Travel
The Nutted Affair with Kerala
The waiter was in a hurry as he brought in two huge bowls and a large plate with something on it that looked like pieces of white frost cake. He placed them on the table, thanked, checked he bought everything and walked out closing the door. It was probably the sensual aroma that pranced in the air, or just me that I jumped off the chair in sheer excitement and sat to look into the first bon-china bowl he bought. I opened the lid of the bowl letting some steam escape. The label read, ‘chicken stew in coconut gravy’, and I was nothing less than surprised. I have never seen a stew in coconut base and I am here looking at a bowl of just that, cream colored; tomato and chili pieces cooked and floating up alongside some boiled peppered potatoe. A different conjunction, that whiff of cardamom and pepper! Chicken pieces are marinated well and shine in a good serving of coated oil. The silly binger being that I am, put my finger into the warm curry, pulls it back and savors the drop on my fingertips in a lick.
I opened the next bowl, labeled, ‘authentic chickpeas in spiced coconut broth’, I was actually awed at the difference in aroma from each of these dishes, made in a common base of coconut. The spicing was different, the sauté` and thickness varied and the color was nowhere near to each other! This was darn brown in color. Bowled over and eager to taste the difference, I couldn’t ignore that the white frost cakes were nothing but ‘steamed coconut milk cakes called ‘appams’! Amused, I suddenly realize that it’s a coconut tickling my taste buds, now! Although Kerala, the spice garden, has an authentic and highly appreciated spicy cuisine to boast about, I never expected coconut to rule it all; to be its base.
Taking a minute off the visual and olfactory plethora filled in the room, I look outside my window across the tarred road, and there stood a huge peepal tree. Just beneath it, was a huge pile of green coconuts with flies hovering around. A few people circled around quenching their thirst. The coconut vendor with his sickle, clears the head of a small green coconut, while turning it in his hands in a rhythm, as though inspecting it, chips a small hole on the cleared area in utter mastered ease, pushes in a straw and hands it over to a young girl. She looks happy and content, closing her eyes as she watered her parched throat sipping the cool drink. The vendor then peels off the white tender juicy flesh from another coconut shell onto a plantain leaf, laid on top of his little brown cart nearby. The succulent flesh heaped into a pile and looked just so juicy.
My mouth watered. The tall heads of swaying coconut trees far and near informs me of the abundance in my dishes and it’s all around! Kerala holds its coconut flavor so close that it’s one common element that runs through the oil they use, the medicinal concoctions, the coir-mat at their doorsteps, the tender liquor to the base of their authentic cuisine! Speaking of which makes me delve in. The famous Sadya from Kerala has the base of coconut shavings in all its curries. We just wonder how the spices mix and bring out a very appetising aroma!
My tummy only responded in burps.
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