KOCHI: Picture this: Digging into ‘unakkakappa puzhukk’ (boiled dried tapioca mashed and garnished with coconut), with fiery red fish curry on a rainy evening, accompanied by black coffee. Or, polishing off rice with idirachi with meen thala curry on a laid-back afternoon.
Roy Joseph Pothen, expert in Kerala nadan cuisine, Roy brings to foodies a delectable and vast nadan spread for Sunday lunch at Flora Airport Hotel, Nedumbassery.
For Roy, the word ‘nadan’ has more depth to it. He clarifies that nadan food is not just the traditional Kerala dish but delicacies that suit the climate that were popular in our households.
“Most of us ignore that fact. In the monsoon season, traditional Kerala houses used to store food items like tapioca and dried meat (mostly beef) because food was sparse when the rains started. What I have recreated in is the authentic taste from the households of Central Kerala. Ideal for the rainy season, the dishes will be extremely tasty but not very spicy or tangy,” says the chef, who had recently given Germans a hang of Kerala cuisine during his global gastronomic tour.
A Filling Spread
The spread starts with tapioca, without which no nadan fare would be complete. There is the usual ‘kappa puzhuk’ (cooked and mashed) and the unakkakappa which is dried tapioca cooked with lentils. Plus, there is yam which can make a lip-smacking combo with an array of fish dishes.
There is ‘podimeen fry’, ‘thala curry’ (seerfish head), ‘manga chemmeen curry’ (mango and prawns) and the very tasty ‘njandu varutharachath’ (crab curry). But the highlight of the lunch is ‘idiirachi’, the dried grounded beef cooked to perfection. Listen foodies, this is a never-to-miss item.
“Idiirachi’ is a staple food in Central Travancore during the monsoon. It is the ingredients that gives idiirachi a very special taste. “We prepare it with shallots and not onion. There is very little chilly powder in it, and the spiciness is attributed to green pepper and coriander powder,” says chef Roy.
The spread also has a vegetarian section where there is ‘padavalanga paripp curry’ (ashgourd and lentils) and ‘vazhapoo thoran’ among others.
Another must-try is the chutney spread where you get everything from ‘jathikka chammanthi’ (nutmeg) to ‘chammanthi podi’ to ‘mulak chammanthi’.
Before you head on to the mouth-watering dessert counter, ask for tawa-grilled fish that literally melts in your mouth. Made of cutla fish, the grilled variety has the right amount of spice, flavour and taste.