Kappa, Chakka, Kandhari - A Malayalee Feast

It was a normal Friday evening, I was doing some laundry after college when a classmate texted me this invite. He said, “Hey, I’m going with my parents, would you like to come? It’s all about revival of traditional food of Kerala. You’d find it interesting.”

The invite

Of course, I jumped at the opportunity! I was a bit unsure of what exactly the event would be but I was excited for a new experience and to explore traditional cuisine of Kerala.

“Kappa, Chakka, Kandhari” is a project by three Malayalees, who aim to revive the truly traditional cuisine of Kerala among Malayalees and others all over the world! Their name itself, I learnt, consists of three very quintessential ingredients of Kerala food – "Kappa" is tapioca, "Chakka" is jackfruit and "Kandhari" is the small but powerful bird’s-eye chili of Kerala. 

Bottom right - Pickled garlic and Kandhari chilis -
Ate one of those garlic pods and my mouth spontaneously combusted!

The event turned out to be a lovely dinner – showcasing such a large spread of traditional foods – at some point I lost count of just how many! The first thing that caught my attention was how beautifully the food was laid out – in traditional earthenware pots, atop earthenware stands, lined with banana leaves and typical coconut shell serving spoons!

Everything was laid out in earthen pots

A complete novice to the traditional cuisine of Kerala, I went a bit mad with excitement! I tried everything, and went back for seconds of the things I loved, asked people behind the counter the names of things again and again in the hopes of remembering… they were amused and a bit exasperated because of how many times I asked! But alas, I could barely remember any -- all were traditional Malayalam names. Luckily I got pictures of a few of the many dishes that I loved, with their labels. Some of my favorites were an amazing fish pickle called "Meen Vattichathu", and a beef curry called "Pothirachi curry".

Most divine fish pickle!

"Kappa" (tapioca) and beef biryani

There was pork, beef, fish, prawns, tapioca, jackfruit seeds, so many things! Some ingredients were familiar to me, from the coastal Konkani food I’m used to from my mum’s side of the family – like jackfruit seeds, coloccasia, and some fish… Other things were completely new to me. But what was interesting was that I stumbled upon purple yams – something I’ve always loved (as "kand") in the Gujarati cuisine I’ve grown up with from my dad’s side of the family.  Didn’t expect to find such a uniquely common ingredient between those two states!

Purple yams, called "Kand" in Gujarati

By the time I ate my way through the starters and the main dishes I was stuffed. With a little hesitation – on account of lack of space left in my stomach – I approached the desserts. But boy, would I have missed out if I had skipped those! My favorites were probably "unniappams", an amazing banana payasam, and some irresistible dried banana candied with jaggery, coconut and cardamom. 

"Unniappam" -- sweet fried paniyaram 

"Pazam" or banana payasam - jammy, with fried nuts and something crunchy

For me this was a first time experience, but so many Malayalees there were thrilled to get reconnected to their traditional food. Revival of traditional cuisines and forgotten foods through such experiences is such an amazing process – one I love being a part of! Awakening peoples lost connections with their food, or introducing new people to an old cuisine to create new connections. Isn’t that what food is all about – memories, stories, and connections?

I know this will be a food memory I’ll remember, and this is definitely a cuisine I want to explore more. To all my Mallu friends – please invite me home for food!