In the 5th century, around the present-day Vellore in northern Tamil Nadu originated a rustic peasant cuisine, the Mudaliar cuisine. Soon, it got a royal touch when a Chola prince included dishes from this cuisine on the menu in his palaces. In no time, the cuisine won people’s hearts. But to this date, the cuisine is not known or appreciated much outside the region.
The Mudaliars are a flourishing community who were originally peasants. They built a great reputation for themselves in agriculture as the land they tilled became very fertile and bore rich produce and the community became very affluent. Hence, the title Mudaliars, literally translating to ‘The first ones’, was bestowed on them.
This farming origin is reflected well in their food too which is rich while retaining the peasant touch. Most of the meat and seafood dishes have vegetables in them, a common practice among the peasant community across the country. This practice was primarily started to give volume to the food as meat and seafood are more expensive. For example, iral poruma kootu, a signature Mudaliar dish has prawns cooked with drumstick leaves and that adds a great flavour to the sweetness of the prawns.
The cuisine has evolved over the years in many ways to suit the different palates when the community migrated to other cities. For example, the Mudaliars in Kerala use a lot of coconut oil and coconut, and those in Andhra Pradesh use more chillies.
The cuisine uses its share of spices though it is not as spicy or oily as Chettinad cuisine. Also, it is not predominantly vegetarian like the Thanjavur cuisine. It uses a blend of native spices — our very own panch poran, which includes mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin, garlic, and turmeric. A unique flavouring agent called vadagam imparts a great flavour to many of their dishes like keerai kolambu, fish curry etc. Shallots, mustard, fenugreek, garlic, and curry leaves are hand-pound with castor oil, sun-dried till all the moisture evaporates, and then made into balls and stored in glass or porcelain jars. It has a long shelf life and is used for tempering when the ingredients are not in season to give the authentic flavour.
Most of the Mudaliar dishes utilise coconut and tamarind which gives a tangy, creamy flavour to the dish. Brinjal/kathrikai is a beloved vegetable in this cuisine and the kathrikai chops can give a tough competition to any non-veg dish. A daily meal in a Mudaliar family will have brinjal in some form. The flowers and leaves of the drumstick are much loved too. Kalpasi or stone flower is another flavoursome ingredient used in this cuisine.
Utilising simple, homegrown ingredients and converting them into a tasty dish is what sets the cuisine of this community apart. Vazhaipoo thattai, karunaikilangu vadai, chuppal kari, chowchow kootu, poruma kulambu, and mutton mochakai are some signature dishes.
It is not just the flavours and ingredients that make the cuisine distinctive; it is also the vessels they use. Dal and keerai are always cooked and mashed in a kalchatti giving it a pasty, creamy texture. Fish curry is usually made in an earthen pot, rasam in an eeyam vessel, and vengala panai is used for serving. These vessels are first seasoned by soaking in rice water to prevent cracks on heating and then can be used in woodfires too.
Brinjal Chops
Ingredients
Baby brinjal: 250 g
Shallots: 100 g
Ginger-garlic paste: 1 tsp
Tomato: 100 g
Green chilli: 2
Turmeric: 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder: 1 tsp
Coriander powder: 1 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Tamarind: 1 lemon-sized
Curry leaves
Roast and powder:
Red chilli: 3
Peeper: 3/4 tsp
Jeera: 1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds: 3/4 tsp
Method
Heat sesame oil and splutter mustard seeds. Add shallots followed by curry leaves, and ginger-garlic paste, and fry till colour starts to change.
Add the tomato and the spice powders and sautè for a minute. Add the whole brinjal with cuts and fry on low flame for 10 minutes.
Add salt and tamarind extract and cook till done. Add the fresh powder. Cook till the oil separates. You can add 1/2 cup of thick coconut milk for a gravy. Serve with rice & ghee.
Dr Nithya Franklyn
@drnithyafranklyn
(Dr Nithya Franklyn is a paediatrician, chef, and MasterChef Tamil finalist)