From pollachi to the plate: chef Harshini champions Kongunadu cuisine

Chef Lakshmi Divya Harshini champions Kongunadu cuisine, showcasing its rich heritage and unique flavours at a festival at The Park in Hyderabad

Chef Lakshmi Divya Harshini always wanted to learn pastry making, but she had to wait until she turned 23. “My grandfather wasn’t ready to allow me to travel abroad alone, even though I had a master’s degree in international business,” she recalls.

Once she completed her culinary training at Le Cordon Bleu in London(2009-2010), she returned to India. Over the years, as she observed and understood the culinary landscape in India, she felt a growing need to champion the cuisine of her roots —Kongunadu.

Kongunadu cuisine originates from the Kongu region of Tamil Nadu and is renowned for its distinctive blend of flavours and use of fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Some of its most celebrated dishes include arisi paruppu sadam (a comforting rice and lentil dish), kola urundai (spiced meatballs), and kozhi kuzhambu (a fragrant chicken curry). The cuisine’s hallmark lies in its skillful use of regional spices, offering a rich and aromatic culinary experience that stands out in Tamil Nadu’s diverse food culture.

“My window to Kongu cuisine was my grandmother. My mother didn’t cook, so it was my grandmother who introduced me to different flavours, dishes, and the art of blending spices to create unique flavours. I also noticed that, for most people outside Tamil Nadu, Tamil cuisine was synonymous with Chettinad. I wanted to shine a light on the food of my region,” says Harshini.

With a family deeply rooted in food, Harshini immersed herself in learning more about Kongunadu cuisine, drawing from family recipes and generations of extraordinary cooks. Before fully delving into the culinary world, she put her international business degree to use by contributing to family ventures in Coimbatore, including shaping menus for restaurants like Kovai Alankar Vilas.

Even during the pandemic, she found a way to introduce people to Kongu food through farmstays at her ancestral farm in Pollachi. “It was a small farmstay, but visitors cherished the farm experience. What truly left them happiest was the food. That was when I started taking Kongunadu cuisine seriously,” she reflects.

Harshini has since expanded her farm stay experience to Ooty, where she runs Triverten Bungalow. While her husband manages the day-to-day operations, she is dedicated to spreading awareness about Kongunadu cuisine, ensuring that its rich and unique heritage gains the recognition it deserves.