Coming across authentic Kerala-styled food may not be the hardest thing to do in the city. But, sampling the fare created by a students of one of the pioneers of Moplah cuisine, certainly has us excited. Inspired by the 87-year-old Ummi Abdulla, Ente Keralam’s Moplah Food Festival is the restaurant’s first tryst with the culinary arts of the Muslim Malabar region and is being headed by Chef Jaya Prasad. With deep-rooted Arabic influences, the Mappilas or Moplahs trace their culinary lineage to the spice trade, with cuisine finding parallels in other parts of the country like Hyderabad. Similar to the much loved Ramzan favourite Haleem, an item on the menu, Godhabu Kanji, is a rich porridge made of broken wheat, and ghee.
Drink to that
Predominantly a meat-heavy cuisine, we pick the Nannari shrebath over the Kanji as our welcome drink. A traditional recipe that is made from Nannari roots, the drink has a typical herby overtone. But paired with fresh lime juice, a couple of cubes of ice and a generous dollop of sabja (sweet basil seeds), the sherbath beats the afternoon heat quite unlike anything else. As we munch on the sharkara varatti and upperi, my companion at the table and I are reminded of our growing up years when Saturday afternoons at the Tharavadu meant sherbath and banana chips whhile watching TV. Our little reverie is broken by the arrival of the Eerachi Pathari. A deep fried chicken pocket made of rice flour, the filling is a mixture of minced meat, finely chopped onions and green chillies. Each bite reminding you of a crisp hot kheema samosa.
Tangy sessions
What comes next is the flaky goodness of the Podi Pathari which is accompanied by coconut milk. A little too mild for our palette, we navigate through the plates on our table reaching for a second helping of the spicy Eerachi Pathari when the Nei Meen Mullagittathu arrives. While the fish is creamy soft, the gravy is not the familiar fiery red fish curry that we rem-ember. We decide it is the bits of tomato that may have lent a unique tang to the dish, when Chef Prasad tells us, “Malabar uses vallan puli (tamarind) instead of the kudam puli (pot tamarind) which is used in the other regions in Kerala.”
Begin again
The Koonthal Nirachathu, is our next dish, a starter that finds its way to the table even as we are well into our main course. Translating into stuffed squid, this Kannur speciality is packed with minced fish meat. Marinated with a dry spice rub the calamari has a right amount of bite and heat.
Tweaked to suit the vegetarian tastes, the Muringakka Manga curry (drumstick and raw mango) and Vendaka Mulakkittathu (ladies finger cooked in a tangy red chilly gravy) are perfect pickings for the Idiyappam or even the Podi Pathari.
Unlike Hyderabadi biriyani, the Moplah biryani is only mildly spiced and is made from short grained Kaima rice. Cooked with green chillies, fennel, ginger, garlic, garam masala, the biryani is prepared dum style. “The common misconception is that if you add a lot of ghee, the biriyani will taste exceptional. The truth is it will only taste like ghee. Minimal spices and less fat make for a light and flavourful biriyani.” says Chef Prasad. We cannot help but concur.
Go bananas
While the food festival offers other Malabar favourites like Mutta Mala and Atti pathil we decide to end with the household flavour of the nendram banana fritter, albeit a twist. These cotton pod shaped fritters melt in the mouth and have a coconut grated centre.
Approximately Rs 1,200 for two. At Ente Keralam until October 22. Details: 6505545