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| An Introduction To The Food |
| Kerala |
| The south west state of Kerala lies on the Malabar Coast of India, 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. Sugatha Kumari, a Keralite poet and ecologist says 'Once there was a
time when the whole world was enamoured of the fragrance of Kerala." |
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| Kerala's Culture has evolved and has an open attitude to visitors and a strong
mix of religions. Kerala was the first place the world freely to elect a
communist government (and vote it out several years later) it has India's
lowest birth-rate and its highest literacy rate, and possibly the highest
concentration of poets. |
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| 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. Here we can
remind you of Kerala's traditions: the vibrant temple dance, Kathakali;
compelling music, the elephant parade and boat festival. Every year around
September, Kerala's greatest festival Onam, is celebrated with music, dance
and course, food. |
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| A South Indian Vegetarian Menu |
| In Kerala, your dishes are served on a huge fresh banana leaf, a disposable platter.
Contact with your food is direct and tactile as you eat with your right hand, mixing
wet into dry ingredients - a messy business for the uninitiated. |
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| No meal is complete without a selection of pickles and chutneys to add piquancy
(in India these are placed top left on the leaf), rice to fill you, a very liquid dal
(spiced cooked lentils) to moisten dry dishes, some yoghurt to cool the more fiery curries,
and a selection of crisp savouries. Not surprisingly these dishes are often made from
bananas, as Kerala has over 250 types, from bright green through every shade of yellow
to clay pink. They also appear in stews, dumplings and a rice breakfast dish
steamed in bamboo. |
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| To complete a feast, there may be bananas cooked in raw sugar syrup, scented with
cardamom from Kerala's cardamom hills in the east, or a sweet pudding with raisins
and cashew nuts, since Kerala is the cashew capital of India. |
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| The Kerala Feast At Rasa New castle |
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Our team of award winning chefs are expert at preparing the most exquisite mix of
flavours and textures in a Kerala Banquet. Why not let us prepare you a feast to enable
us to prepare a wide range of dishes.
A taste of all our specialities samples from our pre-meal snacks, starters, curry
selections, side dishes, rice, breads and traditional Keralite sweets. |
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| Please let us know if you have any particular favourites you would like us to include. |
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| Rasa Feast (per head) |
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£22.00 |
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| Vegetarian Feast(per head) |
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£19.50 |
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| These light and crispy treats are popular in Keralan tea shops for “tiffin” (afternoon
tea) and to munch while waiting at the station for the Trivandrum main train. 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. This snack began life in the Christian homes of Travancore and is now eaten all
over Southern India. |
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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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| Pappadoms |
| Plain crispy snack made of black gram lentils and rice. |
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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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| In addition to famous Rasa pickles and chutneys, we now bring you traditional Syrian
Christian cuisine embellished by the finesse of pickles and chutneys, all crafted from
succulent chicken and fresh fish. |
| Garlic Pickle |
Coriander Chutney |
| Lemon Pickle |
Mixed Vegetable Pickle |
| Meen Achar |
Chicken Pickle |
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| Starters |
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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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| Fresh king prawns marinated in refreshing spices and fried in the traditional fashion. |
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| A home speciality from a mixed chicken and potato mix rolled on breadcrumbs crisply
fried. |
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A crunchy stir-fried king fish, telopia fish and prawns tempered with Indian shallots
curry leaves,green chiilies and zest of lemon juice. |
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| Vegetarian Starters |
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| The tea time snack in Kerala, but delicious at any time. 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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| Most ideal starter for children and others who prefer non-spicy starters. Ripe
plantains dipped in rice and chickpea batter with tempered black sesame seeds served
with peanut and ginger chutney. |
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Vadais are South Indians speciality, it's a silk soft dumpling shaped like a doughnut
made of lentils, green chilles, onions and ginger. |
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| A soft and spongy dumplings made of rice and lentil served with coconut chutney and
sambar. |
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| Dosas |
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| Plain pancake served with sambar and coconut chutney. |
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| A paper thin pancake made of rice and black gram, folded in half with a filling of spicy
potatoes cooked with onions and ginger and served with sambar and coconut chutney. |
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| A speciality dosa from Kerala usually eaten during festivals and celebrations, a rice
and black gram flour pancake filled with a mixture of potatoes, beetroot, carrot, onion
and ginger served with sambar and coconut chutney. |
