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| RASA MUDRA |
Mudrā is a Sanskrit word (मुद्रा) meaning symbolic gestures mostly performed with the hands and fingers, which are widely used in almost all the traditional Indian Classical dances. These permutation and combination of hands and fingers can be so complex some times as there are over 200 mudrās in bharatanatyam and over 250 in mohiniattam, formed by one or both hands. Kathakali, traditional dance drama has basic 24 basic mudrās. With the help of mudrās, facial expressions and other postures, the performer effectively conveys the story he /she enacts.
Anjali mudrā, as the one in the picture, of two hands brought together near the heart, is very commonly used and it means a hearty welcome with great respect. You come across this one very often when you ring the calling bell of any Keralan Home.
With this Anjali Mudra, let us welcome you to our wonderful cuisine from Kerala, the south western state on the Malabar Coast of India, sandwiched between the mighty Western Ghats and a scenic Arabian ocean. A tropical region made up almost entirely of inland waterways, coconut groves, and spice plantations. Kerala has traded its spices - cardamom, ginger, turmeric and black pepper - with Arab, Chinese and European merchants for thousands of years.
Rasa is the brain child of celebrity chef Das Sreedharan and is an award winning chain of restaurants inspired by the authentic home cooking of beautiful, spice-rich Kerala, where all our chefs are trained. Rasa means taste (but not only of food), and we want you to experience a taste of Kerala's village and dishes from other southern Indian states.
At Rasa we preserve the original culinary traditions of Kerala and take you along the ancient spice trail and authentic coastal cuisine, evoking images of a timeless heritage. Our team of award winning chefs is expert at preparing the most exquisite mix of flavours and textures in a Kerala cooking. Food is our passion, prepared for you always with devotion, love, and the finest ingredients. Rasa is proud to come to Leytonstone and we invite you with passion to come and explore the authentic culinary traditions of Kerala, affectionately called ‘Gods own country’. |
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| Feast at Mudra |
| Our team of award winning chefs is expert at preparing the most exquisite mix of flavours and textures in Kerala Banquet. Why not let us prepare your own personal feast enabling you to sample a wide range of our dishes. Please let us know if you have any particular favourites you would like us to include. |
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| Please let us know if you have any particular favourites you would like us to include. |
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| Vegetarian Feast (per head) |
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£17.50 |
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| Samples from our veg starters, veg curry selection, side dish, rice, bread and a traditional Keralan rice pudding. |
| Mudra Feast(per head) |
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£20.00 |
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| Samples from our Non-veg starters, Non veg curry selection, side dish, rice, bread and a traditional Keralan rice pudding |
| 12.5% Service charge extra as applicable. |
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| Pre-Meal Snacks |
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£3.00 |
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| These light and crispy treats are popular in Keralan teashops for “tiffin” (afternoon tea). They are best accompanied by our unique selection of home-made chutneys and pickles. A snack tray consisting of: |
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| Achappam |
| A flower shaped snack made of rice flour and coconut, black sesame seeds and cumin seeds. |
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| Pappadoms |
| Plain crispy snack made of black gram lentils and rice. |
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| Pappadavadai |
| Pappadoms dipped in a light batter of rice flour, cumin and sesame seeds and fried to give them extra “crunch and crackle” - these are Pappadoms with a difference. |
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| Banana Chips |
| Crispy banana chips |
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| Murukku |
| Crunchy sticks made from roasted rice flour, black sesame seeds and cumin seeds. |
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| Pickles And Chutneys |
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£2.75 |
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| The spicy fresh punctuation of the best Indian food and as important to a South Indian as the food itself. All of our pickles and chutneys are home made. |
| Garlic Pickle |
Green Mango Pickle |
| Lemon Pickle |
Coriander Chutney |
| Mixed Vegetable Pickle |
Red pepper chutney |
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| SOUPS |
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| A soup made from a combination of three different lentils, flavoured with tomato, garlic, coriander and black pepper. |
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| Special Seafood soup from our Samudra menu, made from Crab, Fish, Prawns and Rice, flavoured with fresh tender coconut and spices. |
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Starters |
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| Plantain slices are dipped in a batter of rice and chickpea flour seasoned with black sesame seeds, then crisply fried. Served with our specially prepared peanut and ginger sauce. Perfect for children and people who prefer non-spicy starters |
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| Potato balls laced with fresh ginger, curry leaves, coriander and black mustard seeds, dipped and fried in chickpea flour batter and crisply fried. Served with moist, creamy coconut chutney. |
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| Finely sliced pieces of aubergines are dipped in a special batter, blended with coriander and chilli, before frying. Served with fresh tomato chutney. |
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| A home speciality snack made from delicately spiced chicken and potato mix rolled on breadcrumbs crisply fried. |
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| Kingfish marinated in a spicy paste made of ginger, green chillies and coriander, then shallow fried in traditional fashion. |
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| King prawns marinated in a special batter, deep-fried and served with salad. |
