Kerala has a distinctive cuisine, very unusual and different from the rest of India. Cooking in Kerala is all about discoveries, aromas and colours. Kerala cuisine is very hot and spicy and offers several gastronomic opportunities to those willing to experiment with the local cuisine. Traditionally, in Kerala food is served on a banana leaf. One has to take food with right hand. Tender coconut water is a refreshing nutritious thirst quencher..Seafood's are main diet of Coastal Kerala.
Breakfast Special
Kerala breakfast is adjudged as the 'best breakfast of the world'. Typical Kerala breakfasts are 'Appam with Egg curry', 'Puttu with Kadala curry' or 'Idiyappam with Chicken curry'. Other South Indian dishes such as 'Dosa', 'Iddly', etc are also common in Kerala.
Appam & Stew
Appam or Vellayappam are rice flour pancakes which have soft, thick white spongy centres and thin golden crisp lace like edge. Meen vevichathu or fish in fiery red chilly sauce is also another favorite item. It is made out of rice and coconut milk. Appam is usually served with the Kerala chicken stew.
Iddiyappam & Vegetable Stew
Idiyappam is usually served with coconut milk or vegetable stew. It is another delicacy, which is made with rice flour. It is made with the help of an idiyappam maker' a vessel, which gives it, it's special appearance.
Puttu & Kadala Curry
Puttu with Kadala curry is another common breakfast in Kerala. It is made out of rice flour and is cylindrical in shape. It is cooked in a coconut shell because people believe it adds to the authenticity of the dish.
Tapioca & Fish Curry
A sumptuous, mouthwatering delicacy, it's a not- to- be-missed combination of 'Kappa' and 'Meen curry'. With natural flavors erupting out of it liberally, the fish curry is made with garlic paste, onions and red chilies and seasoned with mustard seeds and curry leaves.
Lunch Special
Kerala Sadya
The typical Kerala feast served on a banana leaf, is a sumptuous spread of rice and more than 14 vegetable dishes, topped with `payasam', the delicious sweet dessert cooked in milk. The method of serving a Sadya or meal in Kerala is very precise.
Beginning from the top left half of the leaf are placed lime curry, mango pickle, injipuli, lime pickle, thoran (a dry mix of any vegetable with coconut), vegetable stew or olan, aviyal (a thick mixture of vegetables in a coconut based gravy), Pachadi (raw mango and curd mixture) and khichdi. Thereafter the rice is served at the bottom center. The sambar and kalan (a curry of yam and curd, spiced with pepper) is poured on to the rice. When the meal is over, pradaman (rice flour, coconut milk and jaggery) is served onto the leaf.
Biriyani
This is a delicious rice dish, which is often reserved for very special occasions such as weddings, parties, or holidays. It has a lengthy preparation, but the work is definitely worth it. For biriyani, always use long grain rice. Basmati rice with its thin, fine grains is the ideal variety to use. Ghee that has been slowly melted so that the milk solids and golden liquid have been separated and can be used in place of vegetable oil to yield a more authentic taste."
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