Happy new year! Or, rather, Puthandu vaaltukal!
Tamil new year is one of the many new year celebrations across India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh that generally falls annually on April 14.
The celebration ranges from friendly competitions to gift-giving, but most importantly, feasting! Traditionally served on a banana leaf, these festive meals highlight dishes that all bring their own unique story. Desserts are featured as a first course to usher in a sweet year and pachadis & thogaiyals (chutneys) combine native along with introduced ingredients to India with the balancing/contrasting condiments meant to cleanse your palate in-between bites.
This glimpse into the many varieties of Tamil cuisine incorporates the unique experiences of Bhuvana and Sumi’s experiences living in different global cities, painting a special picture of disparate ingredients and flavours coming together in way that is found nowhere else in Toronto. This is not a meal that you will find in a restaurant and The Depanneur is proud to host these enthusiastic cooks, spotlighting their traditional festive meal for us!
This supper club is being hosted in collaboration with the Canadian Association for Food Studies (CAFS). Established in 2005, CAFS is a non-profit organization that promotes interdisciplinary research, teaching, and outreach related to food systems. This collaboration reinforces the CAFS' goals to foster inclusion and community through food-based experiences and learning.
Through this event, we hope that diners will learn about Tamil New Year rituals, the communities that observe and celebrate them and the role of food in preserving cultural heritage and evolving identities. We can’t wait to share this celebration with you. Pakkala! (see you soon!)
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MENU:
Nendra Pazham Payasam
A Sweet pudding of coconut milk, jaggery and ripe plantains that lend a rich caramel flavour. In annual harvest festivals, payasam is served first to set the tone for a sweet, sweet year. You start the feast with a little payasam and then either save the rest or ask for more after the Rasam course.
Date Laddus
Spheres of sweetness with no real rules for what goes in them. Ranging from chickpea flour and khoya (soft cheese) to - in our case - dates. A tiny nod to our childhoods in Bahrain, where dates grow in abundance.
Masala Vadai
Savoury fritters made with toor dal (pigeon peas), chana dal (split chickpeas), cilantro, chillies and curry leaves. We like to add cabbage to ours for some added flavour and texture.
Bhadraswamy Aloo
Named after an insatiable house guest (story below!), this potato curry recipe is unique to our paternal family side. Large cuts of potato are pan-fried with our in-house spice mix.
Mr. Bhadraswamy, a house guest with a memorable name, once ate around 20 puris (deep-fried flat-breads) to accompany a dozen potatoe’s worth of this aloo curry. When Bhuvana’s late mother-in-law would ask him if he’d like to be served more curry, his infamous words were, “The stomach pleads no, but alas, the tongue wants more.” And then he ate more. This dish is unique to our paternal family side: large cuts of potato are pan-fried and slow cooked in coconut oil with our in-house spice mix and chickpea flour. This creates a beautiful roast that will keep you asking for more. Mr. Bhadraswamy is long gone but his endearing legacy remains unbeknownst to him and probably even to his family.
Olan
Mildly spiced, naturally vegan creamy squash, root vegetable, and black eyed-peas stew. With wonderful undertones of curry leaves, this comforting dish is an homage to Sumi’s late paternal grandfather who also had roots in Kerala. The version we are making will have chayotes, eddoes (close cousins of taro) and carrots.
Beans Usili
Stir fried green beans with steamed and spiced lentils. We can guarantee you have not tasted a green bean dish like this (unless, of course, you’re from the Kumbakonam-Thanjavur belt of South India or have friends/family from this region). Bhuvana’s mother is from Thanjavur and this dish is her specialty.
Sambar
Spicy stew that’s eaten with rice. Cooked with toor dal (pigeon peas), tamarind and a variety of vegetables. We’ll be incorporating bell peppers, pumpkin and either drumstick (the nutrient-packed seed pod of the Moringa oleifera tree) or okra depending on what’s available. Every household has its own sambar podi (powder), prepared in the dry summer months.
Tomato Rasam
Spiced broth that’s either eaten with rice or as a soup on the side. Rasam is made with tamarind, turmeric powder, and the lentil broth that’s left over from after having incorporated the cooked lentils in the sambar. We don’t waste anything! The broth is finished with a tempering of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, and hing (asafoetida).
SIDES & ACCOMPANIMENTS:
Appalam
Crunchy and fun lentil-based accompaniments also known as papad or poppadums.
Manga Pachadi
Also known as chutney in North India, pachadis are condiments that add spice or tang to the overall meal. We’ll be using a traditional ingredient, raw mango, to balance the heat and add some fun sour notes.
Cucumber Pachadi
Cooling cucumber and vegan yoghurt condiment to bring in a comforting freshness.
Green Apple Oorga
Oorgas are Indian pickles are made by preserving the hero ingredient in a mixture of oil, salt and spices. We are making an atypical version with green apples for a Canadian twist.
Plain Rice
The best vehicle for all the sauces and curries.
Lemon Rice
Vibrant zingy lemon-flavored rice with a delectable nuttiness from tempered lentils and peanuts. This dish pairs beautifully with the Olan or the Cucumber Pachadi (fret not - we will walk you through all the combinations in person) or is a great time just by itself and some crushed appalam (papad/poppadom).
Moru
Spiced buttermilk (we’ll be making a vegan version) that acts as a great digestive aid to end the feast!
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Bhuvana Subramoniam was born and raised in Dombivli, a suburban city in the Greater Mumbai Area, after which she lived in Kolkata (in the state of West Bengal) for a few years post marriage, moved to Bahrain in her 30s, and then Canada in her 50s. She has been a part of teams preparing up to 15,000 meals in mega kitchens based around Toronto. Sumi Subramoniam, her daughter, has a similar immigration pattern and is now proud to call Junction her home. Sumi films and posts vegan Indian recipes on her YouTube channel Sumi Subbu.
*NOTE: Given that Bhuvana follows a sattvic diet and Sumi is vegan, their worlds come together to bring you a 15-dish, 4-course feast that is vegan, no onion, no garlic and naturally gluten free (please exercise caution if you are celiac or have a gluten allergy as some of the ingredients may contain trace amounts of gluten).
Allergen warning: Mustard, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, coconut
