Tasty affair

Chef Pillai, the culinary director of Raviz hotel in Kovalam, has been making the lockdown sumptuous for many with his authentic Malayali dishes
Tasty affair

KOCHI: Little did popular chef Suresh Pillai know that his native dish, the Prawn Mango Drumstick curry that he posted on social media, would end up tempting  Bollywood actress Mallika Aurora to try cooking it. The Kollam-native, who is the culinary director of Raviz hotel in Kovalam, is celebrating flavours with his online followers, bringing them a myriad of Kerala’s offerings — chicken roast, fish nirvana, mixed fruit ada, quail fry with jackfruit curry, Venad milk prawns curry, prawns thoran and many more. 

According to chef Pillai, cooking and serving food is a great stress-buster. It also helps you eat healthy. Suresh, who has fans even in the Indian cricket team, says he started taking pictures of his culinary adventures during the last lockdown.

“I started posting them on my Facebook and Instagram pages. The response was huge. MY Kada Fry with Chakka Puzhukk received around 15 million views. I give simple instructions and the videos are less than a minute,” he says. 

Chef Suresh also makes it a point to cook using things easily available at home. “During the lockdown, take a look at produce around our house — jackfruit, mango, papaya, kovakka, plantain blossom, yams — they are good sources of proteins and vitamins. It is time to adapt to home-friendly food habits,” says Suresh who even took to his Instagram page to share a simple chutney made using shallots and red chilly that can be eaten with idli, dosa or chapathi. 

The chef also has a word of advice for those who are new to food blogging. “Use your cooking skills to share valuable recipes that would fill someone’s stomach and heart. Be consistent in uploading and cooking tasty dishes that people of all walks can try at home. Food is less about consumption and more about joy,” concludes Suresh Pillai.  

Find him on Instagram @chef_pillai

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