KOCHI: Has it ever happened that you are in a hurry to go somewhere and your tummy starts rumbling? Next time that happens and you are in Kaloor, head to FoodieMeSu. The takeaway spot is open from 5pm to 11pm in Pottakuzhy Lane and serves Lakshadweep delicacies with a twist.
The bistro is usually packed in the evening. Sukhaina Moosa, the founder and chef of Foodie MeSu, welcomed us with a warm smile. Sukhaina comes from Minicoy Island, the southernmost island of Lakshadweep.
“Minicoy is closer to Maldives and Sri Lanka and because of this, these countries have influenced our culture too. Our native language is called Mahal, which is basically a mix of Sinhalese and Arabic,” she says. The first thing on the menu that grabbed our attention was the ‘unmenued’ section. We were told that the unmenued (the day’s special) is a daily surprise. We immediately decided to go for it. Afterall, specials are always special. By the time Sukhaina went to get the egg rice and spicy sausage ready, we also ordered a rose tea and a fiya biriyani.
Now, most of us hate waiting for food. But at FoodieMeSu, you don’t really feel the waiting time, because from the open counter, you can watch your food being cooked as if on a cooking channel. You smell it too, building up an appetite, while you sip on the complimentary rose tea and indulge in conversations. For the tea, the rose essence is brought all the way from Kolkata and it adds a kick to the regular black tea.
Rose tea is an important part of Minicoy culture, they drink it almost as often as they drink water. The community has tea at home at all times. Although Sukhaina spent most of her life outside Lakshadweep - in Kochi, Delhi and Bengaluru - her love for the island and its cuisine never changed. Minicoy dishes are colourful, but the use of spices are minimal. “It is balanced; Not too high, not too low,” she says.
We also got to taste the farata rairiha, a Minicoy style porotta and fish curry. The farata was pleasantly crispy. Smoked tuna in the creamy coconut milk rairiha gravy complement it well with its succulent fineness. Turns out, Lakshadweep has four different types of tuna, while most of India has just two. “We bring most of our supplies like coconut, oil and fish from Minicoy,” she adds.
People often consider Kerala and Lakshadweep cuisine to be similar. However, this is far from true. Although both the styles use similar ingredients, the preparation is different. The farata, for instance, like the Kerala porotta is made with maida. But unlike the Kerala porotta, the farata is square, without layers. Coconut dominates the food culture in Minicoy. But they mostly use coconut milk.
After the short waiting period, we got our food neatly packed. The moreish odour makes you want to open the packet and dig in rightaway. The egg rice and spicy sausage pairing was a perfect match.The rice was well-cooked and the sausage sauteed in butter was juicy. Fiya biryani was like the normal chicken biryani, but with a twist of caramelized onion.
Caramelized onions form a major part of Minicoy cuisine. It is even used in desserts, like modelangan, a sweet dish made with tender coconut and coconut sugar and topped with caramelized onions. Sukhaina hopes to extend FoodieMesu into a dine- in facility. While FoodieMeSu might not be the best option for vegetarians, it certainly is a haven for foodies wanting to try out something new at an affordable price.