This presentation covers geographical location , historical culture, staple diet, specialty cuisine, special equipment, 4 course menu and seasonal availability of cuisine Kerala .
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.
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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.
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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……
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
Appam 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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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15. Malabar Parottha with Kerala beef curry:
Layered flat bread that originated in the
Malabar region called Parottha 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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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 2nd 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 1st coconut milk. Cook this slowly to reduce gravy.
• Check the seasoning and serve with appam, pathiri or paratha
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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• Kerala Menu – Kerala Recipes
• https://www.asianage.com › disc... Web
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• Discovering forgotten culinary gems –
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
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