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PHOTO: SAMPATH KUMAR G.P.

TIME-TESTED Ummi Abdullah: ‘My grandmother used to just say put a handful of this and that and it would become quite confusing’

The Malabar Muslim cookery expert from Calicut is here at the Moplah cuisine festival on till March 30 at Karavalli at the Taj Gateway, as part of an attempt to bring in renowned people from different coastal regions for its 15th year celebrations.

Chef Naren Thimmaiah and Ummi Abdullah have created a special menu that will see a culinary union of Arab and Malayali influences. And it’s a real marriage of cuisines and cultures as Mahapilla (from which comes Moplah) or bridegroom is the reference to Arab traders who married Malayali women and settled down in Kerala.

Ummi’s husband was a great entertainer, and thus Ummi had to step into the kitchen when they moved to Chennai, as they were no longer in a large household. “I had plenty of time on my hands and was experimenting with different dishes for his friends.”

She then enrolled at the Chennai Institute of Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition and a number of other cooking, baking and food preservation classes and watched her culinary skills grow. She even started a pickling unit and initiated cookery classes of her own.

When Ummi realised she needed to record the exact serving or measurement of ingredients, she came out with two cookery books — “Malabar Muslim Cookery” and “The Epicure Cookbook”.

“My grandmother used to just say put a handful of this and that and it would become quite confusing.” She has also participated in cookery contests and seminars, and began been invited to judge cookery shows or contests.

“Now Moplah cuisine has become popular in the Malabar belt with a number of bakeries selling ready-made pathiri (stuffed rice chapatti) and arikadukka (stuffed mussels).”

Ramadan is when the hotels in Kerala are brimming with Moplah cuisines and spices.

Ummi’s famous recipe “Green Peas Supreme” even found its way to a magazine but given by somebody else! “That person used the same name and gave the exact recipe, copied word to word.”

Once a poor aspiring cook learnt about her cooking, but didn’t have the money to buy the recipe book. “My husband immediately sent a copy to him and began to make a living out of cooking my recipes.” She found that after her husband’s demise, cooking gave her a great therapeutic release.

“I keep myself busy in thinking about recipes and I plan out the day’s menu.” She smiles, “I even make chocolates for my grandson!”

Call 66604545 for reservations at the Karavalli.

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