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Manna from Malabar

Yummy Yummy! Moplah food at Dakshin

A Moplah meal at Sheraton’s Dakshin deserves to enter the hall of fame of cuisines. Held simultaneously at all the Sheraton branches across the country, “Moplah Magic” is a truly wonderful Indian food festival. Moplah cuisine, prepared by the Muslims of Malabar region in Kerala, is unique for its Arab and Samarkandi flavours and is known for its non-vegetarian fare. Many of the dishes are familiar Malayalee fare, but some are distinctly Moplah, with a generous use of coriander, pepper and mace.

With just 56-covers Dakshin is an intimate and close-knit restaurant, embellished with all things South Indian. A meal here starts with a platter of papadams and coconut, tamarind and coriander chutney. Chef C.B. Shankaran, Master Chef at Dakshin, brings a bowl of alisa in a large brass bowl. This dish of shredded lamb with broken wheat is like a haleem but the consistency is more gruel-like. This is the food of gods. The taste is pristine but simple. The lamb is cooked for hours with cinnamon and onions. A simple garnish of ghee and brown onions piques this dish to perfection. The other appetiser, the lamb mince filled short crust is nice for its crispiness but it will leave you with oil-slick fingers.

The main course offers a variety of exquisite vegetarian and non-vegetarian delicacies. The kaipa thiyal is bitter gourd at its best. Thiyal in itself is an aromatic curry made from tamarind, coconut etc but the addition of bitter gourd adds a subterranean layer to thiyal. The pachakari khurma is another finely balanced delicate vegetable curry, made with coconut milk. These curries are so well-flavoured in themselves that they are best had with plain rice or an ace appam.

Prawns cooked in mango gravy is the one disappointment of the meal, for the prawns are simply too rubbery. The country chicken cooked in a yoghurt gravy with spices is a better option as the curry while being spicy is not chilli hot.

Moplah cuisine is best known also for its biryanis, and with reason. The biryanis are like gymnasts — delicate yet strong. Made from small-grained rice, Chef Shankaran reveals that the biryanis of the region are distinct for the use of star anis and green cardamom. You can pick between the prawn biryani or the chicken biryani and neither will disappoint.

The desserts are very typical Malayalee – austere and straightforward. The elai adai, made from coconut, jaggery and jackfruit has a sharp but not-too-sweet taste. You might not like it immediately, but it’s the ultimate way to end a perfect meal.

The festival runs till 12th July. A meal for two will cost Rs.2500 (plus taxes)

NANDINI NAIR

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