April 02, 2024 05:05 pm | Updated 05:05 pm IST
Sangupushpam (blue butterfly pea flower) paniyaram |Photo Credit: Kumaran Rajarathinam Lotus Leaf Benefits
How do you serve kari dosa or kothu idiyappam — food from the streets of South India — in a restaurant setting? “That’s how the idea came about,” says Vikram Mohan, managing director of the Pricol Group,about recently launched Rasanai, which celebrates South Indian street food. Vikram says he and his team travelled to the hinterlands of the five southern states to perfect the menu. “I researched the history of food, how the various migrations resulted in certain food amalgamations, food habits etc. For example, the Arabic influences in Kerala’s biryani. It is made more like the Arabic kabsa.” A short tour of the 2600 square feet restaurant showcases a quirky mix of decor and plenty of indoor plants. While the doors featuring kolam designs look striking, it is the main wall displaying rows of evil-eye facemasks that draws diners to click a selfie.
Rasanai front view | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Binu Thankachan, chief operating officer and Sheik Mohideen, brand chef for the group’s South Indian brands, recommend a list of must-trys. Over tangy, spiced, lightly-sweet pineapple rasam and crisp poricha parotta with paalkatti kaima (minced cottage cheese served as a canape on crisp, deep fried coin-shaped parottas) , conversation flows freely. The chicken, fiery with kanthari— infamous for being among India’s hottest chillies, is juicy and tender. The well-flavoured Sivaji Nagar military hotel mutton chops also make an impression.
Choose from a diverse menu | Photo Credit: Kumaran Rajarathinam
I try the Ilai kaalan porichathu (oyster mushrooms marinated in a red marinade and deep fried) that makes for crisp bites. “Mushroom dishes are a part of Kongu cuisine. We discovered this recipe during our visit to a mess in Gobichettipalayam near Coimbatore. It was packed with people waiting to taste elai kaalan 65 served there. We replicated the recipe but added Kashmiri chilli powder to the thick batter before deep frying the mushrooms to give it a dash of red,” explains Sheik.
Chef Sheik says the diverse menu is a great opportunity to get creative with recipes. For example, a Pallipalayam chicken is served as a canape, piled on crisp, coin parottas. He adds that the Venad paal konju is a simple recipe with impressive results. “The prawns are cooked in thick coconut milk, so they are soft, juicy and have the nutty flavour of coconut.” Also try the lip-smacking eral thokkuor prawn picklewhere juicy, plump prawns are cooked in a spicy, flavourful masala.
Panaolai kari soru |Photo Credit: Kumaran Rajarathinam
Though the team piled on the kilos during the food-tasting sojourns, they came back with a wealth of culinary experience and built a list of 280 dishes, tired, tested, and standardised recipes. Binu talks fondly of their research: “In Nellore, we tried the chapala pulisu, a fiery fish curry that left us teary-eyed. We also tried the Nagarjuna chilli chicken there which is cooked with generous use of green chillies.”
The duo also stumbled upon some unique dishes like the vencha Godavari prawn and carrot 65 at a roadside outlet in Andhra. “An auto driver took us there for lunch. While enjoying the crunchy carrot 65, we also learnt that while the crispness comes from increasing quantity of corn flour in the batter, a dash of garam masala brings in the unique flavour while biting into it,” explains Sheik.
They perfected the popular military hotel mutton chops, which they relished at Shivaji Nagar Military Hotel in Bengaluru, after repeated trials. “The cooks refused to share the original recipe. When we visited the kitchen after lunch, we saw plastic bottles lined up filled to the brim with pickled lime. We realised that cooking the dish using brine and a paste of pickled lime brings a tinge of sourness which the dish is known for,” explains Sheik.
As he talks, the table is laden with Rameshwaram potlam saadam, a one-pot meal that comes wrapped in banana leaf. Chef Sheik remembers tasting the dish at a mess in Rameshwaram. “The trick here is to cook the rice to a mushy consistency with coconut milk. And then pile on the mutton sukka, chicken 65, chicken salna, a dash of mango thokku, and throw in a boiled egg too. We paid ₹ 250 for one potlam and it was a satisfying meal.” Another dish that vies for our attention at the table is panaolai kari soru, which isinspired by oon soru dating back to the Sangam period. “ The mutton gravy is cooked in a sturdy iron kadai till oil separates and tossed with cooked rice before serving in thawed palm leaf to soak up fresh flavours. It is still served at roadside eateries in places like Kanniyakumari,” says Sheik adding that another innovation is the sangu pushpam paniyaram in striking blue colour that comes from using blue butterfly pea flower while making the batter. The waiter adds a platter of egg idiyappam, appam and vegetable stew. There are also tasty Mangaluru neer dosa and batata pathang gassi - a delicate, lacy dosa served with a creamy coconut gravy of potato cubes and green gram sprouts that leave us wanting more.
Gulkhand pudding |Photo Credit: Kumaran Rajarathinam
“Every dish is a jewel by itself,” Vikram Mohan describes adding that the chefs worked towards retaining the original tastes, flavours, with tweaks to make them healthier.
By now, I have lost count of the number of cups of nungu paal, a delicious drink made using palm fruits and milk and paanagam, a sweet drink made with jaggery, black pepper, cardamoms,that have been savoured. But the dessert platter looks inviting with rich and creamy gulkhand, elaneer and filter coffee pudding. I end with hot sulaimani tea , a golden brew with a perfect blend of warmth and spice that makes a delicious feast complete.
Located at Lakshmi Mills Compound. A meal for two costs ₹ 1000 approximately. For reservations, call 7540022333
The Hindu MetroPlus / food and dining (general)
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