Chef Damu Recipes Book In Tamil
Gunilla
Dr. Damodharan Kothandaraman, professionally known as Chef Damu,[1] is an Indian celebrity chef. He has hosted numerous cooking shows and reality cooking competitions in various Tamil language television channels, most notably serving as a judge on Cooku with Comali which was telecast on Star Vijay. In 2010, he received a Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual.[2] He became the first Indian chef to receive a Ph.D in Hotel Management and Catering Technology. His doctorate was awarded by the University of Madras in 2004.[3] He has made a few appearances in Tamil films. He has played a significant role in popularizing South Indian cuisine both domestically and internationally, leaving behind a lasting legacy in the culinary world.
In December 2010, Damodharan cooked 617 dishes consisting of 190 kilograms of food in a day. He began cooking at 8 o'clock in the morning on 21 December and cooked for a period of 24 hours, 30 minutes, and 12 seconds. Chef Damu authored several cookbooks, sharing his recipes and culinary insights with a wider audience. His books became bestsellers, attracting readers who were eager to learn authentic South Indian cooking techniques from a master chef.
In addition to his television appearances and cookbooks, Chef Damu conducted numerous culinary workshops and demonstrations. These workshops provided aspiring chefs and cooking enthusiasts with hands-on experience and practical knowledge, helping them improve their culinary skills.[4][5] Damodharan was also a judge at The Hindu's Our State Our Taste competition for 15 cities in Tamil Nadu.[6]
Tamil food, fragrant of local spices, and the rhythmic beats of live music set the tone for the launch of Thalaivan Virunthu, a food festival curated by popular city chef K Damodaran. The 15-day festival, that focusses on age-old recipes and forgotten ingredients, is a medley of seasonal produce and slow-cooked delicacies.
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Renowned chef Kothandaraman Damodaran was conferred recently with the 'Lifetime Achievement Award' at the Global Food, Hospitality and Tourism Achievements 2021 that took place in London. Popularly known as 'Chef Damu', the 67-year-old chef was awarded for the valuable contribution made in the culinary world.
The ceremony took place in the House of Commons at the British Parliament on Friday, November 5. The award was instituted by the World Tamil Organisation in the UK and the veteran chef was the first-ever recipient of the award. It was attended by the who's who of the hospitality world, including popular figures belonging to the Tamil community in the country. Sharing his achievement on Instagram, he thanked everyone who played an integral part in his illustrious journey.
Speaking to The Hindu, Damodaran was quite ecstatic after receiving the award. He said, "I feel greatly honoured to be selected by the WTO for this prestigious award. This category was launched this year by the WTO and I am the first person to be selected for the award." He added that the event was special for him as he got to meet famous personalities from the culinary world. From John Wood, former chef at Dubai's Burj Al Arab, to Chef Ellan Prem Appadurai, the former head chef at Harrods in London, the ceremony was a star-studded one.
Chef Damu is a popular figure, especially on Tamil television. He hosted a show called 'Cooku with Comali', as well as, judged over 10,000 cooking contests. He is also the president of the South Indian Chef Association, along with being a member of the World Association of Cooks Society. From authoring 29 cookery books to being a recipient of over 100 awards, Chef Damu has done it all. In 2010, he bagged the Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon, as he cooked 617 dishes in 24 hours.
Nowadays, he is working on an upcoming cookbook called 'Kalvettu Samayal' that will showcase a collection of ancient recipes from the Sangam period. He used his free time during the pandemic to do his research, where he also found a 3000-year-old recipe as well. Not only that, he took online classes for catering students all around the world and provided consultancy to families and restaurants.
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This time round, the chef, who has already penned 26 books, focuses on ancient dishes that helped boost the health of women. In olden times, many dishes were made especially for girls who had just attained puberty and also pregnant women and lactating mothers as they need nutritious food, says Damu.
But now, with an increasing number of people moving to metros, and living far away from their families, this tradition has been lost. I wanted to dig out the old recipes and compile them into a book so that it would be of help to families, he says. His book, which is in Tamil, will be published by Karpagam Pathippagam, and has about 30 recipes.
While harvesting paddy , the farmers would let out stagnant water. This water would contain small fish, like the vazhai (ribbon fish) and also tortoises, which were then caught and cooked, says Damu. Various kinds of fish curry were made with tamarind pulp in mud pots.
For instance, when girls attained puberty, special food like Uluthuma puttu was given to them for breakfast.Urad dal was roasted, powdered and then added to steamed red rice, coconut milk, grated coconut, elaichi and karupatti or palm jaggery , says Damu. The mixture was then steamed.
Again, urad dal was used to make a porridge called uluthuma kali. Sambar soru was also made, by mixing boiled sambar rice, with dates, almonds, cashews mixed with red banana, says Damu, adding that pregnant women were given a syrup made of urad dal, gingelly seeds and white jaggery , which has more iron content.
Damu has tried out every recipe before including it in the book. Many of the elderly women I spoke to showed me how to make the dishes. Then, I made it myself and had them taste it to ensure it was authentic, he says. He hopes that the book will help improve the health of women.