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For the love and fun of it
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‘Arangum Adukkalayum,’ has men donning the apron
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Amateur chefs Clockwise from top, K. K. Thomas, Suresh P. Nair and Midhun Krishna are some of the contestants competing for the top slot in Kairali TV’s ‘Arangum Adukkalayum’
They do not claim to be expert chefs but they do know that the way to win the title of ‘best male cook’ is through the stomach. And so, you have a group of men washing, slicing, chopping, mincing, cooking and more on Kairali’s TV
217;s latest reality show – ‘Arangum Adukkalayum,’ which is a hunt for the most talented male cook.
Love of cooking
While some of the contestants are professionals, others like K.K. Thomas, Suresh P. Nair and Midhun Krishna are in the show for the love and fun of it.
A self-taught cook, Thomas discovered his culinary skills in Bangalore. “I was working there and though married and with family, I could not afford to bring my family over to Banglore then. So I had to leave them behind in Kerala.” All by himself, he “donned the apron as I could not afford eating out. But then I discovered that I enjoyed cooking.” If Thomas was a self-taught cook, Suresh and Midhun learnt the art of whipping up dishes from their mothers.
Says Suresh, “I have always been fascinated by how mixing and matching ingredients can create a gourmet’s delight,” as Midhun adds, “My mother, Indukala, is a great cook. She inspired me to enter the kitchen. The fact that she tried out for the channel’s ‘Pachaka Rani’ was an added inspiration.”
Suresh says he specialises in mostly vegetarian dishes. “I’m also known for my snacks and sweet eats. My pickles are quite popular too. There are customers who order them for relatives abroad,” says Suresh who is employed as a caretaker of SIBBI Bank Guest House, Coimbatore.
Midhun, however, says payasams are his forte. “I enjoy making them and drinking them at the end,” says this class nine student of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Payyanur, who is the youngest in the competition. For the competition he made a potato-badam payasam, “which got me through the first round.”
Being the youngest in the competition is not a disadvantage, he says. “I think I have a shot in the competition just like the others,” says Midhun confidently.
All these contestants claim that they do not refer to any recipe books. Says Suresh, “I prefer to experiment and come up with my own signature dishes.” He is also a strong advocate of using freshly ground spices in dishes.
“I dislike using ready-made masalas available at stores. I prefer making them myself. Making fresh ground masalas lends flavour and aroma to the dish.”
According to the contestants, a man in the kitchen is no longer a subject of ridicule. “I am proud to say I can cook. In fact my friends and family enjoy my cooking and my wife too proudly announces to guests if I have prepared a dish,” says Thomas.
Says Betty Lois Baby, producer of the show: “The men who have participated in the show are amazing cooks. In fact I would say they are better then the women contestants on ‘Pachaka Rani.’ They are innovative and their style of presenting a dish is good. ”
LIZA GEORGE
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