherry. And this year, he was on a mission to explore his roots. He came across my Facebook page while he was browsing for activities to indulge in Chennai and Pondicherry. His daughter, Kenza hopped with excitement every time I shared trivias about culture, traditions and customs related to food,” shares Sundari.
Where it all began
Sundari credits her marriage to all the success. “I was new to cooking when I got married. After eight months of marriage, my husband got a transfer to Rajahmundry and we had to shift from Chennai.” They were the youngest couple in their neighbourhood. “The Maheshwaris from Rajasthan and Reddys were the majority in the place. So the elderly aunties in the neighbourhood would call me to their homes, so that I don’t feel lonely while my husband was away at work. All of a sudden, an aunty would take me to her house and say ‘Come let’s make papad.’ I would be asked to make pickles using their recipes. That is how I learnt a variety of dishes from Rajasthani and Andhra cuisine at the tender age of 21,” Sundari recalls.
When Sundari and her family moved to Pondicherry, “You could smell the sambhar boiling in your neighbours’ houses. Unlike the YouTubers of today, my neighbours used to chitchat with me while they made food. I observed them closely, took tips from them and learnt their specialties. I could recreate recipes and that helped me go a long way.”
When her husband moved Thailand, it was not easy. “For the first four years, I hated walking on the streets because all I could smell was fish. After four years in Thailand, I hired a maid for cooking. She was a vegetarian. She used to cook my food as well as Thai vegetarian food for her. It used to smell good, unlike the ones they sold on street sides. I then learnt some delicious Thai dishes from her.”
“I not only love her food, but I like the time spent at home. The environment is lively when the guests are around and seeing Sundari happy fulfilling her passion, I become happy. We have an exclusive kitchen that is spacious, well-ventialated solely for hosting guests. We only take `4,500 per cooking session,” says her husband Krishnamurthy.“Today I have friends all over the world and that’s only because of my passion for cooking classes,” Sundari beams with pride.
Recipe
Kadappa kurma (from Salem)
Ingredients
● Grab 100gms of yellow dal. Dry roast it for a few seconds in a pan and transfer it to a bowl. Wash the lentils and add 1/2 cup of water to it. Soak it for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Other ingredients
● 1 tablespoon sunflower oil ● 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds ● 1/4 teaspoon fennel ● 1 inch cinnamon ● 3 spicy green chillies ● 1 bay leaf ● 50 gms potatoes cut as juliennes ● 50 gms onions finely chopped ● 50 gms tomatoes finely chopped ● 6 cloves ● 1 garlic whole ● 1/2 teaspoon turmeric ● 1/2 teaspoon Chilly powder(optional) ● Curry leaves few strands ● Salt to taste
Method
Take a pressure pan, heat it. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Add the seasonings, starting from - mustard; once it crackles, lower the flame and add fennel, cinnamon and bay leaf. Fry this for a few seconds. Add all the other ingredients together and fry it on low flame for five minutes.
Now, add the soaked lentils along with water and bring it to boil. Close the pan and pressure cook the lentils till you hear 1 whistle on high flame. Subsequently, lower the flame and continue cooking for seven minutes. Let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid and mash the lentils gently without mashing the potatoes. Add water if required and bring it to semi gravy consistency. Garnish with little coriander leaves and serve hot with dosa or idlis.