When it comes
to cuisine from Kerala, the
one ingredient that often takes centre stage is the coconut. However, for the
Flavour of Kerala festival at Grand Hyatt Goa, Chef Prasad from Grand Hyatt
Kochi, Bolgatty has playfully incorporated various ingredients to tantalise the
taste buds of food enthusiasts in Goa. Starting from June 18, 2019 till July 2,
2019, the air at Chulha will be loaded with flavoursome aromas.
Chef Prasad has 16 years of culinary experience. Though a
banquet chef, he has put his heart and soul into this festival as, according to
him, this is his “mother’s food”. He clearly states that the dishes on offer
during the festival are things you’ll find in household kitchens of Kerala, and
they are being made retaining that authenticity.
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Chef Prasad has travelled to places like Manila, Phuket and
Bangalore with cuisine from Kerala. Besides the set menu and the vegetarian and
non vegetarian thali on offer, he is quick to whip up a dish on demand. “Every
variation of a coconut is used in Kerala cuisine – coconut oil, coconut milk
and fresh coconut is infused in the dishes,” says Chef Prasad. He adds that
Kerala cuisine within itself is varied as various communities cook differently
and hence he had a long list of dishes to shortlist from according to the Goan
palate.
As for the food itself, you kick off to a great start with a
spicy yet sweet jaggery based Panakam drink with hints of cardamom and ginger,
and a bowl of crunchy jackfruit and banana chips from Kerala. ‘Karimeen Pollichathu’
is pearl spot fish that is marinated and cooked with a spice blend and wrapped
with banana leaves to add flavour. Another stand out dish is ‘Chemeen Kallu
Masala’, grilled tiger prawns cooked with kokum, spices and a prawn paste. The
non vegetarian thali offers seven unique dishes on one platter to give a
wholesome Kerala thali experience. While some dishes are variations of the
certain items from the traditional Sadhya, others are creations of the Chef.
The thali includes a wide range of flavours from a spicy yet mild ‘Nadan Kozhi
Curry’, ‘Koon Ulli Theeyel’, mushrooms and shallots with roasted coconut sauce,
to sweet and spicy ‘Madura Curry’ with cashews and pineapples and ‘Mampazha
Pulisseri’, ripened mango and yogurt curry. The serving of each dish is
satisfying and can be relished with Goan boiled rice or Kerala paratha. Quick
bites in the thali includes ‘Kaandhari Kozhi’ – clay roasted chicken marinated
with bird eye chilli and fresh herb and a shallow fried ‘Seafood Vada’ that
consists of a cake of made with prawn, squid and fish.
The rice and bread
platter includes Appam, Kerala Paratha, Malabar Masala Paratha, Kerala Red Rice
and Ghee Rice. Some of the must try dishes at the festival are ‘Karimeen
Pollichattu’, ‘Meen Manga Thakkali Curry’ – king fish cooked with raw mango and
coconut milk and the unmissable ‘Thalasseri Mutton Biryani’ served with thenga
pudina chanmmadhi with two types of pickles and raita.
To
top off the meal on a sweet note, Chef Prasad brought in Calicut halva, which
is completely different from the halva that is usually savoured in Goa. The
texture is very light and the dish has been flown in especially from Kerala.
“It would take over a day to prepare the dish and requires constant stirring,”
says Chef Prasad about the halva which is accompanied with slices of ‘Thean
Nellikka’, honey gooseberries. The menu for the festival also includes ‘palada
payasam’, a rice pasta cooked with jaggery and coconut milk.
