PLATEFUL AND PLEASED
(Part 5)
KOOL KERALA
[NOTE: This food story covers travels over the last three years - old to now. Basically archived pictures and notes that were shaken up, dusted and voila......]
God's own country also has its own unique spirit, the drinking kind that is. The Kerala visit had two important must-do: Toddy tippling and backwaters sailing or rather drifting. Yes, lush greenery, water bodies abound and so do religious structures. In fact, one admired the ingenuity of the locals when it came to constructing religious structures. So what if the land available was literally pocket sized, there's always the skies to reach up to and they did valiantly
Fort Kochi was our second stop. And as always, the other half had some strange to-do listed and that involved Chinese fishing boats. Shades of Paul Torday's Salmon Fishing in Yemen possibly. All those imagining sleek Chinese boats fitted with state-of-the-art gadgets, go dive into the Arabian Sea and ahem so should I! One was duly informed that that the Chinese fishing boats are iconic and historical and likely introduced to the state sometime in the early 15th century. It was not so much the boats as the usage of Chinese fishing nets - cheena vala- that are fixed on the shores supported by cantilevered poles. The nets are huge and the operating system involves fishermen lowering and raising the nets into the water with the help counterweights. Clearly, the boats are major tourist attractions and the fishermen know how to milk it to the maximum - one had to pay to step on the boat, pay to admire the nets and we stopped short of paying to see it in operation.
For the uninitiated, toddy is the alcoholic beverage that is quintessentially Kerala. Made from fermented sap of coconuts or palm flowers, toddy changes avatars depending on the time of the day. In the early stage, read morning hours, it is somewhat sweet and mild gradually acquiring sour-ish properties with the alcoholic percentage rising up in the later hours. It is available only in toddy shops spread out all over; god's own country also has its own one-of-a- kind bars. Strangely while it is said to be a social and cultural tradition in the state, it is also said that good girls don't to toddy shops. Bah! As always the other half had researched which toddy shop would be graced by our presence. So, on the recommendation of a friend from the state who stays away from the state, that the best time to imbibe toddy would be the morning hours as the alcoholic content would be not so much and the taste perfect, we made an early morning start as the shop suggested was at quite a distance from our address.
And that, is how the toddy experience begun and that is how one became friends enough with Salem Kumar running the show to allow entry into the kitchen. The shop had a large hall with tables, plastic chairs and benches and Tada! it also had 'family rooms' with basins so that one wouldn't have to step out to wash hands. So who spread the canard about good girls not going to toddy shops? A couple or so tables were occupied and it was all a men's show with some even settling comfortably sitting cross legged. We opted to sit in the hall. The toddy came in a bottle and along with it a plate with some pickle/chutney looking fiery and red with oil seeping out. Salem told us that we had spread a little of the paste on our tongue after every sip. It got every single nerve in the body tingling and jingling. The toddy had that hint of sweetness and justified every praise for the drink. The menu was stuck on a board on the wall and it needed re-reading to ascertain that that one had read it correctly. It had meat of every kind, from beef to rabbit to naturally, sea food. Salem asked to go slow as the cooking process was still on.
Very courteously Salem allowed us entry into the kitchen.. Chuffed that it was an all women show with some squatting on the floor grinding mounds of spices while others attended to huge cauldron like vessels and woks atop roaring wood fire. It was all smoky and so aromatic.
The other toddy binge was at at the cutely named Kilikkoodu Toddy Shop and family restaurant at Kumarakom. Kilikkoodu in Malayalam means birds nest. A huge compound with several rooms lining the sides. This time we chose an air conditioned room with lace curtains on the windows. The toddy was served in an earthenware jar. The highlight was watching a young trendy mother walk in with her toddler, settle the baby in the highchair, arrange her toys and stuff around, open a small box of nibbles for the baby and then proceed to down her toddy and eat her food. Loved it. Cheers Lady!
With the waters lapping on one side and an array of exquisite sea food spread out on the table, what more could one ask for? The waterside restaurant Seagull's outdoor seating offers beautiful views of the Arabian sea and city's port and serves delectable fare. Alas no toddy, so for that heady feeling, good old Goa Port wine did a good job, light on the pocket and high on potency.
It was more seafood at the heritage hotel, Forte Kochi on Princess Street. Incidentally, the hotel with its attractive mango ochre coloured walls, slated roof is itself an instant eye-catcher. It was said to have built sometimes in the second half of the nineteenth century by the Dutch and the inimitable old charm is a winner. The atmosphere made the dining at a table around the huge central courtyard swimming pool quite special. The fish and even the meat cooked in banana leaves clearly enhanced the flavours as did the earthenware serving bowls. And the dessert literally crackled with a crispy puri like base with a spread of thick probably jaggery rice pudding. Tweaking of chatti pathiri? May be, may be not but it was near addictive.
The banana leaf in fact could be called the central motif! Fusion Bay was another eatery that came highly recommended which got one a little wary if it was all just hype. It wasn't and there were more banana leaves and the fare all the more tastier because of it. This was where one finally succumbed to Malabar Paratha. As expected always delicious, always decadent and always guaranteed to send your digestive system haywire.
What seemed to be popping up regularly were Falooda cafes and seemed busy even late into the night. Every probable flavour and every probable colour, honestly some of the colours were well, an endless array of all kinds and tones of hue. One serving meant one had to skip one meal.
After the fish overload, the other half threw up his hand and wanted to bite into flesh and so an Arabic eatery it was. Just couldn't figure out what the dessert was all about! Even the heavy dose of pistachio sprinkling was no redemption.
Even at the cost of sounding of sounding like a loopy wide-eyed tourist on a loop, it has to be accepted that the state's tourism tagline - God's Own Country cannot be questioned at all. It's not only the sea, the beautiful beaches, the tranquil backwaters, the overload of verdant greenery, exotic spice gardens but also misty hills, undulating tea gardens and stunning lakes and waterfalls. Located on the Western Ghats, Munnar is a dreamy hill station so long one strictly avoids the cluttered central hub. After exploring two waterfalls on way, Valara and Cheeyappara, checking out the spice garden, the entry into Munnar was a total let down. Thankfully, that was short lived and away from the market/town areas, Munnar is mesmerising. Terraced tea gardens, rising hills in the background, lakes, that soothing silence; in brief, a storehouse of everything best in nature.
For the best Kerala style cuisine, we were told it had to be Gurubhavan Veg and Non Veg Family restaurant. Family? Yes, if three extended generations came together to dine - the place was perpetually packed. However, to the credit of the staff the service was swift. With all tables full, the decibel level rising and the waiters dashing all over, it was make a quick choice, eat and leave it But the food was quite good and so reasonably priced and that could explain the pull of the place. The sit down at leisure and savour every delicious bite came soon after a resort restaurant deep into the forest
They waddled up as if they were honoured guests and sure enough, a staff stepped out and began feeding them. The geese at the Taj Resort at Kumarakom are certainly indulged birds and it is a ceremony that takes place every single near the Vemnanad Bistro. With the Vembanad Lake nearby and the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary close too, the birds clearly knew that they were in their territory and could have their way! And with a huge water body in the centre of the resort, the fish and tortoise also have their meal hours fixed! The evening tea and the traditional snacks the Bistro, one learnt, was like the recreation of Chaya Kada or traditional Kerala tea shops. The other restaurant Currymeen delivers authentic finger licking Malayali cuisine. Simply soo-perb!
And if it is Kerala......................
