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Master Chef P. Kumar with a spread of some of Anjappar’s popular Chettinad dishes
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26th March, 2007
KOTA KINABALU: Getting authentic Indian food in Sabah is like looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack. So, when someone mentioned a Chettinad restaurant the other day, my taste buds went a-tingling, and signals from my stomach sent a smile to my face.
For the uninitiated, Chettinad food is one of the spiciest and most aromatic in India, and a whole range of spices – coriander, cumin, pepper, fenugreek, star anise and cinnamon – are used in distinctive blends in Chettinad cooking. This is the distinctive Southern Indian cuisine that one can find at the newly-opened Anjappar Chettinad Restaurant located in Asia City Complex, in Asia City here.
Step into the warm ambience of this elegantly designed restaurant and order away from the list of peculiarly named dishes found on the menu. Don’t let the unfamiliar names discourage you — you’re bound to go for more after you’ve tried the food.
You will realise that Gobi 65 is spiced deep-fried cauliflower, not the Mongolian desert, while masala is a combination of spices and not some kind of hard-to-solve problem. Strange-sounding it may seem to the uninitiated, and peculiar as it may taste to a few, at Anjappar one can, nevertheless, enjoy a satisfying meal, be it for lunch or dinner, alone, with friends or with family.
Opened only last month in a ceremony at which Mayor of Kota Kinabalu Datuk Iliyas Ibrahim officiated, Anjappar in Asia City is the 23rd outlet of the internationally-renowned Chettinad food franchise. Established in 1964 in Chennai, South India, Anjappar currently has 12 outlets throughout India and 11 outlets outside of India in places like Canada, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
Open daily from 10.30am to 10pm, the restaurant’s 1,305 sq ft dining area on the ground floor can cater to 70 guests at any one time, while its ‘Private Function’ area on the first floor can accommodate 40 people. It is currently staffed with a team of six experienced Indian cooks who specialise in both Southern and Northern Indian cuisines.
“We are probably the first Indian restaurant in town that provides authentic Southern and Northern Indian cuisines, besides being the first Indian franchise restaurant in Sabah,” said local franchisee Joseph Selestine who aspires to bring quality Indian food within the easy reach of locals and tourists alike. He said that affordability was a key factor in conceptualising the restaurant.
While both North and South Indian food is on offer at the restaurant, Joseph reiterated that restaurant definitely aims to showcase Chettinad cuisine which is in the forefront among the regional cuisines that is gaining popularity around the world. Chettinad dishes gain their rich aroma from distinctive blends of spices such as cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper and star anise and herbs such as curry leaves, cilantro and mint.
“Each dish uses freshly ground spices, some of which have specially been brought in from India to ensure the authenticity of the Chettinad’s distinguished flavour,” Joseph said. The Chettinad master cook, P. Kumar meanwhile pointed out that though Chettinad cooking uses a lot of spices, it is nevertheless not very hot. He explained that this was because it uses more of black pepper than chillies. In fact, black pepper based dishes such as Lamb Sukka Varuval and Chettinad Pepper Chicken are among the most popular in Anjappar’s various outlets. “We normally take into consideration our customer’s tolerance of chilli,” said Joseph.
Anjappar’s tantalising menu extends across “Soups & Starters”, “Seafood”, “Poultry”, “Lamb”, “Vegetarian Dishes”, “Tandoori”, “Indian Breads”, “Biriyanis & Rice”, “South Indian delicacies”, the “Anjappar Meals” and dessert. A brief count revealed that the menu consists of more than 100 types of dishes, excluding beverages.
Among the restaurant’s signature dishes are Chettinad Biriyani, the Lamb Sukka Varuval (Fried Lamb), Chicken 65, Anjappar Chicken, Chettinad Pepper Chicken, Chettinad Chicken Varuval, and Crab Roast, to name just a few. The usual South Indian favourites such as Dosai, Poori and Uthappam are also on offer.
Apart from this, the restaurant also offers a variety of North Indian dishes like Naans, Tandoori Chicken, Kebabs and mild cashew nut or tomato-based dishes. A surprise in store is the hot-and-spicy ‘Indian-Chinese’ fusion dish called the “Gobi/Mushroom Manchurian”. Joseph explained that a plethora of Indian-Chinese fusion dishes are hugely popular across India.
And after savouring the various hot-and-spicy dishes, one must not forget to go for one of the popular desserts, the sweet and smooth “Rava Kesari” (a traditional semolina cake with cardamom) which imparts an especially soothing effect to those who have a poor spice tolerance level.
As you walk out of the restaurant, chewing on some sweet saunf (fennel seeds, a traditional freshener), you will have the distinct feeling that the doors have been open to the culinary diversity of India and that in the days to come, there will be much more to look forward to.
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