The Best Of Kerala Cuisine For The Perfect Southern Gastronomic Experience

Kerala has a diverse gastronomic landscape. From spicy curries to rice-based dishes, the state has it all on offer. Here are the different types of dishes you must try while you soak in the sun and take a trip down the backwaters.

Syrian Christian cuisine:

1. Mappas

Mappas is a type of stew where the meat is cooked in creamy coconut milk and it is best devoured with hot and steamy appam.

2. Peralen

Peralen means 'coated' or 'covered' in Malayalam. This is a traditional Kerala-style dry curry in which each piece of meat is covered in spices without the use of any water. It is cooked in coconut oil, ample spices and curry leaves.

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3. Meat Thoran

This dish is Kerala's take on stir-fry, traditionally it is made with finely chopped vegetables sauteed in coconut oil. The meat version includes finely chopped pieces of red meat, deep fried and tossed with coconut. This dish is versatile on its own since you have the liberty to any vegetable you desire along with the meat of your choice.

4. Meen Moilee

The word 'moilee' literally translates to stew. This dish consists of fish as its meat and is cooked in creamy coconut milk with very low spice content. The dish has a nuanced flavour, a mild almost sweet yet satisfying spicy aftertaste. It is best served with steamed rice or appams.

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5. Meen Mulakittathu" or "Meen vevichathu"

If you're a lover of the spices, this dish will blow you away with the huge range of flavours. This fish curry is cooked with red chillies and is not one for the weak-hearted.

6. Pidiyum Kozhiyum

This traditional dish can be eaten for both breakfast and dinner. It consists of dumplings made from roasted rice flour and is served with chicken curry.

Mappila cuisine:

1. Biriyani

Kerala's version of biryani like the rest of the states in the country. It brings to our table an amalgamation of spices and is served best with onion raita. Best known are the moist, Thalassery biriyani and Kozhikodan biriyani.

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2. Kallummakkaya

A coastal delicacy from Kerala, Kallummakkaya is spicy curry with mussels. The mussels are boiled in water so that the hard shell comes off easily and the meat remains fresh.

3. Ney Choru

Ney choru is a rice dish which is made with lots of ghee and spices. The words 'ney choru' literally translate to ghee rice.

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4. Unnakkaya

Unnakkaya is a dessert which is made of plantain. It belongs to the Malabar region and is a common sight at weddings, Iftar and other festivals in Kerala. The plantain is mashed and then covered in batter, before it is deep-fried.

Nair cuisine:

1. Sambar

Everyone knows that sambar is a lentil-based vegetable curry, here it is tempered with coconut oil, loads of curry leaves and a variety of freshly ground spices. The tangy sambar gets its twang from freshly squeezed tamarind pulp.

2. Rasam

This dish is made from freshly ground spices and can be eaten with as rice. This light and peppery curry is also served as a soup, before a meal. The best part of cooking rasam is that it can be whipped up in less than 15 minutes.

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3. Erachi Choru

A traditional meat and rice dish from the Malabar region, it is cooked in coconut oil. It is also considered as biriyani's easier counterpart and will fulfill your cravings.

4. Thoran

Thoran is a popular vegetarian delicacy in Kerala where the vegetables are tempered with red chillies and garlic, and is also seasoned with powdered cumin. This is a staple vegetarian dish across the state.

5. Sadhya

This is a spread of vegetarian only dishes, laid out in a specific manner, with dishes of sweet, sour spicy and umami flavours.

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The Staples

1. Appam

Appam is basically fermented rice batter, which has a dash of toddy. This fluffy bread is best eaten with almost every curry/stew the Malabar region has to offer.

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2. Idli

Idlis are made from fermented rice batter. This steamed dish is best eaten with sambar.

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3. Dosa

There is no doubt about the fact that the whole country knows and loves dosa. Again, it is cooked with batter made from rice and can be customised according to one's preference.

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4. Idiyappam

Idiyappam is a rice-noodle dish where the rice flour is pressed into a noodle form, and steamed. This is the favourite accompaniment for spicy curries and stews.

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5. Puttu

Mainly a breakfast dish, puttu is steamed, layered rice and coconut mixture. Steamed in a cylindrical vessel, the puttu has a distinct shape. It can be eaten with sweet and savoury flavoured gravies.

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6. Pathiri

Pathiri is a pancake made from rice flour. The rice is traditionally crushed on a stone grinder, the flour is then baked on pans known as oadu.

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Hungry yet?