THERE ISN’T A palate MORE DIVERSE THAN AN INDIAN ONE.
One of the earnest ideas behind The Permit Room is to introduce people to the sheer variety of traditional South Indian cuisine, but with a modern-day take on it.
Essentially it's recipes from your ajji's (Kannada for grandma) kitchen, but served in a rather modern, and also cocktail-friendly form. Your ajji may or may not approve.
Precariously perched on those layers of lovely.
Thindi Tales is an attempt to take you one step deeper, the equivalent of getting you to eat meals with your fingers, and hopefully help you appreciate South-Indian cuisine in all its gastronomic glory.
This time, the sweet finger-licking treat, Chiroti Sandwich.
A Little Side Story
The Chiroti is as much a staple at South Indian weddings as is the couple standing in front of oversized throne-seats taking photos with people they’re meeting for the first time in their lives but must pretend to know.
The term ‘Chiroti’ is used in Karnataka, while it is known as ‘Chirote’ in Maharashtra, and it is a staple of both Kanadiga and Maharashtrian cuisine.
No traditional wedding in Karnataka that takes itself seriously is ever complete without the Chiroti being served with sweetened milk. In Maharashtra, it is usually served during festivals but not restricted to only those days.
The Dish
This hugely popular South-Indian wedding sweet is usually served with hot milk, or sometimes just by itself. Some types have a little powdered sugar served on top, while others might be soaked in a sugar syrup.
So while it isn’t one of those terribly sweet desserts, it’s very rich and does the trick. Some people like it crisp and might skip the sweetened milk, but some (especially cute toothless ajjas and ajjis) who like it softer let it sit in the hot milk for sometime before indulging.
At The Permit Room
In its basic form, a Chiroti is just a layered pastry which uses ghee as the choice of fat for the lamination process.
At ours, we do the humble Chiroti in three layers and sandwich it with a generous spread of Saffron Basundi in two layers.
You could even call it Bangalore’s answer to the French pastry Mille-Feuille, except we make it a little more interesting by serving it with a side of thick Mango milk, roasted Pistachios & a quenelle of Vanilla ice cream.
Basically, our Chiroti Sandwich has all the layers you need to wrap yourself up in this cold winter season.
Oh yes.
Our Chef Says
“Traditional desserts and dishes are always a favourite of mine. I like the challenge of taking something that is very familiar, almost a comfort food, and then reinventing it in a completely new and contemporary way, while still retaining that traditional taste. The Chiroti is something I’ve grown up with, and giving it a bit of a western twist was a labour of love that I think customers familiar with the dish will love as well.”