CHENNAI: On a quiet Monday morning, a crowd gathered at Spirit of the Earth, eager to immerse themselves in the world of local plant-based ingredients. The event featured a conversation with chef Keertida Phadke, a chef who has lived across cities like Tokyo, Paris, and New York but has made it her mission to celebrate the culinary treasures of her homeland. Conversations of heirloom recipes and forgotten ingredients, carefully curated by the chef, ignited a spark to experiment with the local food.
With her signature calm and warmth, Keertida began by discussing how the foundation of her culinary philosophy lies in embracing local and seasonal ingredients. “Food is political and there’s so much more to it than just taste. When we talk about food, we’re talking about identity, culture, and tradition. For instance, we don’t need to call a dosa a crêpe just to make it sound familiar abroad,” she said.
Her journey from the bustling streets of New York, where she trained at the Natural Gourmet Institute inspired her to promote local cuisine in India. “I have seen food trends across the world, but nothing compares to the richness of our ingredients,” she said. Throughout the conversation, Keertida demonstrated how to make a variety of traditional dishes using local ingredients. One recipe, a variation of the traditional koshimbir, drew the interest of many. “We often associate salads with lettuce or exotic vegetables. But in Maharashtra, we have koshimbir — a salad made from simple, local ingredients. Why not celebrate that?”
As she spoke about buckwheat dosas, she shared an anecdote of how her experiment with buckwheat groats had reminded her of the Galettes au sarrasin from France. “I swapped out the typical egg for a classic potato filling. It is amazing how different plating or presentation can completely change the eating experience,” she said.
Emphasising that there is no need to explain Indian food in foreign terms, she said, “We have such an incredible food culture. We should celebrate it.” The session ended with an appreciation for Spirit of the Earth, the venue that hosted this insightful conversation. Based in Chennai, Spirit of the Earth is committed to preserving native rice varieties cultivated on its organic farm in Manjakkudi, Tamil Nadu.
Thai-style mango sticky rice, made with black rice
Ingredients
For the Black Rice: Chak Hao Amubi (black rice): 1/3 cup, soaked for 6-7 hours (or overnight)
Water: 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp
Salt: 1/8 tsp
For the coconut milk sauce:
Coconut milk: 1 cup (200 ml)
Sugar: 2 tbsp
Salt: 1/8 tsp
Yogurt Dressing:
Dahi (yogurt): 1/2 cup
Ginger: 1/2 inch piece (finely chopped)
Green chilli: 1 (finely chopped)
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste
Finely chopped coriander (lots)
Method
Drain the soaking water from the black rice.
Pressure cook the rice with 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp water and 1/8 tsp salt for 6-7 whistles. Set aside.
While the rice is cooking, heat the coconut milk, sugar, and 1/8 tsp salt in a pan.
Simmer for about 5 minutes, then remove from heat.
Allow the coconut milk mixture to come to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled.
Once the rice is cooked and the coconut milk is chilled, serve the black rice with slices of ripe mango.
Pour the chilled coconut milk over the rice and mango.
Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over the dish to enhance the flavours
Fusion Franco-Indian galette-style dosa
Ingredients
Buckwheat groats: 1/2 cup
Urad dal (whole, polished): 3 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds (methidana): 1/4 tsp
Method
Soak the buckwheat, urad dal, and methidana together for 6 hours.
After soaking, drain the water and rinse 3-4 times. The buckwheat may become a little sticky, which is normal.
Once the water runs clear, grind the mixture into a smooth paste, adding water as needed (I used 1/3 cup + 2 ice cubes). Be careful not to make the batter too runny, as it won’t ferment properly.
Add a pinch of unrefined salt and mix the batter by hand.
Let the batter ferment overnight.
Serve with chutney and potato subzi, folding the dosa into an envelope shape for a unique, delicious twist on traditional dosa.
Poha-based Koshimbir
Ingredients
Radha Tilak Poha: 1.25 cups (washed and soaked)
Chana dal: 3 tbsp (soaked for 3-4 hours)
Cucumber: 1/4 cup (chopped)
Guava: 1/4 cup (chopped) (you can substitute with bananas)
Lahya (puffed rice) or puffed jowar: 1/2 cup
Pomegranate arils: 1/4 cup
Yoghurt Dressing:
Dahi (yogurt): 1/2 cup
Ginger: 1/2 inch piece (finely chopped)
Green chilli: 1 (finely chopped)
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste
Finely chopped coriander (lots)
Method
In a bowl, combine soaked Radha Tilak Poha, soaked chana dal, chopped cucumber, chopped guava (or sliced bananas), puffed rice, and pomegranate arils.
In a separate bowl, mix dahi with finely chopped ginger, green chili, salt, sugar, and coriander.
Pour the yogurt dressing over the poha mixture and mix well.
Add aged Limbacha (lime pickle) if desired, but skip adding extra salt in that case.
Suran and Sweet potato cutlet
Ingredients
Suran (yam): 250 g (peeled and chopped)
Small sweet potato: 1 (peeled)
Lime (juice): 1/2 large
Roasted coarsely crushed peanuts (daanyacha koot): 3 tbsp, optional
Coriander leaves (chopped): 1/4 cup
Green chillies: 2 + ginger: 1/2 inch (made into a paste)
Rajgira/amaranth flour: 2-3 tbsp (optional, for firmer cutlets)
Salt to taste, ghee for shallow frying
Method
Add the suran and sweet potato to a pressure cooker without adding water to the vegetables’ container. Add water to the pressure cooker itself.
Cook until soft (about 6-7 whistles). Let it cool.
Once cooled, mash the cooked suran and sweet potato.
Add lime juice to prevent irritation from the suran.
Mix in crushed peanuts, coriander leaves, chilli-ginger paste, rajgira flour (optional), and salt.
Shape the mixture into cutlets.
Shallow fry the cutlets in ghee until golden brown. You can use oil if preferred, though ghee provides the best flavour.