Southern sizzle

When it comes to food we love our stereotypes. Bengalis survive on roshogollahs — pronounced with two in the mouth — and Punjabis on tandoori chicken. Mumbaikars eat pav bhaji and Gujaratis thrive on snacks. But when it comes to south Indians, we really go over the top. As far as most Indians are concerned, all that the people of the four states do is gorge on idlis and dosas.

Well, these, no doubt, figure on the menu — especially at breakfast — in many houses. But there is a huge and exciting world outside these snacks that we see as synonyms of the south. In fact, we tend to treat the whole region as one vegetarian paradise. And while the vegetarian food — especially that of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, I believe — is to die for, the non-vegetarian food in the south is what you live for.

I had a taste of that the other day at a new restaurant called Zambar, just on the outskirts of Delhi. My friend Bakshish Dean, who was the executive chef of The Park in Delhi, is now the corporate chef of Lite Bite Foods, which runs several restaurants in and around Delhi. Zambar — a way of pronouncing the ubiquitous south Indian arhar dal dish — is located in a sprawling mall called Ambience in Gurgaon.

I love the non-vegetarian food of south India — especially its seafood and fish preparations. The wide spectrum of south Indian non-vegetarian dishes is most evident in the range of biryanis that come from the other side of the Vindhyas. Forget the prawns, fish or chicken biryanis that the region abounds in. Even the list of mutton biryanis is a mouth-watering lot. You have the Chettinad mutton biryani of Tamil Nadu, the kormey ki biryani and kacche gosht ki biryani from Hyderabad, the Coorg mutton biryani from Karnataka and atterachi, a Kerala mutton biryani — to name just a few.

Indeed, what never fails to intrigue me is the huge range of mutton dishes that comes from the south. First, they are noticeably different from the meat curries that you get in the north and the east. The meat pieces in the south, for instance, are small and the gravy is mostly thick. Then, of course, there are differences within the region. My friends from Kerala always like to put some coconut in the gravy, and my Andhra pals can never cook meat without upturning a huge bowl of red chillies into it.

Chef R. Senthil, who is in charge of Zambar, tells me that the masalas are all- important in the meat dishes which are almost always spicy and thick. The mutton keema vepudu, for instance, consists of fried koftas in dry masala gravy, cooked with ginger and green chillies.

The Mutton Nilgiri korma (see recipe) is an Ooty speciality, and the gravy is a wonderful mix of mint, coriander and green chillies. The dishes that I really enjoyed were the mutton pepper fry — which had been cooked with curry leaves and crushed pepper — and the Tamil mutton roast, a spicy preparation with masalas thickened with ground poppy seeds. I am very fond of mince — and one of these days have to try out an appam filled with keema and the keema potato curry, prepared with fennel, cardamom, fresh coconut and curry leaves.

I can spend a life-time eating south Indian mutton dishes. These days, Mumbai and Delhi have several restaurants which offer excellent south Indian non-vegetarian fare, but Kolkata is still some years behind the other metros. And while I did have a very nice meal at Tamarind a couple of years ago, I find that there are very few such restaurants in Kolkata.

There is a scope for a lot more, for you just can’t beat this southern comfort. Thayir sadam — the much loved curd rice — has its place in the sun, no doubt, but mutton pepper fry takes the cake. And the appam.       

Mutton Pepper Fry (Serves 4)

Ingredients: • 750g mutton cut into small cubes • 75ml oil • l5g curry leaves • 150g finely chopped onion • 10g ginger paste • 10g garlic paste • 5g coriander powder • 5g turmeric powder • 10g coarsely crushed pepper • 50g chopped tomato • 1 lemon • salt to taste

Method: Wash and drain mutton. Dab dry on a clean kitchen towel. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. When it starts smoking add the curry leaves and then the onion. Sauté till the onion turns translucent. Add the ginger and garlic pastes. Reduce the heat to medium and cook well. Add the coriander and turmeric powder. Stir and cook for about three minutes. Add mutton and salt. Mix it well with the masala. Increase the heat and stir till the juices start flowing. Reduce the heat and cover. Let it simmer till the meat is half cooked. Add the crushed pepper and chopped tomato. Mix well and simmer till the meat is tender. Check the seasoning and finish with a little lemon juice. Serve.


Mutton Nilgiri Korma (Serves 4)

Ingredients: • 750g mutton cut into small cubes • 100ml whisked curd • 1g nutmeg powder • 100g fresh, chopped coriander leaves • 50g fresh, chopped mint leaves • 30g chopped green chillies • 60ml oil • 3g fennel seeds • 200g finely chopped onion • 15g ginger paste • 15g garlic paste • 150g chopped tomatoes • 5g turmeric powder • 50g khus khus • salt to taste

Method: Soak and make a paste of the khus khus. Wash and drain the mutton. Dab dry on a clean kitchen towel. Marinate the mutton in yoghurt and nutmeg powder. Sauté the coriander, mint and green chillies in a little oil and turn it into a fine paste. Heat the oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add the fennel seeds and then the chopped onions. Cook till the onions are golden brown. Add the ginger and garlic pastes and cook for three minutes. Add turmeric and cook for another minute. Add the marinated mutton and salt. Stir well and increase the heat. Once the liquid starts boiling, reduce the heat. Cover and simmer till the meat is half done. Add the khus khus paste and the chopped tomatoes. Mix well and simmer till done. Now add the coriander mint paste and simmer for three minutes. Check the seasoning and serve.


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