Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Entertainment | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Curry and chutney

Here are some flavours that are typical to the region

Pondicherry is a melting pot of cultures and boasts a variety of cuisines, some dating back to the Mughal era. Here are some recipes that are unique to the region.

Assad

Assad, a typical Pondicherry fish curry, was most probably brought to this part of the country by the mercenary soldiers who were under the Mughal emperors. This recipe is popular even today. The concept of "healthy food" taken along with "cooling food" is known in many families. Fish is considered "healthy", so snake gourd (podanlangkai) chutney that cools the system is served with the Assad.

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves 6
Gingili oil - 2 tbsp
Bay leaf - 1/2
Clove - 1
Cinnamon - 1 small piece
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Green chillies slit - 2
Onions - 2 big (finely chopped)
Tomato - 1 (chopped fine)
Aniseed -1 tbsp
Cumin seed - 1 tsp
Poppy seeds -1 tbsp
Turmeric - quarter tsp
Coconut - half a coconut (extract the 1st, 2nd and 3rd milk)
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Juice of 1 lemon
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp (chopped finely)

Salt to taste

Fish "vanjaram" or "vaval" - 1 kg (shallow fry in gingili oil with a little chilli powder and salt)

Grind aniseed and cumin seed to a fine paste. Grind poppy seeds separately to a fine paste. Grate half a coconut, put it in a mixer and run it with 100 ml of water. Strain the liquid for the first milk. Keep aside. Repeat the operation for the second and third milk with 100 ml of water each time.

In a deep frying pan, heat oil, add bay leaf, clove and cinnamon. Let the spices fry for about 2 minutes. Add onions, deep fry till golden. Add ginger garlic paste and fry till brown. Add the aniseed and cumin seed paste and turmeric. Add tomato. Cook covered till the tomato is soft. Add salt. Add the second and third coconut milk. Bring to a boil. Add the shallow fried fish. Bring to a boil. Add the poppy seeds paste and the first coconut milk. Turn off the stove. Don't overcook as the fish will lose its flavour. Add lemon juice and coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice.

Podanlangkai chutney

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves 6

A typical Pondicherrian chutney, it is served with fish or meat curry. A lot of coconut milk is used to bring down the pungency of tamarind and to cool the system.

Ingredients:

Snake gourd 2 cut into fine cubes (juliennes)
Gingili oil -1 tbsp
Tamarind pulp - thick extract
Thick coconut milk - 100 ml
Mustard seeds - half tsp
Urad dhal - half tsp
A few curry leaves
Dry chillies - 2

Method: In a deep frying pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds, urad dhal, curry leaves and dry chillies. When the mustard seeds splutter, add the snake gourd. Add salt and cover the pan (kadai). Once it is done, add the thick coconut milk and the tamarind pulp. Bring to a boil and serve hot with the fish curry.

(Starting this week, MetroPlus will feature recipes typical to Pondicherry, put together by Kethari Srivanjiam, a specialist in Vietnamese, French and South Indian cuisines.)

KETHARI SRIVANJIAM

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Metro Plus    Bangalore    Chennai    Coimbatore    Delhi    Hyderabad    Kochi    Madurai    Mangalore    Pondicherry    Tiruchirapalli    Thiruvananthapuram    Vijayawada    Visakhapatnam