"Nalla Nadan Bhakshnam"~ Cravings of a Malayali Pravasi

" Pravasi " that's what you get called in Kerala once you move out of state either for higher education or in search of job opportunities. So technically I'm a pravasi too from the time I came to Vellore for my studies .A month or two in when all the packed home goodies get over, we malayalis start the hunt to find some authentic mallu food place in our current surroundings ,and we somehow we end up finding our pit stop for the next few years to come .The Sense of Taste and Smell is something that brings people from all cultures together and we malayalis are no less in connecting through our food. We love relishing our Parota and Beef ,and the "chaativadi" moment when it's Kappa and meen curry in the house. For those who haven't had their "chaativadi" moment, then brother/sister you are missing on something major."Chaativadi" is nothing but indulging guilt free into the last leftovers in the pot{Chaati}.And then There are days when the weather sets a gloomy mood with the chill breeze brushing against the frizz of your hair ,which makes you crave for some "PAZAMPORI"[Banana fritters] and some hot chai {i can imagine the steam rising from that glass }.We Love Sea food a lot, from our famous "KARIMEEN POLICHATHU"[Steamed Pearl spot fish] to our "Challa fry"[Sardine fry] can make your mouth water the moment you think about it. Coming to our day to day delicacies ,yes our rice is a bit puffed{or fat as some call it} there's no show without the KING OF THE MALLU KITCHEN "COCONUT ".Yes, We add lots of love and warmth in the form of coconut oil, coconut milk ,coconut shavings. What's more heavenly than Mooru Curry ,Beef Ulathiyathu / Meen Curry ,Avial{considering the vegetarians],Cabbage thoran ,INJIPULLI and some hot pappadam .AHH! That Divine smell of the well cooked pieces of meat in that MALABAR biriyani and a hot "Sulaimani" to digest it. When we miss home a bit too much we run to the grocery stores and pick up the ingredients for our favourite nadan meal and to make it more merry we might invite our friends too. To turn up the mood we might even blast our speakers with the "Chembavu Song" or "FISH ROCK OR THE PUTTU SONG".We might even go overboard of getting some plantain laves to serve the food to give the authentic experience.For us Chaka[Jackfruit],Thenga [Coconut],Mangga[Mango],Kappa[Tapioca] ,Kaya[Plaintain] etc are emotions. They are like the gold of the underworld for mallufood. We are born innovative and that has also influenced our recipes, that explains why you might find us using almost every part of plantain. Onam calls for the full fledged course meal served on a plantain which we refer to as "Sadhya" which we enjoy while we tap our feet to "Kuttanadan Punjayile"[Boat Song].Our Mornings are mostly the Puttu Kadala vibe or an Appam and Stew day wahed down with an elachi flavoured milk tea.Our Hearts are as large as our tummies ,be it day or night the hospitable mallu is ready with open gates and doors.

Yours Truly

Miss Alex