I have a confession to make. Not something that I am proud of, but here goes.
I grew up in Kolkata in the 1980s at a time when we referred to anyone from the south of India as ‘Madrasi.’ We mistakenly believed that south Indian food started with dosas and ended with idli vadas (which we pronounced as bara) with nothing much in between!
We loved this fare though. My younger brother loved it so much that my mom and I would say that he would marry a south Indian one day. He did not, but he still loves his idli and dosa!
Thankfully we have all grown up since then and have left those politically incorrect times way behind!
I moved to Mumbai twenty years back and this is where I got a glimpse of the diversity of south Indian food through the Keralite and Mangalorean run restaurants here.
I explored more of the cuisines of the south as I travelled to Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Vizag, Mangalore and Chennai and began to discover the many treasures that it offers. I wrote about this in my blog, book and columns; as if as penance for my early cultural ignorance.
Ironically one did not get to try much of Tamilian vegetarian food except when I went to Murugan Idli at Chennai and to the house of my friend, home chef and south Indian food expert, Shri Bala. The place I went to for dosas in Chennai, Woodlands, is Mangalorean owned too! I have eaten at Sarvanan Bhavan in the past of that counts.
In Mumbai one hardly comes across Tamil run eateries, barring the odd street side stalls and vendors on cycles hawking idli vadas One such gentleman featured on the cover of my book, ‘The Travelling Belly.’ Most south Indian vegetarian restaurants in the city are run by those from the Shetty community from Bangalore.
Home chef Meena Subramanian, who runs Perima’s Kitchen, once sent us a Tamil vegetarian meal during the lockdown that we liked so much that we ordered two boxes of the same for our friends.
She recently sent us another sumptuous box of mains and tiffin dishes and I thought that I will tell you about that in this video.
Meena is Mumbai born. Her parents, who are in their 90s, came to Mumbai from Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu. The food that she offers has its roots there and she even sources ingredients such as the sambar and rasam powder and hing and gingeli oil from Tirunelveli. She offers her food through Perima’s Kitchen, which means ‘aunt’s kitchen’ and is a lockdown baby of hers.
You will find @PerimasKitchen on Instagram in case you want to place an order. The food shown here was sent to us for sampling.
This is a part of the #foodocracykitchens series where I speak to you about the food cooked across the kitchens of Mumbai by people belonging to the different communities that call this city home.
I grew up in Kolkata in the 1980s at a time when we referred to anyone from the south of India as ‘Madrasi.’ We mistakenly believed that south Indian food started with dosas and ended with idli vadas (which we pronounced as bara) with nothing much in between!
We loved this fare though. My younger brother loved it so much that my mom and I would say that he would marry a south Indian one day. He did not, but he still loves his idli and dosa!
Thankfully we have all grown up since then and have left those politically incorrect times way behind!
I moved to Mumbai twenty years back and this is where I got a glimpse of the diversity of south Indian food through the Keralite and Mangalorean run restaurants here.
I explored more of the cuisines of the south as I travelled to Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Vizag, Mangalore and Chennai and began to discover the many treasures that it offers. I wrote about this in my blog, book and columns; as if as penance for my early cultural ignorance.
Ironically one did not get to try much of Tamilian vegetarian food except when I went to Murugan Idli at Chennai and to the house of my friend, home chef and south Indian food expert, Shri Bala. The place I went to for dosas in Chennai, Woodlands, is Mangalorean owned too! I have eaten at Sarvanan Bhavan in the past of that counts.
In Mumbai one hardly comes across Tamil run eateries, barring the odd street side stalls and vendors on cycles hawking idli vadas One such gentleman featured on the cover of my book, ‘The Travelling Belly.’ Most south Indian vegetarian restaurants in the city are run by those from the Shetty community from Bangalore.
Home chef Meena Subramanian, who runs Perima’s Kitchen, once sent us a Tamil vegetarian meal during the lockdown that we liked so much that we ordered two boxes of the same for our friends.
She recently sent us another sumptuous box of mains and tiffin dishes and I thought that I will tell you about that in this video.
Meena is Mumbai born. Her parents, who are in their 90s, came to Mumbai from Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu. The food that she offers has its roots there and she even sources ingredients such as the sambar and rasam powder and hing and gingeli oil from Tirunelveli. She offers her food through Perima’s Kitchen, which means ‘aunt’s kitchen’ and is a lockdown baby of hers.
You will find @PerimasKitchen on Instagram in case you want to place an order. The food shown here was sent to us for sampling.
This is a part of the #foodocracykitchens series where I speak to you about the food cooked across the kitchens of Mumbai by people belonging to the different communities that call this city home.
PS: I might have mispronounced some of the dishes in the video but you can read what Meena had messaged about the meal:
Perima’s Kitchen Special
Semiya payasam
(Milk pudding with vermicelli, simmered to perfection)
Sweet Kozhakattai
(Coconut & jaggery with pieces of jackfruit, streamed in rice flour, an amalgamation of jaggery with a covering of rice flour. The textured flavour with the aroma of jackfruit makes this the food for the Gods)
Upma Kozhakattai
(Broken rice sautéed with mustard, green chillies & dry coconut, & steamed. Healthy & wholesome to be eaten with coconut chutney)
Puliyodharai
(A flavoured tamarind rice, tangy, mildly spicy with peanuts for crunch. To be eaten with fritters)
Pumpkin & Drumstick sambar
Mini idlis
Thayir Vadai
(Medu vadas soaked in yoghurt seasoned with green chillies & coconut, garnished with mustard & curry leaves)
Thenga Sadham
(A rice dish sautéed with fresh coconut, tempered with mustard, chilly & curry leaves)
Marachini appalam
(Tapioca papads)
Rice fritters
Can we get her contact number
hi, I am in touch with her through Instagram. Perhaps you can try that too.