Kerala cuisine

This presentation covers geographical location , historical culture, staple diet, specialty cuisine, special equipment, 4 course menu and seasonal availability of cuisine Kerala .

1. KERALA CUISINE 1

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS SNO. CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 2. GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION 3. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 4. STAPLE DIET 5. SPECIAL EQUIPMENTS 6. SEASONAL AVAILABILITY 7. SPECIALITY CUISINE 8. 4-COURSE MENU 9. BIBLIOGRAPHY 2

3. INTRODUCTION The cuisine of Kerala is linked in all its richness to the history, geography, demography and culture of the land. Since many of Kerala's Hindus are vegetarian by religion, and because Kerala has large minorities of Muslims and Christians that are predominantly non-vegetarians , Kerala cuisine has a multitude of both vegetarian and dishes prepared using fish , poultry and meat . Kerala cuisine is a blend of indigenous dishes and foreign dishes adapted to Kerala tastes. 3

4. GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION It occupies a skinny strip of land along India’s western coast. It's coast runs around 580 km in length, while the state itself varies between 35 –120 km in width. It lies near the center of the Indian tectonic plate (the Indian Plate). It’s climate is mainly wet and maritime tropical, with heavy rains in monsoon. There are 44 rivers in Kerala, 41 of them flow westward and 3 eastward. The Western Ghats is a continuous mountain range of 450 km along the eastern side of Kerala. 4

5. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The term Kerala was first epigraphically recorded as Ketalaputo ( Cheras ). Until the arrival of British, the term Malabar was used in foreign trade circles as a general name for Kerala. On 1 November 1956, the state of Kerala was formed by the States Reorganization Act merging the Malabar District. It is known as the "Land of Spices" because it traded spices with Europe as well as with many ancient civilizations. follows…… 5

6. The state produces a lot of dry species from past thousand of years, black pepper, cardamom, cloves, ginger, etc. The large introduction of Muslims and Christians, have also added unique dishes and styles to Kerala cuisine, especially non-vegetarian dishes. The State mainly produces rice and coconuts in abundance, that’s why these are the main ingredients used in almost every dish. The cuisine of Kerala earlier was differentiated on basis of Hindu Cuisine, Muslim Cuisine and Christian Cuisine. 6

7. STAPLE DIET The Kerala staple food revolves around an abundance of coconut, rice, tapioca, and spices like black pepper, cloves, cinnamon and ginger. Kerala’s famous food also features a variety of seafood like fish, prawns, mussels, lobsters, and crabs owing to the state’s long coastline Kerala cuisine also has a variety of pickles and chutneys , and crunchy pappadums . 7

8. SPECIAL EQUIPMENTS Chembu : It is a vessel made out of copper or brass used for steaming or boiling food. Puttu Kuti : It is used for steaming rice flour paste called puttu . It has a round base pot in which water is boiled and a tall cylindrical tube above this base in which rice flour and coconut are layered and steamed. Meen Chatti : It is a round bottomed earthen pot used to prepare fish curries. Puttu Kutti Meen Chatti Chembu 8

9. Ural And Ulakka : A ural is a large drum- shaped stone for pounding rice and spices with a long wooden rod called ulakka . Thavi : These are ladles made from the coconut shells, which have a long bamboo handle. Cherava : This is used to grate coconut. It has got ridged metal blades resting on a wooden platform. A ppam chatti : This is a heavy round bottomed vessel made of iron with a lid similar to the cheena chatti . It is used to prepared stews Thavi Cherava Appam Chatti Ural and Ulakka 9

10. SEASONAL AVAILABILITY Banana: Raw and ripe banana are used for many dishes. Mangoes: There are many varieties of mangoes available, unripped mangoes are used in pickle making. Jackfruit: This fruits is large and fleshy and are covered with thorny tube. Snake gourd: It is used for making curries . Banana Mangoes Jackfruit Snake Gourd 10

11. Kadaplavu / Seemaplav (Bread fruit):  Bread fruit is a high yielding food plant and is consumed baked, boiled, fried, steamed or roasted like potatoes. Puli (Tamarind): It is widely used to provide a sweet and tart flavor to savory dishes. Coconut : Fresh creamy flesh of a coconut used as a base for many curries and deserts. Siddha root: These are used for flavoring rasam . Drumstick: It is used in curries and often cooked with lentils. Kadaplavu Puli Coconut Siddha root Drumstick 11

