French Dressing

Sour grapes &mdash that was my first response on sitting down to finally savour the Pondicherry Kitchen. It had such a welcoming glow about its spice-coloured cover. Here, I&rsquod finally penetrate the mystique of the great Creole cuisine of India and segue my holiday fling into a lasting affair with my own stovetop. Soon, I would serve myself cold soups and curried salads, Tamoule-inflected saut&eacutes, saucier curries and French desserts with a soup&ccedilon of an Indian accent...

Imagine then my shock at cracking open this cookbook only to arrive at... cashew nut pakora (mundiri parupu bagoda) and brain kavapu I hadn&rsquot expected such preponderance of chutney (even if aubergine prawn) and kebab (though starring lamb chops). Whence these assads and vindalus, the masala game curry and Mughal-style brinj then Among sadam and rasam and kujambu, the French heritage of Pondicherry appeared as mere garnish. There appeared a locavore&rsquos rendition of gigot daube and mimosa muthaiy (eggs mimosa) but the lamb blanquette curry sat unapologetically alongside Malaya and Mossolman curries, and turkey kurma.

It seemed I was chewing the cud of my summer vacation memories too hard to notice that the subtitle simply read &lsquoTraditional recipes from the Indo-French territory&rsquo. No promise that these would be dishes uniquely inspired by that connection. If &lsquoPondicherry kitchen&rsquo is mere window dressing, no French sauceuse worth her roux can argue with the egalitarianism of Lourdes Tirouvanziam-Louis&rsquo interpretation of &lsquotraditional&rsquo.

The book does have a Putcherry roll (a roast) recipe from the 1930s, petits p&acirct&eacutes vernacularized with ghee and coriander leaves, a spiced mouton aux petits pois and lamb papilotte. I did find snake gourd and chana dal sauté (kadalaiy parupu podalangkaiy kootu) and chow chow sauce blanche. Also coq curry concocted with... aubergines nary a cockerel in the chatti.

Hanging my head in shame &mdash an editor has even less business misreading than a chef following a recipe &mdash I went to prepare and eat humble porial (aka lamb fricassee), followed by the unfortunately named ghee balls. They weren&rsquot a holiday on the tongue but they will repeat very satisfyingly indeed. Burrrp