Upon searching with different keywords for the RCI- Kongunadu, I ended up with many recipes. Personally, I was not quiet familiar with that particular cuisine even though being a Tamilian.
I came across many blogs stating: My blog contains “XYZ regional food” but found any introduction about the dish only the recipe was available. Really sad when your recipe didn't reach any audience, when someone wants to know which cuisine, which part of the world you belong, what is the specialty of your cuisine, traditional, regional, family recipe, tried from the net / book, no tag, … Forget it!
Doesn’t mean you should start writing a whole big paragraph. Just a clean line where the recipe come from (probably the source), probably why you like it or not! That would be really greatful and useful to all. Ok coming to the recipe.
Pallipalayam is a Municipality town, located, as part of
Erode city-
TN.
Pallipalayam chicken is quiet popular one, why the dish got the town name? Well, I don’t have any right answer to provide you. If you know please let me know!
The recipe comes from the
Chef Jacob Kumar Sahay who got specialize in long-lost cuisine of South-India: Like
Kongunadu,
Nanjilnadu (Nadar Cuisine),
Sanga Kaala Unavu (Ancient Tamil cuisine). When I was in India, I saw one or two TV cooking show. He really comes up with wacky ideas: cooking in middle of the river, over the tree top, in middle of industrial area, but quiet interesting recipes.
This recipe involves two kind of masalas. The original recipe comes from
this website.
Thanks for sharing with us!
Note : I substituted the chicken with mushroom and name it Pallipalayam Kalan (mushroom) Kuzhambu (gravy). I modified the ingredients level for my convenience.
Pallipalayam Masala:
Ingredients:
Chilli powder: 1 tsp
Coriander powder: 2 tsp
Cinnamon: 1 inch
Green cardamom: 2
Cloves: 2
Dry ginger powder: 1 tsp
Method :
Grind all the ingredients to a fine powder.
Pallipalayam Mushroom Gravy/Pallipalayam Kalan Kuzhambu
Ingredients:
Mushroom: 1 packet –cleaned and cut into big chunck
Pearl onion: 5 or 6 diced
Tomato: 1 small/diced
Pallipalayam Masala (recipe above): 1 tsp
Salt: 1 tsp (or according your taste)
Coconut oil: 2 tsp
To roast and grind
Ingredients:
Cinnamon: 1 stick
Green Cardamom: 1
Cloves: 2
Star anise: 1
Fennel: 1 tsp
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp
Small onion: 4 counts/peeled
Garlic: 2 cloves
Ginger: a small piece
Cashew nuts: 6 counts
Coconut: ½ cup
Method:
Roast and ground into paste adding water if necessary
Method to make the gravy:
Heat the coconut oil, add the fennel once fried.
Add the diced small onion, sauté for a while.
Add the tomato and fry until the oil ooze out.
Add the mushroom, ground masala + pallipalayam masala, adjust the salt and add approximately 1 to 1 ½ cup of water. Cook for 10 minutes in medium heat.
***********************************************
The original recipe is Pallipalayam chicken Gravy / Kozhi thengai kuzhambu (pallipalayam/Kongunadu style)
Pallipalayam chicken Gravy / Kozhi thengai kuzhambu
Ingredients:
Chicken : 4 drumsticks
Pearl onion: 5 or 6 diced
Tomato: 1 small/diced
Pallipalayam Masala (recipe above): 1 tsp
Salt: 1 tsp (or according ur taste)
Coconut oil: 2 tsp
To roast and grind
Cinnamon: 1 stick
Green Cardamom: 1
Cloves: 2
Star anise: 1
Fennel: 1 tsp
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp
Small onion: 4 counts/peeled
Garlic: 2 cloves
Ginger: a small piece
Cashew nuts: 6 counts
Coconut: ½ cup
Method:
Roast and ground into paste adding water if necessary
Method for the chicken gravy:
Heat the coconut oil, add the fennel once fried.
Add the diced small onion, sauté for a while.
Add the tomato and fry until the oil ooze out.
Add the chicken drumsticks, ground masala + pallipalayam masala, adjust the salt and add approximately 1 to 1 ½ cup of water. Cook until the chicken is well done.
Verdict: I would prefer the Non-veg version which is totally delectable, masala was a bit too much for vegetarian version!
Comments
I don't think I've heard of an entire Pallipalayam cuisine but v often, enthusiastic people from a region can call it by that name - I've seen several such examples - for fish fry, fish curry, etc (just before I wrote this comment, did some research on the Net and the ingredients and marinades are the same for these recipes but they come from different States). Of course, then it becomes a whole new culture/recipe and that is perpetuated for a long time. In the absence of a striking difference, I've always wondered why the same dish is claimed by various cultures as their own - probably because they don't know it exists in other places as well?
You should see what these star hotels do when they have speciality buffets - they attach a name of a place to each dish to let people think it's authentic, so you can have a let's say, Guntur fish curry or chicken curry when there is really nothing specific like that.
Pacca Neat Pictures.
I assumed that Kongunadu must be to do with Konkanis but this times RCI sure widened my knowledge a bit!
Your mushrooms look sumptuous.
I'm also not really familiar about this cuisine. Never been to Coimbatore or Pallipalayam.
I can imagine the chapithi soaking up that delicous gravy, the thought make me really hungry and i just had my lunch.
interesting read!
"for dish claiming cultures": Probably people never got chance to cross the States and look what our neigh. cooks that is my assumption!
Lata R: I m from Pondy. My in laws origin is Kongunad! My aunt (sitty)is from Salem.
Harsha K: Thanks for the link!
Ramya B: I found three or 4 blogs about Kongunadu but now seems abandoned by the blogger in time period. They do have some wonderful recipes of kongunadu I guess! The title of post mentionned kongu and that's it... I tried to search on net the dish, seems no luck.
If u ve mentionned it ( no problem) that would be really easy to everyone who search ( in fact i came to know u were from Coimbat while googling)...
(will try out your recipe)
Visiting your blog after a long time..like the new look....the mushroom dish looks quite interesting with its ingredients..i will try it surely...