CHENNAI: Once upon a time, the king of the kingdom of Travancore hosted a lavish feast. There was not enough curry to go around since everyone in the kingdom came to eat. The king discovered that many vegetables were wasted when they were peeled in the kitchen. Since the vegetables stock was low, the king asked the cook to use the remaining peels, vegetables and a few other ingredients to make a dish. Hence, aviyal was created. It was also designated as the first course by the king. As a result, the first dish offered on a sadhya is aviyal.
This is a story that is told in every Malayalee household. And this is what comes to my mind when I walk into Magic of Kerala, the regional food festival hosted by Novotel Chennai Chamiers Road. Here, instead of the king, general manager Supreet Roy has organised a feast with his chef de partie, Gopinath Govindahraj; but with a twist — the menu that promises authentic dishes from Kerala is a surprise to the customers. Chef Gopinath says, “Every day a few items on the menu will keep changing. This is for us to explore almost all the prominent dishes from different parts of the state.”
While it is common for hotels to host a Kerala-style feast or onasadhya around the Onam festival, Novotel took a path less travelled and found March to be the perfect month for a Kerala cuisine try-out. Supreet shares, “Kerala food is light and flavourful when compared to the dishes of other states. For the past two years, we have been doing regional food festivals, trying out dishes from West Bengal, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and so on. For all the festivals, we make arrangements in such a way that the guests from those particular states will feel at home. We make changes in decorations, staff outfits and cuisine.” He adds that in South Indian cuisine there is a lot to explore as the taste keeps changing every 100 kilometres.
A sadhya before Onam
I immediately feel at home as I see the staff dressed in traditional mundu-shirt/kasavu sari. They greet us with nannari sarbath, a mix of nannari and tender coconut juice. This is an antidote to the sweltering heat and humidity that the city has been switching between the past few days. Sipping on the drink, we await the starters. We are pleasantly surprised when they are served on mud plates covered with banana leaves. On the plate are ulli bonda with a pinch of coconut chutney, honey glazed pazham pori, kozhi nirachathu and beef ularthiyathu.
The mini crispy ulli bonda was a crunchy start into the world of Kerala cuisine. The deep-fried sweet banana slices balance well with the peppery beef ularthiyathu. Explaining the beef roast preparation, chef Gopinath shares, “The beef, cut into small slices, are marinated in garam masala, a day prior to cooking. Like all the dishes, beef is also cooked in coconut oil, and the addition of roasted coconut chunks invites the authentic Kerala taste.” The chicken was seasoned with a variety of herbs and spices, like turmeric, ginger, garlic and cumin. The mildly spiced starter can be a favourite for spice lovers.
The nannari sarbath is a good palate cleanser. As the smaller mud plates are cleared they are replaced with a bigger one with a variety of dishes in small portions, resembling a thali. We dig our spoon first into the Malabar chicken biryani as the aroma is tantalising our nostrils. The dish is loaded with ghee and tender chicken pieces. “The specialty of a Malabar biryani is the subtle sweetness to it. Unlike the other biryanis, Malabar biryani isn’t thoroughly spicy. The masala mix with chicken is not completely in blend with the whole rice,” shares the chef.
After the biryani exploration, the red matta rice now awaits with a lot of options to combine it with. The Alappuzha Fish Curry is our initial choice — a tangy concoction of raw mangoes, tamarind, and coconut milk; and a lip-smacking one at that. Another option, an unusual one for rice, is the thick kadala curry, brimming with coconut oil and extra heat. My Kerala-bred tongue refuses to accept it with rice as it would forever savour this side dish with a sweet puttu. While Malabar parotta is also served along with it, the lack of flakiness of an authentic Kerala parotta put it on the red list.
Apart from these there is the kootu kalan — a gooey mix of yam, plantain and buttermilk. Its sour-spice balance is almost perfect and it makes up for all the misgivings. The Trivandrum chicken curry is yet another coconut oil-infused goodness with pillowy-soft chicken bits and palatable amount of spice. The simple carrot beans thoran, tempered with grated coconut and onion and aviyal are also on the menu. But the melange of flavours — sour, sweet and slightly spicy — in the aviyal did not entice our tastebuds.
A Kerala meal is incomplete without ada pradhaman and the chefs did not disappoint. A bowl of the thick and rich payasam, and two mini coconut ladoos that left a milky aftertaste wave a sweet goodbye to the feast.
The fest is on till March 26 at Novotel Chennai Chamiers Road and is available only for dinner from 7 pm to 11 pm. Price is `1,500++. For reservations, call: 7825808005, 7824808013.