MYSURU: Plantain leaves are spread on the floor; palya, rotis, rasam and a range of south Indian delicacies are ready to be served; irresistible food aromas fill the air, and the guests have arrived: visitors from across the globe who cannot wait to gorge on the food prepared by royal hands.
Hema Malini Devi, a member of the erstwhile royal family in Mysuru, has been serving up special South Indian food prepared in royal Mysuru style to foreigners visiting the City of Palaces. For the past three decades, she has been helping foreign tourists acquaint themselves with traditional cuisines of India.
And the meals prepared and served at her house in a true Indian manner always leave foreigners satisfied and with everlasting memories. Hema welcomes foreigners with a garland and tilak. Before they depart, she gives them ‘tamboola’ as a gift. She uses only plantain leaves to serve the meals. She takes every possible care to ensure that foreigners enjoy fresh food and warm hospitality.
Hema also teaches foreigners how to eat food without using spoons and chopsticks. She describes in detail various kinds of ingredients used for preparing the meals and their health benefits. A detailed menu card helps foreigners get familiar with the name of traditional South Indian delicacies. Often, she is seen taking the foreigners to markets to introduce them to local vegetables and spices. The right amount of spices is necessary for a healthy food, she always tells her guests.
“In our country, we do not use so much of spices and flavours. The South Indian food we had here was very delicious and exotic. The flavours blended so well and the taste was just incredible. Mango chitranna, brinjal gojju, tomato bath prepared using dry fruits and rotis were very good. We would love to visit this place again,” says Jessica from the US.
Carina Maria from Germany adds: “I savoured the food with ghee and the colourful palyas. I learnt some of the recipes from Hema and just cannot wait to try them when I am back home.”
Hema also runs a cooking school ‘India’s Royal Kitchen’ at her residence in Vontikoppal, where several foreigners have learnt the tricks of the culinary trade. “Not just your tongue, but the food should also be able to satiate the eyes and the nose. The aroma and the look of the food trigger the senses in the body, making one feel like trying it. If grinded together, the spices blend well, and the right flavour of the spices leaves one craving for more,” explains the 50-year-old avid cook.
Over her tryst with cooking, Hema says, “I started cooking at the age of eight. Pancakes and South Indian filtered coffee were the two things that I learnt to prepare first. Fascinated by the grinding stone, I soon started spending more time in the kitchen. As a child, I got to eat the best homemade food rich in spices. My grandmother and mother were both passionate about cooking.”
Her favourite dish: Majjige Huli
consecutive days. When asked to share the recipe for the same, she said: “First cut the ash gourd to small cubes and put them to boil in a vessel. Then grind green chillies, cumin, coconut, coriander leaves, chana dal and moong dal. Once the ash gourd is soft, add the masala and boil. Later, add curd and cook for one boil. Oil, mustard and curry leaves could be used for seasoning. The delicious curry will be ready.”
Indian food in foreign kitchens
Hema Malini Devi has held several cooking workshops across the globe. “I was once invited by Berea University to give presentation on the spices and conduct cooking workshops. I taught them the significance of spices and South Indian delicacies. Everyone enjoyed the sessions and since then, I have cooked Indian food umpteen times in foreign kitchens,” says Hema. “I have travelled to San Francisco, Taos in New Mexico, Houston, London and several European countries to conduct cooking workshops. I had held a session for students of Andrews University too,” adds Hema, who is the granddaughter of Sujaya Kanthamaniavaru, the second sister of Sri Jayachamaraja Wadiyar.