Food

Of Pollachi soup bowls and Erode mats

Manju Latha Kalanidhi

Why does the fish curry cooked in a clay pot tastes better than the one cooked in a regular steel utensil? Have you ever felt that the tamarind ginger gravy cooked by your granny tasted like heaven but you are not able to replicate that at home despite using the same ingredients and following the same procedure?

"It’s not just about what you use to cook, but in what you cook that matters too," says Kayal Vizhi, the US-returned Tamil girl who says this out of her own experience.

Kayal was in the city to introduce her new cooking range Essential Traditions to Hyderabadis. Opened at Aaromale, the Culural Centre in Film Nagar, her concept is all about resetting the clock to the 50s and 60s where we used Indian metals such as iron, copper, brass and bronze for cooking. 

"Why should you season a soapstone pot before using it? We want to understand our age old practices and bring fresh meaning and relevance to today’s lives. Starting Essential Traditions was a necessity. When I returned to Chennai from the US in 2012, I found it hard to find products that were sustainable and close to the nature. Although I was always someone who ate indigenous food, I realised that using the right cookware is as important as  using the right ingredients if you want to stay healthy," she elaborates.

Kayal, who studied finance and worked in the US, found it appalling that the new generation had no clue of the rich Indian traditions or our culinary customs.

She started off with a YouTube channel to create awareness and the cooking line was a natural extension. From rosewood ladels to cast iron tawas, copper jugs and brass theertam containers and steel straw cleaners, she has sourced it all from across the country.

"I love the work by artistans from Telangana, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal and have got them to replicate almost every kitchen utensil in the best  possible, time-tested metal," she says. She says that using a crude rosewood Indian ladle is the best you can get in the country as neither turmeric nor water sticks or colours it

Similarly, the yoga mats have come all the way from Erode-Namakkal stretch made by self-help women’s and differently-abled groups. The Pollachi coconut bowls (ideal for smoothies and soups) and Kumbakonam degree brass coffee filters are what she personally loves.

"We should all throw away our non-stick teflon coated tawas and embrace the cast iron ones. These tawas are so heavy, you don’t need another hand workoutm" she quips. In order to create awareness about our ancient cookware, she is planning a cookout session in mid-February in the Aaromale lawn. 

The writer can be contacted at kalanidhi@newindianexpress.com  

Twitter: @mkalanidhi

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