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Get ready to savor Amgele Randhap: visit the GSB Fest at Hotel Maya International!

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Amchi’s reading this will relate to the feeling of emptiness … in the stomach… when living away from home. Not because we don’t eat, but because we miss the cuisine we were brought up on! For me, I missed the freshly prepared tove and steamy rice with ambuli. I am indeed sure that one cannot name another food that matches this duo!

Culinary traditions descend from generation to generation and over the years have crystallized into some historical favorites across the coast (Uttara Kannada, Udupi district, Dakshina Kannada, Damaon, and Goa) where the Gowd Saraswat Brahmins settled after the Sarswat River dried up. Coming from that tradition, Fish which they considered sea vegetables became a part of their cuisine.

A typical breakfast in a Saraswat home may include pez (congee) of ukdem tandhul (parboiled rice) and lonche (pickles) and papad. Wealthier homes may serve dosa, idli (in South Canara, Karnataka and other parts of South India) or sannas (in Goa), along with chutney or sambhar. Shevaiyn phann or phow are other breakfast foods occasionally served. Rotis and bhakris are typical types of bread eaten along with tondak or seasoned batata bhaji (potato stir-fry preparation).

A typical Saraswat lunch would have sheeth, roass or varann; their curries use a lot of coconuts, coconut oil, tamarind, kokum& curry leaves, and the cuisine is largely influenced by South Indian cuisine. If the dinner is not vegetarian, lunch may include hoomann, bhaji, tondak, lonche, papodd, and toi or kadhi. Kadhi is made to serve the dual purpose of mukhashuddhhi (mouth purification, perhaps after all the relatively spicy stuff) and jeervonn (digestive kadhis include asafoetida, vomvom, jeera, fennel seed). The most savored as well as preferred kadhi is the kokumachi kadhi or konkam kadhi. Kokum is a fruit found and grown within the western Konkan coast of India and is commonly used in Saraswat cuisine. Formally it is often said that no meal is complete without kokum kadhi.

But where will I get all my favorites nowadays? Most families don’t know many of the traditions of the Saraswats, having assimilated their neighbors’ traditions into their own, and if they do, they have no time to do the needful barring one or two on festive days. This is the tragedy of life in our modern busy world.

But Mangalore’s Hotel Maya International is coming to our rescue with Amgele Randhap, desserts included! They are hosting a food fest of GSB Cuisine. After the feast that this themed feast, we can leave with a full stomach and the purr of a contented cat that says “Javan laik ashile!”

What’s on the menu?

The food fest will be served in pakka amchi style! Served in a banana leaf, todays the menu is as follows: pickle, bibbe upkari (cashew nut with little gourd), kulitu-magge gashi( horse gram cucumber curry), tingalavere saarupkari ( white bean sambar), batate-bataani song (potato-green peas curry), ghosale shire chutney ( ridge gourd chutney), sanna polo (red chili dosa), thaikilo ambado (vegetable plum), odi( sandige, a fried item), happolu (papad), dali tove (dal), rice, saambar (curry), moonga paayasu(green gram porridge), bireenda khadi (buttermilk with coccum).

What’s more, is that you can enjoy these delicacies – no limitations – at Rs 100/- only!

Insight to the culinary traditions of the GSB Community

Owner of Hotel Maya International, Vasudev Kamath says, “GSB food has its own specialties. Particularly, being an orthodox and vegetarian food culture. This is practiced through various traditional methods that have been handed down through generations.”

He also adds that the GSB cuisine is rich because of its simplicity, unlike north Indian and western cuisine which uses cream and other fatty ingredients. ” It is mainly prepared with coconut oil and ghee, which is often homemade. The masala is all made of grated coconut and chilies, that don’t exceed more than 4-5 items. It’s that simple, yet its taste is awesome.”

Mr. Vasudev says that the food items that have been included in the menu, are all derived from the traditional methods of farming that anybody can grow in their own homes. “Everything used in this cuisine is local with the exception hing (asafoetida) which is usually imported from the West Bengal region.” Hing, however, is one the one item that is found in every dish on the GSB Menu.

The GSB cuisine has its historical favorites – the patrodo – rolled colocasia leaves, filled with a combination of coconut-infused rice paste, and steamed. It can be used in curries or Tava fried in coconut oil. Its taste is absolutely exquisite. The cuisine mainly involves a mixture of grated coconut, coconut oil, chilies, spices, jaggery, pulses, and tamarind. From curries, desserts to dosas, the cuisine has it all!

Preserving the GSB Culture and community

Goud Saraswat Brahmins have traveled a long way from the times of Saraswat Muni, and the banks of the historical and sometimes even mythical River Saraswati in Rajasthan and Punjab to Thrihotpura in Bihar, and then to Goa and from there southward to Coastal Karnataka including the undivided Dakshina Kannada and its headquarters, Mangalore, now Mangaluru, in the 16th Century to escape persecution by the Portuguese. The history of the Saraswats is a record of their struggle for existence and a chain of migrations, the longest and the widest spread among any community in India.

Despite all these migrations and difficulties, a strong religious, cultural, and linguistic (Konkani) has prevailed within. They are today, a well-organized community, their internal bonds stronger than ever, due to their community leadership, yet they have blended well with other communities wherever they have settled. They are tradition-bound, but cosmopolitan in outlook, extrovert in their approach to society, and introverted when it comes to their traditions. A rare combination indeed.

The idea of the GSB Food test that will stay open for a month, says Kamath is to create awareness, preserve and promote GSB traditions and cuisine. “The next generation has to carry this forward. Our food has always been loved by many and is exceptionally delicious. That’s why we have followed the banana leaf style to serve our customers, to serve a traditional experience with the GSB cuisine. Traditional food has to be taken in the traditional way. And we cannot change that, as the beauty lies in it. “

The fest will serve around 14 dishes. ” Vegetarian food is always better than non-vegetarian food, which allows us to stay healthy. One should be proud of our rich culture and tradition. We must spread the word especially, during the corona time, and that’s why we have kept this fest”, says Vasudev.

The hotel has taken all safety measures and precautions prescribed by the government and more so that patrons do not contract the COVID19.

There is no doubt Amgele Randhap is the best!

Take a bite and let me hear you say Javan Laik Ashile!

Get ready to savor Amgele Randhap: visit the GSB Fest at Hotel Maya International!
Get ready to savor Amgele Randhap: visit the GSB Fest at Hotel Maya International!
Get ready to savor Amgele Randhap: visit the GSB Fest at Hotel Maya International!
Get ready to savor Amgele Randhap: visit the GSB Fest at Hotel Maya International!
Get ready to savor Amgele Randhap: visit the GSB Fest at Hotel Maya International!

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