As Ramzan approaches, North Kerala’s ambiance gets sprinkled aroma of ghee, coconut oil and Malabar spices. Iftaar perhaps couldn’t get better, whether snacks or a full meal, you wouldn’t want to let anything slip by.
In Kasakkode, during this time of the year, NRIs fly back to this hometown of theirs and engage themselves in the making of very-popular Mouval Samosas. The Samosas are sold like hot cakes, as this indeed is one of the most loved dish on Iftaar platter for those who fast all throughout the day. This group of NRIs cooks between sixty thousand and one lakh Mouval Samosas and then sell them across three districts in North Kerala. When they are not busy creating the culinary magic, they are working overseas in the Middle East at a popular F&B company. When asked about the ingredients of their lip-smacking samosas, one of the group members, Mauval Ibrahim said “Our fillings are different”.
It’s not just the samosas that’s much-talked-about, the Malabar is already acclaimed for such Moplah or Mappila (means Muslim in local dialect) dishes. The demand ascends especially during Ramzan. Kozhikode and Thalassery are two such places where Malabari cuisine is a dominant aspect. Not just Muslim, people with different religious beliefs visit these two places to enjoy Moplah cuisine. Kozhikode is also specifically known for its halwas.
Popular Moplah Chef, Abida Rasheed, in an interview, said “We never use anything artificial to enhance the flavour of our dishes, but allow the natural flavors of the ingredients to come out”. Abida once hosted a live cookery show, in which she told about 71 Malabari breakfast items and she is also known as Ambassador of Moplah Cuisine. When traveling to food fests, she always carries her vessels such as cheena chetty (frying pan) and uruli (brass cooking pot). Her daughter, Nafisa Rasheed, who is 22 and a communication graduate, is working on her mother’s footsteps.
Moplah cuisine is inspired by Arab traders who visited Malabar region for spices, centuries ago. Not just the Arabs, traders such as Portuguese and Dutch have also lead to the inspiration. A Thalassery-based gourmet writer, Aysha Tanya said “The perfect blend of several cultures led to the creation of a cuisine that uses local ingredients with techniques and concepts borrowed from faraway lands.”
One of the main reasons why this cuisine is much-loved is Malabar’s spices, which has attracted French, Chinese and British. A blend of many cultures is found in the dishes. Alisa is a porridge made with chicken, grated onion, wheat and coconut is said to have originated in Yemen. Similarly Mutta Mala has striking similarities with Portuguese fios de ovos. It is mainly made of sugar syrup and egg yolk. Moplah Cuisine is not just about veg platter and fruit-based items, it also consists of dishes made of fish, shell fish dishes and mutton. However if we talk about main course in particular, we just cannot forget about Thalassery dum biryani. Other popular and most-loved Moplah dishes include Ari Pathiri, Erachi Puttu, Ari Pathiri, Unnakkaya, Kadukka, Kunjurotti and Pazham Nirachattu.
Resel Pookutty, from Kerala, is an Oscar-winning sound artist and on when asked to say a few words about Malabar cuisine, he said- “Like the warmth of the people, Malabar cuisine tickles the palette of food lovers”.