Chef Unnikrishnan Namboodri doesn’t travel light. A Thrissur-based chef who is in Chennai to supervise the Onam Sadhya preparations at Ente Keralam, he has brought with him a range of ingredients to ensure the authenticity of the dishes. “The Kerala banana is an important part of the Sadhya. I make a paste out of it for using in the preparation of banana payasam. I make a jam out of jackfruits for the jackfruit payasam as well,” explains the 60-year-old priest chef, who has over 40 years of experience in the preparation of Kerala cuisine.
With help from an interpreter, Chef Aji Joseph, corporate chef (FD), Oriental Cuisines, who effortlessly switches between Malayalam and English, Namboodri explains how he plays the roles of a chef, a priest and a doctor. The roles are not only equally important to him, but are also interconnected. “I always pray before I start cooking and I ask god for good health and seek his blessings,” he says. Speaking about his Ayurveda background, he explains,“I use as many herbs as I can. I don’t use masala or onions in my cooking. I use a combination of fresh spices, mostly jeera and pepper,” he says. “I am a child specialist back home,” he adds with a hint of childish pride, as he illustrates by holding his hands at waist length. “I enjoy playing with children.”
Namboodri, who has been visiting Chennai for the last five years to cook a hearty Onam Sadhya, says eating a Sadhya is an art by itself. “There are 25 dishes in all and there is a method for eating them,” he says. One must always begin with the chips, followed by the tangy sweet and injipuli chutney. “That will open up the taste buds and prepare you for the feast,” he says. “You should then eat the neiparippu, which has ghee and daal. It helps in speeding up the digestion,” he explains. Unlike in other cuisines, the sweet is eaten in the middle of the Sadhya meal and not in the end, says Namboodri. “You must end the feast with curd rice and top it off with a plantain. Your stomach will settle down and digestion will be easy,” he says. Earlier, people would indulge in lavish Onam feasts, but of late, the number of dishes on the banana leaf, has come down, Namboodri rues. “These days, instead of four payasams, there are only two served. But it’s not just the feast that makes a good Onam,” he quickly adds.“The pookolam, other festivities, the prayers,” he trails off.
The Onam Ela Sadhya is on till September 2 at all branches of Ente Keralam. For details, call 32216591.
Comments
0 comment