Our wonderful driver Murali was a great ice cream model for us! He always seemed to know when we needed a break on the road and where to find the best dosas, chai and kulfi – India’s richer, creamier version of ice cream. Kulfi traditionally takes two days to make, with one whole day spent …
Mariya Family Restaurant Bakery and Ice Cream is a favourite roadside cafe in Kerala. It’s located in Pullapara on Highway 183. This road leads from the coast near Kottayam to Periyar in the hills and depending on which way you are headed it seems to be ever-ascending or descending. It’s a hairpin turn infested snake …
All Indian food goes better with an astringent chutney or pickle on the side. This is a quick and easy recipe for a pickle that can be as hot or as mild as you like. We used one teaspoon of the chilli powder but the recipe from chef Jerry Matthew at Spice Village called for …
There’s so much to like about this dish. Jackfruit is a beloved food of South India and, when in season, locals dice the fresh ripe fruit, combine it with a bit of ghee and jaggery, and boil off the liquid to create a dry jam or veratti that they preserve for future use. A tablespoon …
Paliyakudi is a tribal village in the Idukki district of Kerala. Ammachi is the word for grandmother. Kaada means quail. The people of Paliyakudi were traditionally animal farmers and also existed by hunting, fishing and honey collection. Grandmothers cooked for the family using quail the family raised and spices from the lands surrounding them. Traditionally, …
Read more about Paliyakudi Ammachi Kaada – Grilled Quail with a Mint and Green Chilli Marinade
This recipe is a dish that we tried at CGH Spice Village’s 50 Mile Diet Restaurant. Chef Jerry Matthew kindly shared the recipe. The 50 Mile Diet restaurant’s goal is to serve food grown within that radius from the restaurant. Fortunately, being on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, the hotel is located close to an area …
While Westerners tend to think of the word homely as something unattractive in appearance, the British influence in India meant the word was also used to represent something intimate, pleasant and warm from one’s home. Turkeys are large birds native to the Americas but they were brought to India by British landlords and raised for …
Avial is a vegetable stew with many variations. This one is full of local pumpkins, yams, and beans available during Onam, Kerala’s harvest festival.
This chicken curry is Kerala’s version of comfort food. With a rich gravy, it was served to us with chunks of boiled cassava. We soon learned that mashing the cassava into the tantalizing sauce helped capture all the flavours created from the meat being slowly simmered in the spices. This is the kind of local …
Read more about Mariam Venattu’s Keralan Chicken Curry with Cassava
Sometimes when Pauli-Ann and I travel in India we get a serious case of cooking utensil envy. The clay vessel Mariam cooked this fish curry in is a prime example of a utensil that’s hard to duplicate in North America. We think a heavy Dutch Oven will be the best option for most of us …