A day at the hearth
From lighting the fire at 2 pm to the last plate at 11.30.
Why we cook with tamarind and coffee wood
Different woods give different heat and smoke. Here is what we burn and why.
Every wood burns differently, and on a kitchen with no gas, choosing it is as important as choosing the produce.
Tamarind is our main fuel. It is dense, so it burns hot and long, and it leaves a deep bed of coals that holds an even heat for hours. The smoke is clean and mild, which suits lamb, chicken and vegetables without overpowering them. We buy it from farms in Kolar, from branches pruned after the harvest and from old trees that have come down.
Coffee wood comes from estates in Chikmagalur, when old plants are replaced. It burns a little faster and gives a sweeter, slightly nutty smoke. We use it in the smoker for pork ribs and for the tomatoes in our saaru.
We never burn treated, painted or resinous wood, and we do not use charcoal briquettes. The wood is stacked and dried for at least six months behind the restaurant before it goes on the fire. Dry wood burns cleaner, smokes less and gives the cooks far more control over the heat.
