Chef scours state for grandmom's recipes

Though he has been wielding the ladle since the age of seven, Chef Damodaran aka Damu has always been interested in innovating. And, very often, what he brings to the table is not just new, original recipes but long-forgotten traditional ones. So it is not surprising that his new book, `The Secret Recipes of Tamil Nadu', delves into ancient texts and the interior parts of the state to bring old recipes to the modern audience.

This time round, the chef, who has already penned 26 books, focuses on ancient dishes that helped boost the health of women. “In olden times, many dishes were made especially for girls who had just attained puberty and also pregnant women and lactating mothers as they need nutritious food,“ says Damu.

But now, with an increasing number of people moving to metros, and living far away from their families, this tradition has been lost. “I wanted to dig out the old recipes and compile them into a book so that it would be of help to families,“ he says. His book, which is in Tamil, will be published by Karpagam Pathippagam, and has about 30 recipes.

He began his research more than a year and a half ago, travelling across the state and reading intensively . “For instance, in the `Purananooru', a Tamil poetic work, which is one of the eight books in the secular anthology of Sangam literature, and the ` Agananooru', there are references to certain traditional dishes,“ says Damu.

In the `Purananooru', there is a refer anooru', there is a refer ence to `gramathu fish curry', which vil l a g e r s m a d e.

“While harvesting paddy , the farmers would let out stagnant water. This water would contain small fish, like the vazhai (ribbon fish) and also tortoises, which were then caught and cooked,“ says Damu. Various kinds of fish curry were made with tamarind pulp in mud pots.

It was the old-timers he met across the districts who helped him perfect the recipes. “I spoke to old women, many of them over 80, who told me about these dishes,“ he says.

For instance, when girls attained puberty, special food like Uluthuma puttu was given to them for breakfast.“Urad dal was roasted, powdered and then added to steamed red rice, coconut milk, grated coconut, elaichi and karupatti or palm jaggery ,“ says Damu. The mixture was then steamed.

Similarly , in the afternoon, they were given whole urad dal, which was boiled with parboiled rice and karupatti (palm jaggery). “Only pure gingelly oil was used then,“ he says.

Young married women were also put on special diets to make them strong enough for childbearing. “They were given nutritious food to strengthen their uterus and hip bones,“ says Damu.

Again, urad dal was used to make a porridge called uluthuma kali. “Sambar soru was also made, by mixing boiled sambar rice, with dates, almonds, cashews mixed with red banana,“ says Damu, adding that pregnant women were given a syrup made of urad dal, gingelly seeds and white jaggery , which has more iron content.

Damu has tried out every recipe before including it in the book. “Many of the elderly women I spoke to showed me how to make the dishes. Then, I made it myself and had them taste it to ensure it was authentic,“ he says. He hopes that the book will help improve the health of women.

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