Sattakuzi - A Food Lover's Delight
The sattaying of beef in Tamil cooking is called sattakkuzi. In fact, it is much more interesting as the 'day-long feast' it is in lunch during a normal meal. Even though lunch meals in many places in the world are very similar sattaking differs a lot in that it can't be made without eggs and lentils, and that the spices used have a unique flavor all their own.
Sattaking is not so much related to any particular regional or class of food, but has its place in Tamil cuisine. The sattaking of beef used to be an important part of the meals. However, today sattaking or sattay (meaning raw) is common all across India and most of the South Asian countries. In some southern parts of India like Tamil Nadu the sattakyutu is a special dish with the meat mostly cooked in coconut oil and butter.
The sattakkuzi can be made with meat of different meats, mutton, chicken and even fish. However, sattakkuzi is made especially for pork and beef and thus a sattakyutu might be of the same quality, but might also be spiced using different types of spices. Though traditionally the sattakkuzi of Tamil Nadu and Southern India consists of mutton, chicken and fish meat most other meat dishes are made of the cow, mutton and goat meat.
One of the major forms of sattaking is 'sattaya'. 'Sattaya' means 'dish of cooked meat' and is a popular type of cookery in Tamil Nadu. The dishes might include 'padma' (fish curry), 'katipunni' (fish steamed with vegetables), 'shaadu' (pickled fish curry) and a variety of sambharthas, which are rich traditional meals. The best way to enjoy sambharthas is to eat them with some rice.
There are many other varieties too, such as 'aloreappu', 'pparna', 'paniyaram', 'prabhu' and many more. The seafood of sattakkuzis varies immensely from one region to another. Some places might be known for its excellent fish catch, while others might be famous for its excellent seafood. satta king ' of Tamil Nadu has some of the best seafood of the country along with its renowned chicken and fish curry. The 'sitarikari' of Goa has got a distinctive taste of fish, which is a great delight for seafood lovers. Thus the range of sattakkuzis available in the state is tremendous.
The sattakkuzis are best when eaten steamed or grilled. They can be made to give you a perfect picture of melting in the mouth and the flavor will burst with every bite. You will love sattakkuzis when they are served with tamarind sauce. tamarind sauce is a traditional flavor made using pulverized sugar and is popular all over the world.
