Ottawa chef Joe Thottungal wins national award for his My Thali cookbook

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Ottawa chef and restaurateur Joe Thottungal has won a Taste Canada award for his second cookbook, My Thali, which takes its name from his downtown restaurant.

Thottungal’s book took home top honours in the regional/cultural cookbook category. Taste Canada has annually recognized Canada’s best cookbooks in five English-language and five French-language categories since 1998. Released in March 2023, Thottungal’s book was co-written with former Ottawa Citizen restaurant critic Anne DesBrisay.

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“I am glad that I represented Ottawa and the tradition of Thali style was recognized in Canada,” Thottungal said.

The national prize for My Thali is just the latest accolade for Thottungal, who has two Ottawa restaurants.

He opened his first restaurant, Coconut Lagoon on St. Laurent Boulevard, in 2004. From its modest beginnings, it has become a fine-dining destination where Thottungal serves elevated fare influenced by the distinctive and vibrantly spicy cuisine of Kerala, his home state in Southwestern India.

In December 2018, he opened Thali on O’Connor Street, with the intention of serving lunches to downtown workers.

Thottungal won the 2016 Gold Medal Plates competition in Ottawa, which sent its winner to the 2017 Canadian Culinary Championship in Kelowna, B.C. There, Thottungal came in second place. His first cookbook, Coconut Lagoon, was published in 2019 and it also won a Taste Canada gold award.

A participant at many culinary fundraisers who has also donated his time and resources to combat food insecurity in Ottawa, Thottungal received the Order of Ottawa in 2022, as well as an honourary degree from Algonquin College.

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The Taste Canada award for My Thali is its second prestigious prize. Last fall, the book beat out four other titles to win a 2023 Gourmand World Cookbook Award in the India category. This win was announced at a ceremony in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

My Thali consists of 85 recipes by Thottungal that can be made by home chefs using accessible ingredients and everyday kitchen equipment. The book and Thottungal’s restaurant are named after the Indian platter that contains multiple bowls of different dishes that combine together to make a filling meal.

“A lot of these small dishes are the dishes we cook in our home on a daily basis,” Thottungal said. “This book showcases the importance of smaller quantities of different dishes enjoyed with rice.”

After graduating from culinary school in Chennai and cooking in Mumbai and Saudi Arabia, Thottungal moved to Canada in 1998. He worked in hotel kitchens in Toronto, Windsor and Ottawa before he opened Coconut Lagoon. He has said that he wrote My Thali to honour his 25th year in Canada.

FRIED TILAPIA
This recipe is from Joe Thottungal’s book My Thali.

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Serves: 6

•  2 lb (32 oz) tilapia (about 4 fillets)
•  1 large shallot, finely chopped
•  2 tbsp (30 mL) ginger-garlic paste (recipe below)
•  1 tbsp (15 mL) Kashmiri chili powder
•  2 tsp (10 mL) black pepper
•  1 1/2 tsp (7.5 mL) ground turmeric
•  1 tsp (5 mL) salt
•  1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh lime juice
•  1/4 cup (60 mL) coconut oil, plus extra if needed
•  1 large onion, sliced
•  1 lime wedge, for garnish

To serve:

• Rice
• Chutney

1. Cut each tilapia fillet in half lengthwise. Pat the fillets dry with paper towels, then place them on a baking sheet or in a shallow bowl.

2. Using a food processor or a mortar and pestle, combine the shallots, ginger-garlic paste, chili powder, black pepper, turmeric, salt and lime juice. Process or pound into a smooth paste. Spread paste on both sides of the fish. Cover the fish and marinate in the fridge, for at least 3 hours and up to 1 day. (You can also freeze fillets in their marinade.)

3. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, until oil is shimmering. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, add fish to the pan (reserving excess marinade) and fry for 3 minutes on each side, adding more oil if necessary. Set cooked fillets on a serving plate and keep warm.

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4. Meanwhile, add onions to the leftover marinade and mix well. Add a little more coconut oil to the hot frying pan if necessary, and add the onions, sautéing for 3 minutes, or until lightly browned and wilted.

5. Scatter onions on top of the fish fillets. Serve with a lime wedge on a bed of rice with a side of chutney.

GINGER-GARLIC PASTE

Makes: 1/2 cup

•  1 (4-inch/10.16-cm) knob ginger, peeled, coarsely chopped and patted dry
•  10 cloves garlic

1. Transfer ginger, garlic and 2 tbsp water to a mortar and pestle or mini food processor. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as required. Note: The paste can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Make the spicy marinade the night before, coat the fish generously, refrigerate or freeze it, and you are ready to whip up an easygoing dinner in mere minutes.

phum@postmedia.com

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