A strange concoction of 23 herbs and condiments coated with a sweet mix of palm sugar served by a middle aged fakir on his little old cart—that is Hussain Ikka's Kahwah at Puthiya road in Mattanchery. In a busy street that bustles with so much life around it, this place is a ghazal of its own kind—calm and entertaining only for those who come in search of it. Hussain Ikka's hot beverage can be easily mistaken for coffee. However, the most bizarre of all Kahwahs, contains no coffee at all and that is the secret to making this a starting point for all food journeys across Fort Kochi.
My hometown Fort Cochin is a heven for snacking in the evenings at Balante Kada for Sawalabajji and Irachi curry right next to Hussainikka. But after every such meaty meal, we make sure we keep that foodgasm going with a familiar gulp of the Kahwah. My food journeys have always begun or ended with this Kahwah including Soul fried monologues —my book and my association with the concept of #foodwalkcompany with my family @EatKochiEat. Hussain Ikka's Kahwah is a must try in these parts for us to get close to understanding the medicinal values of herbs like marjoram, oregano (aymodhakam), malabar nut (adalodakam),hogweed (thazhuthaama) and the rest that make this Kahwah ever so refreshing and not so coffee.
Sree Muruga might sound like an Uduppi restaurant, but it isn't. It is one of the most legendary pit stops for the most succulent beef curry and banana fritters in Poonithura, right after Maradu on way to Udayamperoor. Legend has it that this strange combination of Pazhampori and Irachi curry was discovered out of the blue when once a few passing by lorry drivers were left with no choice but to eat the curry with the only other available thing in the shop. Sree Muruga Café is definitely one place a food enthusiast cannot afford to miss.
When we come to Kerala's heartland in the centre, we are introduced to the ranchers, the cowboys and the real meat eaters who like their meat raw and medium rare as opposed to the well done we are so used to in familiar territory. One such rancher who enjoys serving food medium rare to his elite clientele is Madhu, who runs a roadside seafood shack right on the Cherthala highway. What is peculiar about Madhu is that he is a graduate in technology and a chef by choice. Res ipsa loquitur, like we say in legal parlance, the thing speaks for itself: All of his delicacies are cooked to medium rare or medium consistency that you would get the hit of freshness from the fish or the prawns or any other seafood delicacy that he serves up to the crowd thickening in his magnum opus Madhu's restaurant near X-ray Junction on the Cherthala Highway.
Don't forget to get Madhu's number and call in to ask if you are lucky to have the most treasured poorman's caviar— the fish row he serves up though only available on certain days. Another thing that is rather intriguing is the almost raw fry version of anchovies or kozhuva that he doesn't crisp up to golden brown, yet tastes out of the world and so heavenly. In our journey to the capital covering 20 places in two days, we came across Krishna Hotel in Balaramapuram. The remotely located place has people flocking in to get a taste of Naadankozhi Perattu. What makes the dish out of the world is the addition of fried coconut paste in the right measure and consistency that gives this home-grown version of the Varutharacha kozhi curry an identity of its own.
No journey to unearth mysteries of the culinary lovers of Kerala is ever complete without a taste of Malabar. One wouldn't be surprised to be enticed by the charm of the old world on stepping foot in Calicut. Kozhikode to me is the food capital of Kerala, where you have a plateful of memories served bite sized and wallet-friendly to please the hungry soul. My journeys amidst Zamorin land have always been a feast where I've had a surfeit of amazing street food, notably the Kadukka Nirachathu, which is pure bliss. The genius behind those delicate mussel dumplings drives crowds in numbers to the Kozhikode beach to feast with an Ice-Achaar (a sweet and sour slush made of ice shavings) in hand.
Step on to the beach, you land up in an uber cool Adaminte Chaayakada where we had the Malabar version of the Southern fried chicken called Kozhi Pottitherichathu, which literally creates a bang on appearance for being one of the strangest sounding chickens that I've had with a generous helping of green chilly mayo. This truly remained an indelible journey for foodwalkers who go about doing our eatathons across God's Own Country.
