For many years now, I’ve been paying virtual visits to Visakapatnam, (Vizag) India, to the kitchen of one of the most outstanding Indian food bloggers – Sailaja Gudivada.
Sailaja, or Sailu, as she’s popularly known, serves up traditional Andhra fare, along with a range of Indian and international favourites, ayurvedic recipes, recipes for kids, and even a crafts zone on her blog. Her recipes are impeccable, beautifully presented, and she even manages to make cakes and cookies look like healthy foods! My recipe files are filled with favourites from her lovely blog, and every one is a winner.
If you aren’t already familiar with Sailu’s Kitchen, you’re in for real treat!
Sailaja hosts the “Indian Food Trail” in which she invites fellow bloggers to showcase the regional cuisines of India. Previous posts by guest bloggers have featured Bengali, Maharashtrian, Mangalorean, Hyderabadi and Mysore cuisine. You’ll learn more about Kongunad, Khandeshi, Malabar, and Konkani cuisine here. Fancy a snack? Choose from traditional Tamil tiffins, or sweets and snacks from Kerala and Maharashtra.
I’m delighted to be a guest poster on the “Indian Food Trail”. Please join me as I visit Sailu’s Kitchen once again, this time, to share “A Taste of Kodava Cuisine“!
My grateful thanks to Professor B.P. Appanna, Vindhya Somaiah, B.A. Deviah, and of course, Mum (especially for saving the kaad maangé and baimbalé!)
The wedding thali couldn’t get better than this Shalini, Shailu’s kitchen is another awesome place for food lovers like me. You have done full justice to the Kodava wedding thali. It was so interesting to read how the Kodavas used to go on a hunting expedition before the wedding, to gather some game meat.
The fun of eating on a fresh Banana leaf is just incomparble even to the most fancy Chinaware that you can find. It has been ages since I went to a wedding where they served on a Banana leaf, what an environmentally friendly way to serve your 3000 odd guests.
I remember for my brother’s wedding, my dad insisted that we seat everyone of the guests and serve them on a banana leaf. Thankfully with great help from friends and family, his wish came true, but it is not usually very easy to do so these days with ‘buffet’ becoming a convenient option.
The spread on the leaf has triggered a whole lot of cravings in me, as always wonderful presentation and great work.
I know that feeling, Vindhya. I just want to be sitting down at a long table, freshly washed banana leaf in front of me, and a line of aunties coming my way carrying dishes of steaming hot kadambuttus, pulao, maangé curry, and more. I can almost see the kaapi kettle and glasses going by! Trying to photograph something like this requires immense self control…
Thank you again for reading and your always thoughtful comments 🙂