KOCHI: There is nothing like eating hotel-food cooked like a homely meal. This is exactly what Asha Ashok’s restaurant ‘Aangan Downtown’, which advocates organic and healthy food has to offer to its health-conscious customer. With Diwali round the corner, Aangan is all set to introduce some of its latest signature dishes infused in the flavours of North India doused with a touch of South India.
“ At present, we are one of the very few Malayalee-owned restaurants which offer a variety of North Indian dishes. Our menu currently offers 55 varieties of vegetarian and non-vegetarian such dishes, which is a rare find here in Kochi. The North Indian crowd is very excited which is why we decided to host the Aangan Signature Food Festival from today,” says Asha’s son Ajay Ashok.
However, this does not mean that the hotel is ignoring its South Indian customers’ gourmet tastes. “ This food fest is for all. While we essentially call it a Diwali food fest, it covers a large spread of Naadan fish curries and beef varieties.
Organic spread
According to Asha, the seafood which include prawns are sourced from Kumbalangi Kandakadavu and fish farms. To ensure that no artificial foods grains are used to prepare food, it is procured directly from the farmers. “ This does not mean we make any compromise on the taste. Infact, we offer better as our spices and vegetables are procured from our very own farms,” says the proprietor whose idea of propogating their farm products
resulted in a multi-cuisine fine dining hotel business. “ The spices are procured from Kozhikode where our family has plantations. Many customers have spoken of the distinctive aroma in our food, which has been possible due to our collection of home-made spices,” Asha gushes.
Food on offer
If you have a taste for the tandoori varieties, try the tandoori medley which is one of the specialties of Aangan which is a combination of tandoori chicken, malayi tikka, Hariyali tikka, chicken sikh kebab, vegetables. Aangan also has a lot to offer on the bread varieties. For the seafood lover, there is the signature Karimeen Fry curry prepared by the hotel owner Asha, Chemmeen Koorka Varattiyathu and Chemeen Parippu Thalichathu. Another favourite combination of Aangan is Mutton Ulliperalan, Kappadu Koonthal Varaval with Appam Butter Sose.