12. SPECIALITY CUISINE SADHYA Sadhya (Malayalam) is a feast of Kerala origin and of importance to all Malayalis , consisting of a variety of traditional vegetarian dishes usually served on a banana leaf in Kerala as lunch. The main dish is plain boiled rice, served along with other dishes collectively called Kootan which include curries like parippu, sambar, rasam, pulisseri and others like kaalan, avial, thoran, olan, pachadi, kichadi, koottukari, erissery , mango pickle, pulinji , naranga achaar (lime pickle), as well as papadam, plantain chips, sharkara upperi , banana, plain curd and buttermilk. 12

13. ONAM Onam heralds the harvest festival and is also according to folklore the time of the year when the king Mahabali , the legendary ruler of an ancient golden era in Kerala, returns from the depths of the nether world to visit his beloved subjects. Traditional Onasadhya meal comprises of different varieties of curries, upperies - things fried in oil, pappadams which are round crisp flour paste cakes of peculiar make, uppilittathu - pickles of various kinds, chammanthi - the chutney, payasams and prathamans or puddings of various descriptions. Fruits and digestives are also part of the meal. 13

14. Ethakka Appam (Banana Fritters): Pazham Pori or Ethakka Appam are both different, but equally delicious varieties of banana fritters that serve as a traditional tea time snack in the households of Kerala. They’re simply ripe bananas coated with plain flour and deep-fried in oil and serve as an integral part of Kerala cuisine. 14

15. Malabar Parottha with Kerala beef curry: Layered flat bread that originated in the Malabar region called P arottha is made by kneading Maida (plain flour), egg (in some recipes), oil or ghee and water. The dough is beaten and later shaped into a spiral with thin layers. The ball is rolled flat and roasted into a Parottha with ghee. It is eaten with beef curry – pieces of beef simmered in a curry made with tomatoes, onions, garlic and spices like bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, black peppercorns and star anise.  15

16. Kerala Prawn curry ( Chemmeen curry):  This is a signature dish of the State – a prawn curry from the Malabar region made with a blend of fenugreek, black mustard and fennel seeds, coconut milk and green chilly. It also includes a special ingredient called kudampuli (also known as brindleberry ) to give it a sour taste, plus it uses marinated prawns, drumsticks and raw mango to give it a spicy, tangy flavor. 16

17. Idiyappam With Curry: One of the famous dishes of Kerala is Idiyappam which is relished by most of the people. Also known as Noolappam in Kerala cuisine. Idiyappam , food of Kerala is made of rice flour, salt and water with a number of thin strands or sevai entwined together to make the lovely texture that this dish bears. 17

18. 4 COURSE MENU – KERALA CUISINE 1. APPETIZER KERALA ONION SALAD (ULLI SARLAS): Ingredients : Red Onions (cut into thin long slices) – 3 Medium Green Chillies (cut into small pieces) – 5 Nos. Juice of half a lemon Salt – to taste Pepper – A pinch Vinegar – 2 tsp Preparation Method: Mix together all the above ingredients in a bowl. Squeeze the onions well for around 2-3 minutes till it is soft and the onions give a deep pink color . The secret to this recipe is that you have to mix everything well with your hand. The more you squeeze the onions, the better. Serve along with Fried Rice or Biriyani 18

19. 2. Bread And Curry : Kerala Style Bread with Curry: APPAM: Ingredients: Rice Flour – 2 cups Rapid Rise Highly Active Yeast – 1 tsp Sugar – 3 tbsp Rava (Semolina) – 2 tbsp Thick Coconut Milk – ½ to 1 Cup (I use Canned Coconut Milk) Water – As needed Salt – to taste Preparation Method for Batter: For making Rava Kurukku (Semolina Paste) which is a thick paste, take 2 cups of water in a saucepan and add 2 tbsp of rava (semolina). Bring it to a boil stirring continuously. Reduce the heat to low and continue stirring. 19

