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My South Indian mother has given up on my ability to cook. Looking at me exasperatedly & sighing ‘Nee eppozha nallonam aaharam ondakan oru interest kanikyan pogunne?’ (When are you going to take an active interest in cooking?) while I toddle around has become a monthly ritual. I must admit, I am quite ashamed of this and have on multiple occasions ATTEMPTED to cook. But while I may be lacking in enthusiasm there, I make up in being a ‘food enthusiast’, something I have in common with most other hoomans.
This self proclaimed ‘food enthusiast’ has tried (i.e exhaustively had) a variety of cuisines- nothing too strange, nothing too risky! There have been a few hits and misses but one cuisine that stands out is, well, ‘Chettinad anything’! Since Chettinad chicken was the first ever main course yours truly attempted her hand at, it seemed apt to head over to the ever so welcoming Bombay Canteen & rejoice the flavours and tradition of Chettinad.
Enter Bombay Canteen and you immediately feel right at home, with the mundu-clad staff directing you to your table. Set with a golden platter laden with jackfruit, bananas and everything summer under a chettinad-style checkered runner cloth in hues of chilli & mustard, it was a pretty picture of what was to come.
Already feeling like I’m part of a pre-onam celebration, I sat in front of my round copper plate with an inlaid banana leaf cutout, casually sipping on a Chettinad G & T ( Gordon’s London Dry Gin, housemade nannari tonic water, watermelon cordial). Getting comfortable in the chatter, my eyes caught the attention of a gorgeous, wise, blue saree clad Meenakshi Meyyappan, founder of ‘The Bangala’- a heritage home in Karaikudi, Chettinad.
Meenakshi, fondly known as ‘Aachi’, started the Bangala at the age of 65 by converting the Meyyappan family mansion into the beautiful, quaint space it is today. A pleasant diversion to an elegant past with it’s interiors rich with tradition, ‘The Bangala’ has been in the Meyyappan family for over a 100 years. Meenakshi says, “The building was falling apart and we were about to knock it down. Then my son said we can’t knock it down, let’s restore it and see if we can run it with tourist rooms.”
The heady aromas floating in the air signalled: “It was time to dig in!”
History speaks of how food plays an essential part of a Chettiar’s life, so naturally the kitchen was one of the largest and most important spaces in a Karaikudi household. This holds true at the Bangala too and was translated effortlessly via the food on the Canteen Chettinad table.
Starting off with a Vellai Paniyaram (Shallow fried pancakes made of rice and urad dal mix) with an assortment of dips like the Daangar (sweet & sour chutney with tamarind and potato), roasted coconut chutney and slow cooked tomato chutney.. you’re instantly greeted with a burst of flavours in your mouth that balances out with a Ravai cutlet (Semolina and cheese cakes with fresh coriander).
The entire meal was a treat to the senses, but if I had to pick some favourites at gunpoint, they would be the Quail in black peppercorn masala, roasted coconut chutney (YUM), ‘Uppu Kari Kozhambu’ i.e the dry cooked mutton with gundu milagai chilli- a small, round variety of chilli, the beetroot thayir pachadi (Beetroot raita flavoured with ground mustard), sweetened raw mango pickle & the pineapple rasam. This absolute rush of spices & vibrant colours- a literal dance in my mouth was watered down by the soothing Paal paniyaram- rice dumpling, mango, tender coconut & tadgola in a cardamom infused milk + coconut milk mix!
The Bombay canteen in collaboration with The Bangala has created this gastronomically rich, edible moodboard of how the Chettiars eat. Hailing all the way from Chettinad, the renowned chefs at The Bangala have joined hands with Chef Thomas Zacharias to bring the authentic, wholesome Chettiar experience to the Bombay Canteen, ongoing till the 19th of May. They also have ‘hands on’ workshops on how to recreate these timeless chettinad recipes with the help of pioneers of the cuisine- the chefs of Bangala.
If you’re in Bombay & want to spice things up this summer and live to tell the happy tale, head over to the Bombay Canteen people!
The ‘Canteen Chettinad Table’
Dates: May 6 to 19, 2019.
Time: Lunch: 12 pm to 3.30 pm (a la carte) Dinner: 7 pm to 11:30 pm (a la carte).
Cost: Ala Carte : Rs. 450 onwards/Special Cocktails : Rs 350 onwards.
Chettinad Meal (limited seats; minimum two people; only on pre-order; only available at dinner) Rs. 1600 plus taxes per head for vegetarians, and Rs. 1800 plus taxes per head for non-vegetarians).
Click here to book your table now!
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