Chettinad is in Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu, but this is a fact that many of us overlook. Because, for most of us hearing Chettinad rings the bell of hot and spicy lip-smacking delicacies that have transcended the boundaries of Tamil Nadu and gone all over the world. And one can savour this spiciest and aromatic cuisine at the ongoing Chettinad Food Festival at Treasure Trove, Le Meridien.
The grand feast which begins with the welcome drink ‘palarasam’, a mix of fruit juices or with authentic ‘nannari sarbeth’ is like an energy drink. Asked why he went for Chettinad cuisine, sous chef Murugan Saminathan says, “The rainy season is on and the weather is cool. In order to make our bodies warm and healthy, Chettinad is the best option and suited for the local appetite.”
The chef also points out that the food, though spicy, only uses typical spices like black pepper, green chilly, maratti mokku (dried flower pods), anasipoo (star aniseed), and kalpasi (a lichen known as the ‘black stone flower’).
“Maratti mokku, anasipoo and kalpasi are the typical spices of Chettinad which are freshly ground to give the pungent aroma,” says chef Murugan. “In the non-veg section, only fish, prawn, lobster, crab, chicken and lamb are used. The cuisine does not have beef and pork.”
Moving on to the starters, foodies can munch on ‘vazhakkai bhaji’ and ‘kari vada’, which is made of lamb mince balls flavoured with garlic onion and cilantro. Another thing about the cuisine is that most of the Chettinad items are eaten with rice and rice-based accompaniments, such as dosas, appams, panniyarams, idiyappams, adais and idlis.
The live counters where chefs readily prepare ‘era piratal’ (dry grilled scampi), kuzhi panniyarams, kotthu parotta, kaadai roast, varieties of idlis and dosas increases the appetite of the foodies. “Kuzhi panniyaram with kara chutney, era piratal, kothu parotta, idyappam with paya curry are the best shots that one should try,” recommends chef Murugan. “Paya Curry, made of lamb legs, has to be cooked for more than 11 hours on a slow flame,” says Murugan, about the paya curry’s unique taste.
The Chettinad delicacy will not be complete without ‘nandu thokku’, where crab is cooked with onion and tomato masala, with pepper gravy. “Nandu thokku should be eaten like pickle and goes well with prawn biriyani,” says Murugan.
To end this spicy journey one can gorge on traditional desserts like ‘kozhukatta’, ‘pottu kadalai urundai’ (roasted grams with crust peanuts put in jaggery paste and ghee), parippu payasam and more.
The buffet dinner is from 7 to 11.30 pm, and is priced at Rs 850. The fest concludes on July 8.