KOCHI: When Chef Jomon Kuriakose introduced the Kerala staple kappa and meen curry to his menu at a UK restaurant, he found no takers.
The name ‘tapioca and fish curry’, only intrigued the overseas guests, who requested the chef to explain the dish elaborately.
This concerned Jomon, who immediately scaled up the cuisine by several notches, plating the same in an avant-garde technique and reinventing its presentation and visual appeal. Instantly, the fare turned popular.
Ever since, Jomon has been envisaging Kerala cuisine in a contemporary presentation, introducing healthy and wholesome meals to the world.
“Extensive research goes behind selecting each element indigenous to Kerala and plating them all together in a soulful and visually aesthetic manner. ‘Mathanga erissery’ from our local cuisine was altered and reinvented to create ‘Pumpkin steak’. Roasted pumpkin was served on red lentil and coconut sauce, tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves and served with roasted coconut. The final dish is included in the menu only if I’m convinced of my creation. Almost every such revamped dish takes weeks to be formulated,” says Jomon.
While we are familiar with western dishes plated delicately, Indian food is mostly served in thalis. Elevating the same to a fine dining experience is challenging, stresses Jomon.
“Plating Indian food has many restrictions. The colour combinations, textures, taste palate and the main protein’s flavour must be synchronous,” he explains.
The Mavelikkara native highlighted that there have been instances wherein he was influenced by the manner Keralites eat.
“We tend to add mashed banana, crushed pappadam and a hint of pickle to the payasam that we eat, thereby subconsciously changing the consistency of the same. I plated the dish in a contemporary manner using similar concepts with pal payasam, caramelised banana, pappadam strips and date pickle. Similarly, our famous fish moilee preparation was elevated to a fine dining experience using avoli fish instead of the pomfret which contains a lot of bones. We’ve had many guests requesting the dish,” beams Jomon.
Ambassador of Kerala cuisine
Adding another perspective, the chef also aims to inform people about the already existing local vegan fare in Kerala such as avial sans curd, erissery and sambar.
“Why not introduce them to the world in a modernised version?
“I’ve noticed that people are acquainted with dishes such as dal makhani, butter chicken and palak gosht but most outside Kerala haven’t heard of our erissery or kalan. I intend to convince them that I have something better and healthier in my state. Regardless of the plating technique, the authentic flavour will not be compromised at any cost,” adds Jomon.
Coach Chef de Cuisine!
Chef de Cuisine at The LaLiT London, Jomon had earlier appeared in BBC Celebrity Masterchef 2018 to train two British celebrities in Indian cooking techniques. His current responsibility entails creating exciting dishes to enhance his menu, a job Jomon takes to heart and soul. Transforming the humble and rich delectable Kerala cuisine to modern masterpieces in his luxury hotel is no mean feat. Kerala porotta with grilled asparagus, orange segments and beef masala with red wine reduction, bite-sized sadyas comprising rice, thoran and chicken perattu served on poppadom and accompanied by shredded omelette and beans blossom—Jomon’s culinary concepts have placed Kerala fare on the global podium.