The City may be filled with exotic cuisines from all over the world but the local flavours of our country still strike a chord with all food-lovers.
![]( "Delicious: Karimeen pollichathu, royalla munakaya pulusu and denji Karwar fry.")
Keeping this in mind, Chef Harish, from Dakshin ITC Hotels, Chennai, on his recent visit to the ITC Gardenia, created an enticing lunch and dinner buffet dedicating it to the seafood of the coastlines of the Southern states — from Andhra Pradesh to Karnataka.
Called the 'Seafood from the South and Konkan Coast', the special buffet will be on at the Cubbon Pavilion at ITC Gardenia till June 10.
With an array of choices up for grabs, the aromatic flavours of each of the dishes make every seafood lover crave for more. The main intention behind the festival, however, is to refresh the buffet menu and also make way for regional dishes in all their authentic elements.
Chef Harish's culinary skills are a combination of traditional techniques of cooking with contemporary thinking and one can see that even in his selection of menu. "Seafood was an obvious choice for me since I have a strong hold in the cuisine. For this festival, I wanted to focus on a few dishes from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka. So along with the authentic masalas, I wanted to concentrate on the presentation as well," says Chef Harish.
Each day of the festival will also have a signature dish of the chef. One of the must-haves is the starter, denji Karwar fry— a soft shell crab marinated in some homemade masala and fried. Another traditional seafood starter is the chemmeen ularthiyathu—a simple dish with prawns tossed with shallots and coconut.
When it comes to the main course, the flavours simply comes alive through dishes like peetala igguru, which is mainly crab meat that is simmered in cashew nut masala and served in a crab shell. The royalla munakaya pulusu is another interesting combination of prawns and drumstick curry.
There is also enough for the vegetarians. "The coastal line is not restricted to just seafood. That's why I have also brought in some of the vegetarian delicacies that complement the entire menu," says Chef Harish.
With the mango season on in full swing, the mambazham pulissery, a gravy made of ripe mango, is something to look out for. Also the chinna vengaya patchaimilagai mandi, a combination of shallots, green chillies and butter beans cooked in gravy of tamarind and garlic, is a must-have.
The boiled ponni rice or the pepper-flavoured rice, called melagu sadam, complements most of the gravies. "I have also made a prawn biryani and brought in a little twist to it by having the idiappam as the base instead of rice," he adds. For reservations, call 22119898.
Keeping this in mind, Chef Harish, from Dakshin ITC Hotels, Chennai, on his recent visit to the ITC Gardenia, created an enticing lunch and dinner buffet dedicating it to the seafood of the coastlines of the Southern states — from Andhra Pradesh to Karnataka. Called the 'Seafood from the South and Konkan Coast', the special buffet will be on at the Cubbon Pavilion at ITC Gardenia till June 10.
With an array of choices up for grabs, the aromatic flavours of each of the dishes make every seafood lover crave for more. The main intention behind the festival, however, is to refresh the buffet menu and also make way for regional dishes in all their authentic elements.
Chef Harish's culinary skills are a combination of traditional techniques of cooking with contemporary thinking and one can see that even in his selection of menu. "Seafood was an obvious choice for me since I have a strong hold in the cuisine. For this festival, I wanted to focus on a few dishes from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka. So along with the authentic masalas, I wanted to concentrate on the presentation as well," says Chef Harish.
Each day of the festival will also have a signature dish of the chef. One of the must-haves is the starter, denji Karwar fry— a soft shell crab marinated in some homemade masala and fried. Another traditional seafood starter is the chemmeen ularthiyathu—a simple dish with prawns tossed with shallots and coconut.
When it comes to the main course, the flavours simply comes alive through dishes like peetala igguru, which is mainly crab meat that is simmered in cashew nut masala and served in a crab shell. The royalla munakaya pulusu is another interesting combination of prawns and drumstick curry.
There is also enough for the vegetarians. "The coastal line is not restricted to just seafood. That's why I have also brought in some of the vegetarian delicacies that complement the entire menu," says Chef Harish.
With the mango season on in full swing, the mambazham pulissery, a gravy made of ripe mango, is something to look out for. Also the chinna vengaya patchaimilagai mandi, a combination of shallots, green chillies and butter beans cooked in gravy of tamarind and garlic, is a must-have.
The boiled ponni rice or the pepper-flavoured rice, called melagu sadam, complements most of the gravies. "I have also made a prawn biryani and brought in a little twist to it by having the idiappam as the base instead of rice," he adds. For reservations, call 22119898.