FOOD - 2:

REGIONAL FOOD AT TAJ, A GREAT HIT

BY P S SUNDAR

                The concept of regional food in the menu of star hotels is praiseworthy on two counts -- it affords opportunity to international guests to taste the regional cuisine and simultaneously, helps to elevate regional food to international platform. 

                And, if this regional dish is cooked in the star hotel by a housewife from the ethnic community in the same style in which she cooks at home, that is authentic regional home-style food -- a great value-addition to the culinary experience of discerning visitors. 

                While it is possible to enjoy universally popular dishes anywhere, it is an exclusive privilege to experience an authentic home-style cooked regional food, not easily available in many places.   

                Taj Group of hotels is making this possible and in the Taj hotels in the Nilgiris, it is the home-style cooking of the regional food of Badaga, the predominant community of the hilly district. 

                Jayalakshmi, a housewife in Bickole, a small hamlet of Badaga community, travels 20 kilometres by two buses daily to reach Taj Savoy Hotel Ooty and does the same to return home.  She prepares Badaga home-style food items which are cherished by visitors including foreigners. 

“I cook everything as in our Badaga home.   This includes Badaga speciality ‘Avarai Udhakka’, the prestigious dish for our community feast”, Jayalakshmi told me.

“Nilgiri Kaikari Udhakka, Dhotti, thuppathittu, pothittu, sweet puff, ghasu-gosu curry and sweet paniyaram are among the favourites with visitors”, she said.

“This is part of our corporate social responsibility to support women belonging to Badaga predominant indigenous community and simultaneously popularise Nilgiri regional food among international tourists”, Savoy General Manager P Vibhakar said.

“Our Badaga Thali prepared home-style is a great hit with foreigners”, Executive Chef Ravi Ekamburam noted.

I photographed Jayalakshmi preparing 'paniyaram' at New Year 2015 Breakfast at Taj Savoy ::

              Likewise in The Gateway Hotel Coonoor, K Indra, housewife from the Badaga village of Edappalli,  is a familiar face among the guests at the GAD (Gateway All Day) restaurant. 

“Daily, I come by bus and also walk some distance up and down.  Every day at the hotel, I cook Badaga home-style 10 regional cuisines. This includes Badaga speciality ‘Avarai Udhakka’.    Ghasu dhotti, Uppukorai, Sandaga, Ennai Ittu and Ghasu-Choppu are among the favourites with visitors”, she told me. 

Indra is famous because of her live counters.  "I make varieties of bonda, vadai, bajji, pakhora, ennai ittu, kalikkittu payasam and ubbittu at the live counter.  As this is live counter, guests can see for themselves how we make such food at our homes", she said. 

I photographed Indra preparing Vadai, thagaru masala and pothittu (pan cake) at Christmas-eve dinner at The Gateway Hotel Coonoor ::

"We are unable to think of banquets without our Badaga regional food as guests are looking forward to the same", Chef Ramalingam said. 

"Traditionally, Badagas are known for their hospitality.   Now, bringing this tradition into the hotel doubles up the hospitality experience for the guests. Our home-style chefs interact with the guests and help them gain access into the intricacies of the menus.   Foreigners, as much as domestic visitors from across the country, are a great fan of these home-style chefs and their cuisines", Gateway General Manager R Muralidharan summed up. 

"It was, however, not easy to move Badaga housewives from their familiar comforts of home kitchen to the unknown contours of star hotel kitchen.  We had to do some ice-breaking motivation through their whole family.  Now, they feel satisfied when they see applauding guests", Human Resources Manager D Antony Gerald added.