20. Gravy for Kerela style bread : Kozhi Muzamman (The Lost Recipe ) Kozhi Muzamman , prepared with a full chicken, was originally called Kozhi Muzhuvan which means a full chicken. This is a grand celebratory dish prepared by the mother-in-law to welcome the puyyapla (bridegroom) on his first visit to the bride’s home. The chicken is stuffed with masalas, fried onion, a boiled egg and served in thick gravy. INGREDIENTS- Chicken whole clean 900 gm Chicken mince 100 gm Boiled egg 1 Onion slice 150 gm Garam masala 1tsp Mint leaves, each 20 gm Coconut oil 35 ml Ghee 15 ml Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp Red chilli powder 1 ½ tsp Turmeric ¼ tsp Coriander powder 2½ tsp Fennel powder 1 tsp Chana dal (soaked) 50 gm Ginger, Garlic (julienned) each 25 gm Green chilli sliced 20 gm Tomato sliced 25 gm Coriander leaves Coconut-1 Coconut milk 50ml Fried onion 50gm Fried cashews Raisins 25 gm 20

21. Preperation Method: Heat oil (15 ml any oil) in a frying pan, add chopped ginger, garlic, onion, green chilli and sauté till it turns brown. Add the minced chicken, sauté it well, add turmeric, red chilli, coriander, pepper, fennel, garam masala powder and mix well.  Then add fried onion, fried cashewnut and raisins, few mint leaves, coriander leaves and lime juice, mix it and check the seasoning.  Cool this mix, then fill this along with one boiled egg into a cleaned whole chicken. Plug the hole with toothpick or string. Keep aside.  Take another pan, heat the remaining oil, add ginger, garlic, onion slice, green chilli and sauté till it changes to brown colour. Add ginger garlic paste, remaining masalas and tomato slice. Mix it well, add some water, bring to boil. Then put the whole chicken and chana dal. Add 2 nd coconut milk, then cover it and cook.  When the chicken is cooked, add some fried onion, mint leaves, coriander leaves, garam masala powder, ghee and 1 st coconut milk. Cook this slowly to reduce gravy.  Check the seasoning and serve with appam, pathiri or paratha 21

22. 3. MAIN COURSE: KAPPA PUZHUKKU – SEASONED TAPIOCA Ingredients- Tapioca- 1 lb Shallots ( Kunjulli ) – 5 Green Chillies – 3 or 4 Crushed Garlic Cloves – 5 (A must) Dry Red Chillies – 3 Curry Leaves – A sprig Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp Cumin ( Jeerakam ) Seeds/Powder – ¼ tsp Oil – 1 tbsp Mustard Seeds – ¼ tsp Salt – to taste Water – as needed 22

23. Preparation Method- Peel the thick brown and thin pink skin from the Yuca Root and cut it into small bite sized pieces. Wash it well. Boil the tapioca pieces along with salt and a pinch of turmeric until it is fork tender. (Some people double boil tapioca but the waxed tapioca I get here doesn’t need double boiling.) Drain the water and keep it aside. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add shallots, green chillies, garlic, red chillies, curry leaves and saute till the shallots begin to brown lightly. Add a pinch of turmeric and cumin and saute for a minute. Add the boiled tapioca pieces and mix well. You can mash the tapioca pieces lightly. Serve with Fish Curry, Chicken Curry or even Chilly Sauce Dip 23

24. 4 . DESERTS : PAAL PIDI/PAAL KOZHUKATTA (SWEET RICE DUMPLINGS) INGREDIENTS- For the Rice Ball Roasted Rice Flour – 1 cup Thin Coconut Milk – ½ cup Hot Water – as needed. For the Syrup Coconut Milk – 2 to 2.5 cups [I used Canned Coconut Milk] Water – 2 cups Sugar – 12 tbsp (3/4 cup) [Alter according to your taste buds] Powdered Cardamom – 4 to 6 pods 24

25. Preparation Method- Combine rice flour, salt and coconut milk in a vessel. Bring water to a boil. Add the hot water little by little to the rice flour and mix with a spoon until combined. When it is cool enough to touch, knead everything using your hands to form a smooth dough. Prepare small cherry sized balls using the dough, dipping your hand in water occasionally to prevent the dough from drying up. You can prepare around 100-120 dumplings using the above proportion. In a wide pan, bring coconut milk and water to a slow boil. Add powdered cardamom and sugar and stir well. Reduce heat and slowly, add the rice balls to the pan. Do not add the balls on top of one another or they will stick. Instead spread it around in the pan. Cover and cook for around 8-10 minutes on very low heat. Remove from heat and keep it covered until ready to serve. Serve it warm or chilled. 25

26. https://malayali.me › cuisine › keral ... Web results Kerala Menu – Kerala Recipes https://www.asianage.com › disc... Web results Discovering forgotten culinary gems – The Asian Age BIBLIOGRAPHY 26

27. THANK YOU 27