Pig Out was started by 2 sisters from Coorg to bring authentic Coorg cuisine to Bangalore. And this was their first Cook Along, held on 18^th April. The event was held at Slurp Cooking Studio in Indiranagar, 12^th Main, a rooftop venue, and a pretty big area. There’s a studio with about 4-5 gas setups for cooking classes. Really bright and airy space, very rustic and simple. There’s a big wooden table with benches around which serve as the dining space, and an old school barbeque set up. They had their bases covered!

Most of us reached around 6-6:30pm, full house after the Bandh called that day was over. We were handed our aprons, given juice to get charged up, and rations placed on our tables. So pumpkin, coriander leaves, tomatoes, onions and chilies to chop. From there, we went about making the peppered chicken, and then the akki roti (made of rice flour), while to give us breaks, the chefs called us around to see them make the pandi (pork) dishes and pumpkin curry. And in the end we were making dessert together with banana, rice powder, sesame seeds. The cooking finished around 9:15, though time passed quite quickly talking to people, and hearing Ambika and Anjali share anecdotes on cooking and intricacies of Coorg food and lifestyle!

Here is an excerpt from our informal chat! SKG – She Knows Grub, AG – Anjali Ganapathy

SKG: How did you happen to start Pig Out?

AG: Pigout started as a stall at a flea market, the idea was to share homemade Coorg food (Pandi curry) and get people, other than our friends and family to try it. At the time, we didn’t have any plans of getting into the food business, it was simply a fun was to spend a weekend at a flea market.

Kachampuli – Vinegar used as the key ingredient in Pandi dishes.

SKG: What’s your specialty dish on the menu?

AG: Our pork dishes are most popular for obvious reasons 🙂 Pandi curry is almost always a part of every order we get. Though, id love it if people tried more vegetarian items, especially the seasonal ones, its all based on what grows naturally in the wild..bamboo shoot, wild mango curry, jackfruit, mixed greens..to me thats what what really showcases the diversity of our cuisine.

SKG: How did the Cook Along idea evolve?

AG: Cook Along is a natural extension of the inspiration behind Pigout. Casual dining with family, potluck with friends, where everyone gets their hands dirty – prepping, cooking together and finally sitting down to a meal. It’s so much fun! Plus we wanted to meet our cyber friends who are so generous with their compliments on social media 🙂

SKG: Is there a Pig out restaurant on the cards?

AG: There was a moment when we seriously considered it, but never felt completely at ease with the idea. 2014 was spent gathering old recipes, trying them out, working on a menu that we felt was a well-rounded representation of traditional and seasonal items. 2015 kicked off with a delivery service that extends to all areas of Bangalore, so that’s been a big milestone for us, orders have increased and more people get to try out food, which really was the whole point to begin with. And now our first Cook Along which we hope will become a regular feature depending on how the first one is received 🙂 This year we’ve lined up collaborations with people whose work we enjoy following, so no, there isn’t restaurant pressure, but you never know down the line! (Laughing)

The experience at the cook along was great. Different people, with different ways of cooking and working, coming together brought along a wonderful synergy. And finally when we sat down for the meal, famished, it didn’t feel like I was eating alongside strangers. The food was fantastic, the wild mango curry, the pandi curry, pepper chicken, the dry pork, pumpkin curry – it’s tough to pick a favorite!

Pig Out now delivers all over Bangalore. They do need a day’s prior order to ensure the best of Coorg recipes reaches you. A meal for 2 is around 700-800 INR. They also have juice and preserves, all made with home grown produce.

For more information, check out their FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/PigoutBangalore

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