Going into a jungle to cook seems like a silly idea. Unless you're talking about something out of a tin or an instant noodle packet. However, we were very eager to hit the hills after a 35-degree C Christmas in Alleppey.
Rain drenched and fragrant with the spices that grow all over, Thekkady promised to be everything that the plains were not. The town itself reminded me of a scene out of the Asterix volume The Mansion of the Gods. Every second shop on the main street of the market sold spices - I'm serious - and it's about the only place where you can run your hands through vats of cardamom.
Subin Micheal, the chef at the hotel I put up in, was most kind in allowing us to piggyback on his research into the culinary habits of tribes who live on the periphery of the Periyar forest. He took us to Santosh, one of the headmen of the Manaan tribe, inhabitants of the area for centuries.
Before we headed off into the jungle to "shop" for ingredients, we were treated to a curious drink made from burnt rice and sugar. It was really sweet but tasted very similar to chicory coffee.
Back from the hunting-gathering trip, we had to shoot in fits and starts because Santosh - a party cadre of some repute - was all excited about an all-India general strike his party had called the next day. Loudspeakered voices exhorting people to stay away from work interrupted the shooting sporadically, and we had to wait till the party vehicles had moved away from the range of our mikes.
The dish Santosh eventually drummed up for us was simple and easy to cook. It was called chembana which, incidentally, is also the name of the pot we used to cook it in. I don't really know which came first, but I suspect it was the pot.
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