CHENNAI: They say no meal satiates you as well as a home-cooked delicacy. However, one can only assume this amplifies when some 100 homes open up their kitchens to you. Bringing together their community to serve authentic recipes from the southern states of Karnataka, Telangana/Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala is Friends of DakshinaChitra (FOD) with their cookbook Dakshin Kitchens, launched at their Annual General Meeting on Friday.
Culinary cooperation
The idea began as a fundraising proposition by Maureen Hudson-Murari about four years ago. “The project started sometime in 2018-19. At the time, we were always talking about fundraising and how to support DakshinaChitra. We have 271 members and we were looking at how we could get everybody to participate. The idea of a cookbook struck me, where we could ask members to contribute recipes,” she explained.
And so, from tiffins and snacks to vegetarian/non-vegetarian curries, sweets and pickles came together a collection that offers 156 options for those who wish to explore traditional South Indian meals. You can try hot chilli Andhra fish curry, sweet and sour pineapple tamarind curry, lentil and jaggery sweets, brinjal and mango pickle, coconut-filled plantain fritters and much more.
Once the recipes began pouring in, there was a need to standardise and unify the process and that is where Sabita Radhakrishna stepped in, along with other members who eased the coordination, primary editing, photography and more.
“I agreed to come on as a consultant. Since I have had experience with writing books, people turned to me for guidance. Nearly all members of the group sent in traditional recipes based on the state and its culture. There are also some other recipes we got from other people (specialists) to fill in spaces. For example, I wanted to add recipes from Coorg but no one in the FOD could help with that so I brought in someone from my contacts,” she said, adding “Many helped as well.
Thirupurasundari helped with coordinating, calling up members, keeping track of the recipes, and my granddaughter Tishara did the line drawings. Rani did the basic editing; detangled and refined the writing. Deepa, who is a tech-savvy person, did the formatting. We did the design together. But for her, we wouldn’t have finished so soon.” It’s truly a FOD collaboration, it seems.
Foods in the book are divided by state and are segregated further into pickles, meals, snacks and more. And, while traditional, some also managed to bring in an element of intrigue. “We received a recipe for pumpkin adai, which I had never heard of. There were also betel leaf pakodas or fritters and another recipe created with nungus (ice apple) which is quite unusual. There were some interesting submissions,” Sabita noted.
Tradition en vogue
While fusion and intermingling of cultures continue in a globalised world, there is also a rising parallel of going back to one’s roots. We see the latter in the comeback of cast iron skillets and indigenous grains as well as the social media documentation of traditional recipes. The full circle moment is observed by Sabita as well. “You take textile, craft, or food. People were so fond of fancy clothes and western style.
It’s gone full circle now, where people don’t want to eat out of crockery, they want to eat out of vengalam because they say it’s good. I’d like for people who take the book home to understand that these things are part of our heritage and define who we are. It is okay to have fusion and borrow but ultimately, you eat what you are used to eating. Sometimes, you may not know how to cook it and this will serve as a guide to help you. You have choices and they are all worth trying. You can always innovate, tweak it and make your recipe. The idea is to present what is there traditionally. And I trust the people who contributed for Dakshin Kitchens,” she said.
Overcoming obstacles
Despite having sources and strength in unity, the project was not devoid of hurdles as the group battled working through the pandemic. Homebound and battling a global crisis brought issues with coordinating as well as motivation. And there was also the matter of finances.
“While I am quite proud of what we have done, I can’t say I did much for the practical. When it came to printing, we had to do so through sponsors. Unfortunately, sponsorship was not forthcoming. I kept looking for cooking programmes and such but the middle of a pandemic wasn’t the best time to find sponsorships,” said Maureen. That being said, she stands behind the final product.
“I think it’s a clean-looking book, the print on the pages is very sharp and clear and it’s not cluttered at all. If I was to be browsing in a shop, I would think it makes for an attractive gift idea although I don’t do much cooking myself,” she added. With the holiday season around the corner, perhaps you know someone who would like to give it a try as well.
Contributors
Recipes: Members & friends of Friends of DakshinaChitra
Concept/Ideation: Sabita Radhakrishna
Editing and formatting; Backgrounds: Deeptha Thattai
Editorial assistance: Rani Chada
Chairperson, Cookbook Committee: Maureen Hudson-Murari
Co-ordinator: Thirupurasundari Sevvel
Photographs: Abhay Kumar
Line drawings: Tishara Rajagopal
Price Rs 650 Published by: Creative Workshop, Chennai