Sharmila Vaidyanathan talks to author Deepika Shetty about her new book on Mangalorean cuisine.
As published in the Goya Journal on July 14, 2021.
A little more than a year ago, Deepika Shetty, also known as shortgirlbakes on Instagram, posted a video of herself, meticulously grating coconuts by hand. As she deftly moved the coconut over a serrated blade, the rhythmic hum of the process filled my ears with music. Thumbing through her new cookbook, Coconut Grove, I found myself returning to this video, re-watching it several times. It almost felt like the video was testimony to everything the book portrayed; authentic cooking, and local ingredients, wholesome food, and most importantly, finding poetry in simple culinary rituals.
Coconut Grove is Deepika’s exploration into the kitchens and flavours of the coastal city of Mangaluru, and specifically her hometown of Kundapur. The glossy pages are love letters to the women who shaped her culinary practice, and to the sights and sounds of life there. Through the book, Deepika traces her roots back to the coconut groves where it all began. Born in Kundapur, Deepika then lived in Bombay, Bahrain, Bangalore before finally moving to Dubai, where she is now settled. “I think it is true when one says that distance makes the heart grow fonder. At one point, when people would ask me where I am from, I did not know how to respond. But no matter where we lived, the one constant in our lives was the food that my mother cooked. That was home,” shares Deepika.
Coconut Grove begins with little details and tender anecdotes of the place, the people, and the ingredients that bolster the cuisine. Deepika writes about the pepper vines of Mangaluru; how every part of the jackfruit tree serves specific culinary purpose; about the fiery Byadgi chilli and, of course, the coconut palm. There are also stories from her childhood; the time she almost lost her way, following a peacock into the dense woods; about the large well near her grandmother’s house, that kept growing despite the villagers efforts to contain it; and the special bond that families share with their livestock. Then, just as your mind begins to conjure images of the verdant land, and you can almost taste the salty sea breeze, Deepika ushers you into the kitchen to get cooking.
Read the complete review here. –> Coconut Grove: The Essential Mangalorean Cookbook