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Introduction
Of course I love restaurants and I take my hat off to all those brilliant chefs, but when it comes to home-cooked food I could write sonnets and odes. I am sure even the chefs will agree with me that there is something uniquely reassuring and comforting about home-cooked food and when it is one of my favourite cuisines (from the Malabar Coast) that is made at home then I am delighted to serve up the information to you.
The talented Fouzia of Fouzia's Kitchen specialises in what she describes as the Maplah food — "a mixture of Arab and Kerala food".
The talented woman hails from a north Kerala family of gourmets and great cooks; however, it is Amina, her mother who is her inspiration. It all started as a hobby when she was 20 years old and now it has turned into a passion. She cooks up the spicy, non-veg dishes that are rich and fragrant with cardamom, clove, pepper and coconut.
This is the first time I taste "egg garland" (mutta mala) which is a delicious sweet made with egg yolk and sugar syrup. The other sweets are made of coconut or the Kerala special banana called Nendram.
She makes an amazing variety of payasams such as jackfruit payasam, banana payasam and whole-wheat payasam.
However, it is fish, which is her specialty and it might be a good idea to get Fouzia's menu and order at leisure. Fish molee, fish hot curry, meen pathiri and more. Mutta sirka (unique rice and egg puri) is worth trying. I also enjoy the flavoursome fish biryani (Rs. 600 per kg) and the chicken fry.
It might interest you to know that Fouzia also makes lasagne, pizza, pasta, trifle pudding and more. I still have to try those.
The next time I'm in Chennai, I'm going to make it a point to request for the simple and wholesome "Alaisa", the wedding special dish made of wheat and mutton or chicken.
It is cooked for three to four hours. It can be made with sugar and had as a sweet or it can be cooked without sugar and you can have it for breakfast. What's more, she also makes seafood pickles; fish, mussel and prawns are her specialties.
Fouzia's Kitchen, Riverside, 2nd floor, Venugopal Avenue, Spurtank Road, Chennai - 31, ph: 28362873 and 98404 76192.
Dial 32511133 or mail us at Good Food Line, Metro Plus, The Hindu, Kasturi
Buildings, 859/860, Anna Salai,
Chennai - 600002 or e-mail to allmypets@sify.com
RASHMI UDAY SINGH
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