Kariappa House – a restored heritage space with modern amenities – served as an appropriate setting for Maiyam’s food experience as it shared the concept of presenting traditional aesthetics reforged for a contemporary audience, leading to a holistic experience of Tamil culture achieved by appealing to all the senses. The meal’s theme was to detox using traditional wisdom, executed according to our practice of extracting the potential of non-mainstream ingredients as we introduce them to our guests.
There is a tradition in Tamil Nadu of using local weeds in a curry that is consumed once or twice a week to clear the gut of food debris. The fibre from the greens helps in the physical removal of undigested particles, and the specific combination of salty, sour, bitter and spicy flavours has been prescribed in traditional healing practices as a signal to the digestive system to eliminate toxins in the body.
The weeds are also traditionally foraged instead of farmed. The women who sell them gather them from the surroundings of their villages and then make their way to the market. They set up their makeshift stalls outside the entrance, spreading out a tarp for their wares that are paradoxically both abundant in nature yet disappearing from kitchens of the urban middle class due to industrial suppliers dominating the agricultural produce market.
While discussing the ingredients with Maiyam’s then head chef as she recounted her memories of using tamarind, tomato chilli and garlic to complement the greens, Vijhay understood that the umami in the recipe was the key to balancing its flavour and chose to use extra vadagam tempered in sesame oil in our version. The fermented components added an extra depth of flavour, and the hard rice we paired it with provided the contrast in texture.
Although this dish would become the core of their dining experience, the guests first began their meal with our famous brewed fenugreek in keeping with the culture of this drink being served to people after a journey – as a cleanser before food. This was followed by seeraga samba rice cooked in coconut milk, topped with liquid jaggery and seasoned with grainy salt as an appetiser to kickstart the digestive process and prepare for the upcoming meal.
After the main course, we served our signature curd rice – a dish that has captured the hearts of Maiyam’s patrons at every occasion where it was served – as a probiotic element. It is essential to introduce good bacteria into the digestive tract during the cleansing process. We finished with a guava leaf and tamarind popper to seal the experience – the astringent quality of the leaves is a signal to the digestive system that the meal has ended.
