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spices

Red Ginger flower
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A South Indian Spice Primer from Mr. Abraham’s Spice Garden in Kumily

Our friend Mr. Abraham has a two acre spice garden surrounding his home and two more gardens nearby. They are completely organic and open for tours. Lunch can be booked. In our previous post, we described our day in the spice garden in his backyard. Now, with Pauli-Ann’s beautiful photos, we want to lead you …

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Mr. Abraham of Abraham's Spice Garden.
Faces

Mr. Abraham and his Spice Garden

I’m excited to write this piece for you because Mr. Abraham’s Spice Garden is a must every time we visit Kerala. As a cook, it’s the kind of place that I dreamed of experiencing because it is chockablock full of spices. I had always longed to see where and how spices grew. I imagined a …

Read more about Mr. Abraham and his Spice Garden

Anna Zacharria's garam masala.
Plates

Anna’s Secret Garam Masala

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SOUTH INDIA ROAD TRIP ROUTE MAP

South India map, Kerala, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, South India, India, Faces Places and Plates blog

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Award-winning writer and photographer Karen Anderson and Pauli-Ann Carriere spent over 40 days in South India in 2016 and 2017 travelling and researching this project to bring you closer to the people, food and rich culture of this place.

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  • This recipe for Moplah Mutton Ishtew (Stew) comes from our friend Abida Rasheed, the expert voice of Moplah cuisine from the Malabar coast of Kerala. Abida says, "cooking should be about taste, smell and feel." As you make this recipe, taste it for seasoning, smell it for aroma, and feel it for doneness. Like all stews, this is classic comfort food. Moplah Mutton Ishtew has an exceptional depth of flavour, owing to the subtle art of blending spices to perfectly suit the main ingredients. It is easy to make, especially if you have a pressure cooker. It's still easy to make without one. It just takes a bit longer. If you are feeling uncertain, we have attached a video on our blog of Abida making the recipe step-by-step, and that will give you the confidence to try it yourself for sure. Link to the recipe and video in our profile. . . . #muttonishtew #muttonrecipes #stewrecipe #moplahcuisine #moplahfood #malabarcuisine #malabarfood #keralafoods #keralacuisine #cookingschools #SouthIndianfood #Indianfood #southindiaroadtrip #cooksandtheircultures #facesplacesandplatesblog #Kozhikode #Calicut #Kerala #MalabarCoast #GodsOwnCountry #SouthIndia #India #foodtravel #culinarytravel #culinaryroadtrip
  • As our armchair-travel days continue, we long to return to Kozhikode (Calicut). It's alive and exciting, a bustling commercial town with storied roots dating back to Vasco de Gama's landing in 1498, and the establishment of the spice trade. The food here – Moplah cuisine – has a different flare than further south on the Malabar coast of Kerala. Shellfish like stuffed mussels and fresh oysters tantalize. Favourite meat dishes include mutton stew and biryanis. Pathiri, the local bread made of rice flour, is eaten plain, or layered and stuffed on special occasions. Local cooks are deft with the plentiful spices. We spent most of our time in Kozikhode cooking and eating. But, we did manage a little sight-seeing too. A few of our recommendations include: • Cook with Abida Rasheed • Eat and shop your way along Gujarathi Street • Wake early for a visit to the fish market • Take a food and walking tour We have more details on the historic, inviting city of Kozhikode up on our blog now and we invite you to visit through the link in our profile. . . . #moplahcuisine #moplahfood #cookingschools #fishmarket #gujarathistreetkozhikode #sweetmeatstreet #kumaribananachips #milksarbath #SouthIndianfood #Indianfood #southindiaroadtrip #cooksandtheircultures #facesplacesandplatesblog #Kozhikode #Calicut #Kerala #MalabarCoast #GodsOwnCountry #SouthIndia #India #foodtravel #culinarytravel #culinaryroadtrip . . . During this time of COVID-19, we are happy to offer our blog as a form of armchair travel. When it is safe to travel again, we sincerely hope you'll venture forth and experience all these wonderful Faces, Places, and Plates for yourself! – Karen and Pauli-Ann
