Mangalorean Oota with Shriya Shetty at the Crowne Plaza, Chennai

Shriya Shetty’s journey from Gaggan and Ellipsis to her home in Mangalore is now well known. It is a story that inspires me, reversing the narrative that everyone needs to leave their home and move to the big city and join the rat race to find success. Her burgeoning reputation proves there is another path, one less trodden, but more fulfilling, where a chef must be true to their inner voice and to who they are to be best selves. 

Prawn. Rawas. Kappa Roti. Kari leaf 

I had attended her pop up in January in Bangalore and loved it so when the Crowne Plaza invited me to her Chennai popup  I couldn’t say no. 

Goli baje. Churmuri. Chakuli with pineapple mensenkai 

I felt that her food has become even better, more nuanced and more thought through, with her creativity really starting to find expression. This is not Mangalorean food like you would find in a local restaurant but food that tries to imagine new pathways for the cuisine. While most dishes are based on classic Mangalorean dishes, you can see her spread her wings and try and have a more expansive vision, taking Mangalorean ingredients and items from the Mangalorean pantry to showcase both her skill and technique as well as shine a light on neighbouring regions like Coorg or the Konkan coast. 

The whole meal was excellent but I just wanted to highlight a few things in particular. 

Ghee cake. Banana. Pickle. 

I’ll start with dessert because I think that was one of the standout ideas for me. In a normal Mangalorean meal, by the time the dessert arrives and the curd rice is over, there is always a little residual pickle on the leaf/plate that blends into the “sweet dish”. Shriya replicated that sensation by serving her banana ghee cake with an actual pickle, a mango bamboo pickle without much oil, that allowed the cake to stand on its own while adding a slightly salty element like modern western desserts and also paying homage to a Mangalorean meal. I thought the clarity on both concept and execution was wonderful. 

Chicken gassi. Kori roti. Mustard. Coconut yoghurt 

The chicken gassi had the silkiness of a Thai curry but the surprise and wonder came from the raw mustard and the coconut yoghurt. It added both a huge burst of intense flavour as well as a degree of creamy, sour smoothness to balance it, making it one of the best gassis I have had.

Mutton smoked in lanvancha. Biscoot roti. Ridge gourd sabzi.

And finally the smoked mutton. It wasn’t a Mangalorean dish at such but used different elements and techniques. The dry spice rub was inspired by the Kodava pandi curry with some chilli and coriander and the mutton was then smoked with lanvancha, which made it very different from a wood or charcoal smoked mutton, with this fragrant, rooty depth of flavour. It was accompanied by the classic Mangalorean biscoot roti and ridge gourd sabzi with yoghurt, with pieces of fresh Bora fruit. 

Chicken ghee roast. Neer Dosa.

Chiroti. Milk. Almond. Cinnamon. 

In addition we also ate:

• - Cucumber cake with a clove of garlic and raw mango as an amuse bouche
• - Snack bites of goli baje, churmuri and Chakuli/muruku with pineapple mensenkai
• - Prawns with kappa roti, Kari leaf and rawas.
• - Chicken leg ghee roast with neer Dosa
• - Chiroti, almond, milk, cinnamon
• 
  

Cucumber. Garlic. Raw mango 

#blahvsfood