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A touch of home

The `Thattukada fest' at The Mermaid Inn evokes nostalgia

FAMILIAR FLAVOURS From home kitchen

"It's really nostalgic," said John Abraham, Senior Executive, New India Assurance. He proceeds, "my job requires frequent travelling. So I'll be away from my own village for several days. Food stands as a great problem because I'm particular about homely food. Here, I found a solution for my problem."Like Mr. John, many found the Thattukada Fest at `Mermaid Inn', quite homely.

The festival, is actually a `hi-tech model' of a thattukada - a combination of the traditional and the buffet where you have a-la-carte on week days and buffet on Saturdays and Sundays to cater to the weekend rush.

The Mermaid Inn has created the "Thattu" effect inside the restaurant using bamboo bearings.

They have also given a dress code for the chefs - `Kallimundu', `baniyan' and `thalekkettu'. Children are tackled by the cunning magicians. Cinema posters and typical hot tea carried in bicycles - all have created a village mood.

The dishes include `Thattu' items like appom, porotta, egg roast, pazhampori and bajjies. The next stall serves you salads of different types and puttu and kadala curry.

`Pidi', a dish made using rice flour and grated coconut and cumin seeds, is eaten with beef or chicken curry. Also included are sea food items. Different kinds of `Mappas' are also arranged for pleasing the vegetarians. Desserts include semiya ada, unnakkai, and of course, ice-creams and fruit salad.The fest will end on November 5.

Go `naadan'

Thgey are healthy and easy to make, the very `naadan' dishes that are popular again. Here are some recipes that the chefs from Mermaid Inn graciously share with you.

Pidi

Rice flour: 100gm
Cumin seeds: 5gm
Grated coconut: 15gm
Salt to taste
Sauté the cumin seed and rice flour. Add grated coconut. Sauté till the raw flavour of flour changes. Add warm water to make a dough. Shape the dough into small rounds and keep aside. Boil water add salt. Put the pidi into the boiling water. When it's done, serve with chicken curry or a vegetable mapas.
Unnakai
Kerala banana: One
Grated coconut:15gm
Kismis: 2gm
Cashew nuts: 2gm
Ghee: 10gm
Oil for frying
Sugar:10gm

Steam the banana till tender. Mash it to a fine paste. Take a frying pan, add ghee, cashew nut, kismis, add grated coconut and sugar. Sauté till it turns slightly brown, keep aside. Take a little of the banana paste in the palm, flatten it, stuff it with grated coconut and fold into a ball, then deep fry it. Serve hot. Semiya ada

Semiya: 50gm

Grated coconut:10gm
Cashew nuts: 5gm
Kismis: 5gm
Ghee: 10gm
Sugar: 10gm

Cook the semiya till it's almost done. Keep aside. Sauté the grated coconut, sugar and kismis in ghee. Mix it with the cooked semiya. Take a small quantity and spread in on a piece of banana leaf Do the same with the rest of the mixture. Put these adas in the steamer till fully done. Serve hot with honey.

SMITHA S.NATH

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