  • Moplah cuisine is particular to the Muslims of the Malabar Coast between Kannur and Kozhikode (Calicut) in North Kerala. Because most visitors to the state mainly visit Kochi and The Backwaters, few people are familiar with these North Kerala places and food. We explore this area next on the blog, starting now with the state’s most famous Moplah cook, Abida Rasheed. We had the pleasure of cooking with Abida one evening in her home in Kozhikode, where she regularly conducts cooking classes (see her Facebook page to make arrangements). They say when someone is doing what they were born to do, they make it look effortless. Abida Rasheed has found her calling and we felt blessed to experience a bit of time with her and her family. Together we made a classic Moplah Marinated Fish, Mutton Stew, Pathari bread, Shrimp Biryani, and Chakara Chora, a wheat berry pudding. We're happy to be sharing these recipes with you soon on the blog, along with a feature on the city of Kozhikode (Calicut). For now, we hope you click the link in our bio to read about our visit with Abida Rasheed, the grand master of Moplah cuisine. Up on our blog now. . . . #moplahcuisine #moplahfood #cookingschools #tasteofkerala #keralacuisine #keralafood #SouthIndianfood #Indiancooking #Indianfood #southindiaroadtrip #cooksandtheircultures #facesplacesandplatesblog #Kozhikode #Calicut #Kerala #MalabarCoast #GodsOwnCountry #SouthIndia #India #foodtravel #culinarytravel #culinaryroadtrip . . . During this time of COVID-19, we are happy to offer our blog as a form of armchair travel. When it is safe to travel again, we sincerely hope you'll venture forth and experience all these wonderful Faces, Places, and Plates for yourself! – Karen and Pauli-Ann
  • Eating Dal Makhani in South India might seem a strange thing to do. After all, it's traditionally a North Indian recipe. But, just like the rest of the world, the best foods of a place tend to migrate. The great taste appeal of this luscious North Indian recipe has helped it migrate south. We are very grateful to Chef Rahul Venugopal of @VythiriVillageResort for sharing his recipe. Vythiri Village is a lovely resort in an area of Wayanad District famous for its waterfalls. We only had time to stop here for a rest on our road trip. Hopefully, if you go, you’ll be able to stay longer. Link to the recipe in our profile. . . . #dalrecipe #vegetarian #dalmakhani #sidedish #Indiancooking #Indianfood #southindiaroadtrip #cooksandtheircultures #facesplacesandplatesblog #VythiriVillageResort #Wayanad #Kerala #GodsOwnCountry #SouthIndia #India #foodtravel #culinarytravel #culinaryroadtrip. . . . During this time of COVID-19, we are happy to offer our blog as a form of armchair travel. When it is safe to travel again, we sincerely hope you'll venture forth and experience all these wonderful Faces, Places, and Plates for yourself! – Karen and Pauli-Ann
  • We’d like to thank our dear friend Amuu Menon for contributing Amuu's Mango Ice Cream to our collection of favourite South Indian recipes. Amuu is a budding chef and her patience and interest during our visit to @theturmerica was commendable. On our last day, she surprised us with this delicious mango ice cream. Her grace, good humour, and this fun recipe have all left an indelible mark on our memories of time in Wayanad. Like we said in our last post ... Go on. Treat yourself to a little cream and sugar once in a while! 😁 Link to recipe in our bio. . . . #icecream #mango #mangoicecream #dessert #mangorecipe #tasteofkerala #keralacuisine #keralafood #theturmericawayanad #TheTurmerica #cookingschools #coffeeplantation #SouthIndianfood #Indiancooking #Indianfood #southindiaroadtrip #cooksandtheircultures #facesplacesandplatesblog #Wayanad #Kerala #GodsOwnCountry #SouthIndia #India #foodtravel #culinarytravel #culinaryroadtrip. . . . Huge love and thanks to Ranjini, Raj and Amuu Menon for so generously hosting us during our stay at The Turmerica. Thank you also to the KTM Society and Travel XS for sponsoring our travel throughout South India in 2016.
  • Filtered coffee is served all over South India. At @theturmerica instead of using powdered coffee to make this delightful drink, Rajapol Menon, co-owner with his wife Ranjini, uses freshly ground beans from The Turmerica’s own coffee plantation. The roast is mild and the flavour melds perfectly with the sugar and milk he uses. Pouring the coffee between the tumbler and the dabarah (container and cup) creates the classic frothy layer over the filter coffee. As you’ll see with our video (up on the blog now), Raj was an expert at this fun presentation. We don't have an exact recipe for you but maybe this video will encourage you to play with your coffee. Go on. Treat yourself to a little cream and sugar once in a while! Link to video in our profile. . . . #coffee #coffeebreak #instacoffee #coffeelover #coffeebean #southindiancoffee #tasteofkerala #keralacuisine #keralafood #theturmericawayanad #TheTurmerica #cookingschools #coffeeplantation #SouthIndianfood #Indiancooking #Indianfood #southindiaroadtrip #cooksandtheircultures #facesplacesandplatesblog #Wayanad #Kerala #GodsOwnCountry #SouthIndia #India #foodtravel #culinarytravel #culinaryroadtrip

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