Food and Recipes of Kerala

About Food and Recipes of Kerala

Food and Recipes of Kerala

Kerala, known as the “Land of Spices”, has a large and delectable culinary repertory of it own. Its cuisine is distinctive with special aroma and colour. The mixed population has become a boon to the cuisine of Kerala as it has contributed a wide variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes along with some interesting fish recipes of the coastal region.

Unpolished rice is the main food of Kerala. A wide range of rice delicacies such as the bamboo formed puttu, the round spongy vattayappam, the lacy edged palappam, the pancake-like kallappam, the sweet uniappam, the idiappam that looks like fine noodles, the stuffed ball called kozhikotta, the chapatti-like bread pathiri, thin vatipathiri, a box type pettipathiri and the sweet cake Chattipathiri are popular. The coconut being an integral part of life of the people of Kerala is used in most of the delicacies in different forms. Kerala’s breakfast is adjudged as the 'best breakfast of the world' with varieties such as 'Appam with Egg curry', 'Puttu with Kadala curry' or 'Idiyappam with Chicken curry' etc.

Some of the popular recipes of Kerala are

Pulaos, pilaffs and biriyanis

These are meats spices with onions slowly steam cooked in boiled rice. It can be eaten hot with crispy, crunchy pappads.

Pootu

Pootu is a favourite breakfast dish made out of rice flour dough which is lagered with gated coconut and steamed in hollow bamboo cylinder. It is served with sugar or with smashed bananas or with a spicy curry made of channa or chic peas.

Iddlis and Dosas

Even though Iddlis and Dosas are not Malayali cuisine, they are popular in Kerala. The Iddlis are white steamed cakes and dosas are thin golden pancakes both made out of yeasty rice and lentil batter.

Thorans

Thorans are fried, gravy-less dishes of finely chopped boiled vegetables and possibly meat and sea food. They are marinated with mixtures of coconut, chillies, some mild spices, onions and popped mustard seeds.
Avial

Avial, is a mixed vegetable gravy dish thickened with coconut and yoghurt. A variety of vegetables are chopped and par-boiled then cooked in coconut milk.

Olen

Olen is also a very gravy dish made of ash gourd and drum beans where the predominant flavour is that of coconut milk. It is a fairly thick liquid squeezed out from the white flesh of a fresh coconut.

Kaalan

Kaalan is a thick gravy made of semi-ripe Kerala Bananas cooked in thick yogurt and seasoned with turmeric, chilly, cumin seeds and curry-leaves.

Banana delicacies

Bananas are very popular in Kerala Cuisine. Sliced finely and deep fried as chips, they are chewy snacks. Cut into bits, fried and dipped in jaggerey or sugar syrup, they are sweets.

Pachadi

Pachadi is a fairly thick sauce made of sugar, yoghurt, grated coconut, mustard seed and a wide spectrum range of spices including green and red chillies.

Sambar

Sambar contains smashed lentils, cooked vegetables and spices including the exotic and edible resin asafoetida.

Stew

Stew is a favourite dish of Syrian Christians residing at Kottayam. Chicken and potatoes are simmered gently in a creamy white sauce flavoured with black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, green chillies, lime juice, shallots and coconut milk.

Other recipes of Kerala are