KOCHI: Jackfruit, tapioca and banana are the trademark Malayali fruits (though tapioca was brought by the Portuguese, we have embraced it as ours). But other than the basic preparations of these three, not many people know how to prepare traditional dishes that were once an intrinsic part of the Malayali cuisine. Now, here is a man on a mission to bring alive those old recipes and also to develop some.
Thiruvananthapuram-native Rafeek H M has developed 202 curries each using jackfruit and banana - so in total, 404 - for a traditional sadya. Of these 202 curries, 101 are ‘thotte’ curries. “I have come to realise that jackfruit, banana and tapioca are chemical-free,” says Rafeek. “Other than the peel, there is very little to nothing that can go as waste. So I have used every aspect of each fruit to create the dishes.”
Rafeek has also created two payasams each from banana and jackfruit. Both ‘chakka sadya’ and ‘vazha sadya’ are served separately.
Apart from this, he also makes delicacies, including unniyappam, biryani, bhaji, pickle, thoran, vada and pathiri using tapioca. He has further experimented with jackfruit to make ‘chakkakuru porotta’, jackfruit masala dosa, ada, chakka manchuri and aviyal.
A Gulf returnee, Rafeek has been experimenting with jackfruit, banana and tapioca for over 20 years now.
For those wanting to get a taste of his ‘chakka sadya’, ‘vazha sadya’ and other savoury dishes, one can head to Rafeek’s stall in Haritham-2018, at the Ernakulathappan Ground in Kochi. The exhibition mela is open from 11 am to 9 pm till August 5.
The sadyas will be available from 11 am to 3 pm on these days. After enjoying the food at Rafeek’s stall, one can also get a free training session about the preparation of the dishes. “During the one-hour long training, I train people about the preparation of traditional dishes made using jackfruit, banana and tapioca which are becoming unfamiliar to Malayalees,” Rafeek says. “I also give them a head start on experimenting with these.”