Bright Green Spinach and Moong Dal Soup

Spinach and Moong Dal Soup

This recipe for Spinach and Moong Dal Soup is a great example of the food at Kalari Kovilakom. It’s light, simple, easily digestible and loaded with nutrition. Soups like this are a cornerstone in the Ayurvedic way of eating. They make us slow down and pay attention to what we are doing. When we are …

Bright red tomato soup with a green cilantro garnish.

Ayurvedic Tomato Soup

What makes this Ayurvedic Tomato Soup Ayurvedic? Well, how you prepare it is the key. Many of us sauté aromatics (celery, onion, carrots, garlic) in oil to bring out maximal flavour in soups and sauces. Ayurvedic cooking is much lighter. Ayurveda is an ancient form of medicine based on the five elements and three body …

Zuri Kumarakom swimming pool with elephant fountains

Introduction to Ayurveda

It’s important to have an introduction to Ayurveda when travelling in South India because it’s a term you’ll encounter frequently. We’ve experienced both authentic and less than authentic versions in our travels. After our own experiences, we feel a proper introduction to Ayurveda will help you find the real deal and avoid anything less than …

Keralan Vegetable Ishtoo

Keralan Vegetable Ishtoo

Vegetables are a huge part of the diet in Kerala. And, locals enjoy their vegetables especially when they are served in Keralan Vegetable Ishtoo. Ishtoo is the Malayalam word for stew. The vegetables involved in this stew vary depending on what’s fresh at the local markets. Cooks pick the freshest seasonal ones. Then, they simmer …

Appams with Fish Molee, Coconut Prawns, and Vegetable Ishtoo

Appams

Appams are steamed rice and lentil crepes. We made them with Aroma Dipu of Casa Linda in Kochi. We watched in fascination as she spread the batter in a concave pan, then created a flower petal design by tipping it to and fro. The batter is then steamed by placing a lid on the pan. …

Casa Linda fish molee

Aroma Dipu’s Fish Molee

After learning to make Fish Molee at Nimmy Paul’s Cookery School we were excited to try our friend Aroma Dipu’s Fish Molee. Fish Molee (pronounced moy-lee) is a classic Keralan dish. It has a minimal number of ingredients and maximal flavour extracted from those ingredients. Nimmy Paul’s recipe does not have turmeric. Aroma’s does. We …

A dish of coconut prawns sits on a blue tablecloth

Susheela’s Coconut Prawns

Large flakes of fresh coconut accent this dish of Susheela’s Coconut Prawns. It is the favourite recipe of Susheela’s daughter-in-law, Aroma Dipu. Together, Aroma and Susheela shared how to make it when we joined them for a cooking lesson at Casa Linda Cooking School in Kochi, Kerala. Testing the recipe at home was almost as …