Feathers hotel celebrates the Tamil flavours in a pop-up curated by celebrated Singaporean Chef Devagi Sanmugam

As a Tamilian born and raised in Singapore, 69-year-old Chef Devagi Sanmugam, connects to her roots by the wealthy fragrant world of spices. In Chennai to curate Ayalagam, a meals pageant that celebrates Tamil flavours from Singapore and Malaysia, Devagi shares her culinary journey and the way she blends custom with innovation.

“The title resonated with me deeply, and I could instantly connect to the theme,” she says with a smile. Her story begins together with her father, Chandrakasan, who migrated to Singapore from Mayavaram in Tamil Nadu. He labored at a Tamil newspaper and later married Anjalai, whose mom, Nagammal, was raised in Indonesia. “So I became familiar with Southeast Asian cooking cultures early on in life,” says Devagi.

Thenga pal sadham pottalam
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Special Arrangement

“In Singapore we have four major ethnic groups, Chinese, Malay, Indians and others. So we grow up exposed to spices from all over Asia,” she says. Over time, these influences began appearing in Tamil cooking. “For example, we now use soy sauce in mutton and fish dishes and add Sichuan pepper to enhance heat.”

Known for her inventive tackle conventional meals, Devagi is just not afraid to experiment. “I prepare the vada dough and cook it in a waffle-maker to create vada waffles. I have also compressed thengapal sadham into a cake-like form and plated it with karuvadu kari around it,” she says, exhibiting how Tamil meals could be reimagined with out dropping its soul.

Parotta with accompaniments
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Chef Devagi factors out that whereas many spices are shared throughout Asian cuisines, kalpasi (black stone flower, dry, brittle and darkish colored lichen), is uniquely South Indian. “It is especially prominent in Chettinad cuisine and imparts a deep, intense, smoky flavour that is hard to replicate,” she says. Another favorite is thalippu vadagam, a conventional seasoning mix comprised of sun-dried spices and aromatics and onions. ”It provides a distinctive flavour to kulambu and thokku, and I take advantage of it creatively in dips and chutney, to spotlight its versatility. Among all the spices she works with, mustard holds a particular place. “It is my favourite because it transforms a dish the moment we garnish it in hot oil.”

Our meal at Sangamithrai begins with six dips accompanied by crisp rice wafers. Each dip showcased a distinctive flavour profile, however the standout is the curry leaf aioli, that lingers on the palate. An in depth second is the Calamansi Chilli Sauce, which packes a tangy punch due to the citrusy notes of calamansi, a Southeast Asian number of lime. With our palates woke up by this array of flavours, we’re served a refreshing Pudalangai Salad. Raw snake gourd is mixed with cherry tomatoes and julienned carrots, tossed in a gentle dressing of lemon juice and ginger juice and salt, and completed with a sprinkle of recent coconut shavings.

Desserts impressed by Tamil and Asian cuisines
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The thenga sadham pottalam options mildly spiced coconut milk rice fastidiously wrapped in a banana leaf together with hen sambal, candy and bitter chutney, stir fried bitter gourd, fried hen and mutton chukka. The pottalam (which means bundle) is then tied with a string and grilled on a tawa, permitting the flavours to meld collectively. As we untie the leaf parcel, the aroma wafts up, wealthy with coconut milk and ghee. The interaction of bitter, candy, bitter and spicy components made for a harmonious and visually gorgeous dish. It is greatest loved the conventional method, along with your fingers, no cutlery.

We are then served the vendhaya hen, a signature creation by Chef Devagi. “No one would think to throw in a handful of roasted fenugreek in to a semi-gravy chicken dish,” she says with a smile, including that, “The bitter and nutty taste of the fenugreek goes well with the chicken dish made in South Indian style.” And, she is true. The roasted fenugreek added a deep, fragrant bitterness that complemented the South Indian-style hen completely.

Chef Devagi and Chef Murthi
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Immensely impressed by the pottalam expertise, we prepare for dessert: Maravalli Kizhangu (tapioca) Halwa and Pandan Idiappam with Vazhai Pazham Sauce. While each are intriguing, it’s the former that actually stands out. The tapioca halwa is reassuring and nostalgic. Cooked tapioca is grated, infused with ghee and fragrant spices, then gently steamed and formed like spherical cutlets. Served heat, with a beneficiant sprinkling of recent coconut shavings, it’s delicate on the palate.

With Ayalagam, Chef Devagi not solely brings the tastes of her heritage to Chennai but additionally demonstrates how custom can evolve with out being misplaced.

At Sangamithrai Restaurant, Feathers Hotel. On until June 8. Lunch and dinner. Vegetarian (₹2,500) and Non-vegetarian (₹3,000). There are 5 rotating menus. For reservations, name 7823977825