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Tempting green fare

Try food that has been cooked sans artificial flavours

PURE VEGETARIAN MEAL Rajakeeyam

Sceptical we entered Kadalivanam, near S.L. Theatre, Chettikulangara, Overbridge Junction. Hearing that they served only greens cooked sans garlic, onion, vinegar, mustard, red chilli and sugar, we were surprised to see many an occupied table at the restaurant.

Led to our table, we order Rajakeeyam meals while wondering how the food would be. A small bowl containing sliced bananas with scrapped coconut was the first entry. Okay so far.

Five glasses were then placed before us and we were told to drink them starting from right to left. We take a tentative sip from the first glass. Sweet. The waiter tells us it is a juice prepared from dates mixed with honey.

The next glassful reminded one of badam milk, no surprise, as it's a mix of cashew, almond and coconut milk. The vegetable soup in the third cup tasted like clear tomato soup while the buttermilk in the fourth glass was spicy. The last glass contained rice soup.

Next came a host of vegetable dishes served on a banana leaf. Waiting for the rice that normally comes along with vegetables, the waiter tells us that rice is served at the very end of the meal. Bran mixed with coconut and jaggery, which looked, and tasted a bit like `thenga chamenthi,' `Varapindi salad,' Cucumber pachidi, Bean sprouts thoran and `Varkhumbu thoran' were some of the vegetable dishes served. With no garlic, chilli, vinegar and mustard, they tasted surprisingly good. Here too one followed the right to left order.

Sweet as honey

Rice was served with a creamy `parippu curry' and yummy sambar. For dessert, we were served payasam that was sweetened with honey. A spoonful of honey was poured onto our palm for us to top our meal. " It aids digestion," says our waiter.

For lunch the restaurant offers Rajakeeyam meals, Vishishtam meals (it comes without the five drinks) and vegetable biriyani.

Dinner has the restaurant serving puttu, chapatti, masala dosa, chirattu puttu, string hoppers, the all healthy rice gruel and a host of other dishes. It is also open for breakfast. For those who want to beat the summer heat, Kadalivanam offers fruit juices like pineapple, dry grapes, papaya, gooseberry and dates.

According to the restaurant's manager, P.K. Rejimon, Kadalivanam aims at popularising naturopathic food. "The sanyasis and gurus lived on naturopathic food. See how long they lived and how healthy they were."

So for those who want an all-natural vegetarian meal, the restaurant is open at 9 a.m. and winds up by 9 p.m.

LIZA GEORGE

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