Lose the pepper shaker, grind it fresh

What does one write about a spice that sits quietly beside salt on every dining table?

- NANDITA IYER

(left) 'Milagu kuzhambu'; and 'morich jhol'.

(PHOTOGRAPHS BY NANDITA IYER)

The salt and pepper shakers are such fixtures of the colonial dining setup that hardly any of us stop to ask why they belong on Indian tables today. The only time I find myself using the pepper shaker at the table is to sprinkle it over boiled eggs. In truth, we rarely add salt to Indian food at the table, and black pepper's real place is not in a shaker but in the kitchen, where it adds a complex heat to dishes.

Every time I rediscover a traditional dish from my Tamil heritage, I'm struck by its restraint. The economy of ingredients and process, and the surprising fullness of flavour in the end. One such dish is milagu kuzhambu, a pepper-based tamarind gravy I last tasted at a relative's home a few years ago. When your taste buds crave a reset, nothing works better than a bowl of steaming rice with milagu kuzhambu, topped with ghee or gingelly oil.

I often turn to my mother's recipe when I'm craving it after an indulgent weekend. I make a generous batch in my grandmother's kalchatti (soapstone pot). The flavours deepen and mellow over a few days. A spoon of chilled curd rice with a dab of that hot kuzhambu makes the perfect mouthful.

Another unforgettable pepper-based dish comes from the kitchens of Rabindranath Tagore. I don't of course, have any connection with the Nobel Laureate or his family recipes but my friend Maumita Paul is my introduction to the fascinating world of