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| Main Dishes |
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| The most common chicken curry made in Kerala. Cubes of boneless chicken cooked in a lovely pepper masala made from garlic, mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chillies and ginger. A fantastic combination with paratha and lemon rice. |
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| A famous recipe 'The Christmas Speciality'. Fried chicken cooked with onions, ginger, garlic, curry leaves, chilli powder, chopped tomatoes and black pepper. |
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| A traditional lamb curry cooked in a green masala made from fresh coconut, green chillies and ginger. |
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| Erachi Olathiyathu (Dry) |
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£6.95 |
| An essential item from the Toddy shop and the bar menus of Kerala . Boneless cubes of lamb and dry cooked in turmeric water, then stir-fried in an open kadai with an abundance of black pepper, curry leaves, and finely sliced fresh coconut slivers. A spicy dish. Great with a combination of paratha bread or chapattis. |
| Arachu Varatha Meen |
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£7.25 |
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| A signature dish of Ms Mariamma from Trivandrum, this is tilapia fish gently cooked in a turmeric coloured coconut sauce flavoured with tomatoes, curry leaves and mustard seeds. Superb combination with lemon or coconut rice. |
| Kappayum Meenum Vevichathu |
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£7.50 |
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| The most popular kallu shappu ( Toddy shop) delicacy in Syrian Christian populated hilly areas, The fame of this dish is unparalleled and people throng village bars just to taste this fish curry, which is a uniquely combined with Kerala staple tapioca. King fish slices prepared with tamarind and fresh spices in a medium spicy sauce served with steamed tapioca root, seasoned with curryleaves, mustard seeds and grated coconut. Lemon rice can be added to complete this divine combination. |
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| Taken from the famous 'Coconut Grove' menu, this is a delicious and mildly spiced prawn dish cooked in the sauce of ground coconut, turmeric powder and green chillies tempered with aromatic curry leaves and mustard seeds. It is a mouthwatering combination with tamarind rice or appams. |
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| The most popular dish in Rasa Samudra. Fresh crabs cooked in turmeric and chilli water stir fried with Indian shallots, black pepper and curry leaves. Combines with paratha. |
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| Moru Kachiyathu (V) |
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£5.50 |
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| An unusual combination of sweet mangoes and green bananas cooked in yoghurt with green chillies, ginger and fresh curry leaves. A sweet and sour dish that is highly recommended. |
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| Travancore Kayi Curry (V) |
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£5.50 |
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| Cubes of Carrot, potatoes, peas and beans steamed and cooked in a special sauce made of freshly ground coconut, green chillies and turmeric powder. Goes well with parathas. |
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| Traditional lentil curry made of three different lentils cooked with tomatoes, green chillies and tempered with fried garlic, curry leaves and mustard seeds. Excellent side dish with any curries. |
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| Beans and Carrot Thoran (Dry) |
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£4.50 |
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| Fresh green beans ad carrots finely chopped and cooked in the traditional thoran style with onions, fresh grated coconut, green chillies curry leaves and dry red chillies. |
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| Rice Dishes |
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| Traditional pilau rice tossed with a delightful flavour of fresh grated coconut, urad dal, curry leaves and crushed black peppercorns. |
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| Lemon Rice |
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£2.45 |
| A tangy, fresh tasting rice tossed with lemon juice, fresh curry leaves and mustard seeds. Goes well with almost all our dishes and curries. |
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| Boiled Rice |
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£2.00 |
| Steamed plain white basmati rice. |
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| Breads |
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| A Kerala speciality - wheat dough layered and coiled into a coir mat shape then cooked on the griddle. A must with our curries. |
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| Chapatti (2 Pieces) |
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£2.00 |
| Traditional Roti! Round, flat wholemeal bread. |
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| A crispy, spongy rice pancake, essential for mopping- up moist curries. |
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| Madhuram (Dessert) |
| Any auspicious feast in Kerala is not complete with out a “Madhuram”. It is said that the Madhuram (the sweet) will make the meal memorable for years. |
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| This is the Palakkad Iyer (Brahmin) speciality with a difference. These tiny pancakes are made from bananas, plain flour and cardamom. |
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| An auspicious rice pudding from served on the traditional Hindu weddings in Kerala. Rice cooked in sweetened milk flavoured with cardamom, cashew nuts and raisins. |
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| A Brahmin recipe of semolina, mango, cashew nuts, and raisins, they are more like Halwas but much lighter and with more flavour. |
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| Ice Cream (Vanilla) |
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£2.00 |
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| Allergies: Please note some of our dishes may contain traces of nuts or gluten or diary products. Please ask the waiter for advice. |
| 12.5% Service charge extra as applicable. |
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