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South India's speciality, or u can call Indian “pizza” made of rice and lentil batter
topped with tomatoes, curry leaves, chillies and onions. Served with sambar (lentil
and vegetables sauce), coconut chutney. |
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| Main Dishes: CHICKEN |
| Thalassery Chicken Masala |
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£7.50 |
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| Thalassery in the North Kerala is well known for its meal dishes. A friend once
suggested that if I want to taste real Malabari food, I should try Chef's Sidhique's food
in Calicut. That was a revelation. Cubes of chicken cooked in a thick sauce of onions,
green chillies, ginger and tomatoes. |
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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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| Travancore Chicken Curry |
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£7.95 |
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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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| LAMB |
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| An indispensable combination with appams after the Easter fast for Travancore
Christians. Lamb cooked in fresh coconut milk, with finely sliced ginger, green chillies
and flavoured with cardamom and turmeric. |
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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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| Adipoli Erachi Mulagu |
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£9.75 |
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| 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. |
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| DUCK |
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| This is a Kuttanadu Christian speciality. Duck cooked in a thick sauce with ginger,
garlic, onion and coriander. |
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| PRAWNS |
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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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| A contribution from the Christian community on the coast of Cochin and very
frequently seen in traditional fish bars on the shore. When fishermen bring the catch,
customers purchase the prawns and take them to these bars that cook it fresh. It is a
spicy prawn dish with a thick sauce made of onions, tomatoes and green chilli. Ideal
to combine with parathas. |
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| CRAB |
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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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| FISH |
| Varutharacha Meen Curry |
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£9.95 |
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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 meen thenga choru. |
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| Kappayum Meenum Vevichathu |
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£9.95 |
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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 curry leaves, mustard seeds and grated
coconut. Lemon rice can be added to complete this divine combination. |
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| Curry Selection |
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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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| Cheera Parippu Curry [V] |
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£7.25 |
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| Fresh spinach and toor dal cooked in thick sauce of garlic, tomatoes and green
peppers, flavoured with curry leaves. |
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| A mixed vegetable speciality from the Southern State of Karnataka. A spicy curry
made of beans, carrots, cauliflower, potatoes and simmered in a sauce of garlic, ginger
and fennel. |
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| A Hyderabadi recipe of aubergines cooked in a ground paste of roasted onions,
coriander seeds, chillies and tamarind, mixed with yoghurt and cashew nut sauce. |
| Thakkali Payaru Curry [V] |
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£7.50 |
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| Fresh and tangy dish made of tomatoes, black eye beans cooked in yoghurt and
coconut milk with fresh ginger, onions, and coriander. |
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| Side Dishes |
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| A combination of potatoes, peas and peppers stir-fried with onions, cloves, black
pepper and tomatoes. |
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| An essential dish at every Kerala Feast, can be made from a variety of vegetable. This
one is made from chopped cabbage, cubed potatoes and lentil stir-fried together with
onion, fresh coconut and mustard seed. |
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| Pachakari Thoran [V] |
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£5.25 |
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| Assorted crunchy vegetables stir-fried and tempered with mustard seeds, cashew
nuts, curry leaves and coconut. |
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| Rice Dishes |
| Rice is a staple diet of Kerala and South India. Keralites cook their rice for variety and
texture. |
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| Plain rice mixed with fresh coconut, urad dal (white lentils) and curry leaves. |
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| A tangy, fresh tasting rice tossed with Lemon juice, fresh curry leaves, mustard seeds
and dried red chillies. |
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| Rice tossed gently with tamarind juice (a sweet and sour fruit), cooked with cashew
nuts, peanuts and dried red chillies. |
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| Basmati rice cooked in coconut milk with fresh tomatoes, cashew nuts, onions and
coriander. |
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| Plain white basmati rice. |
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| Breads |
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| A Kerala speciality - wheat dough layered and coiled into coir mat shape then cooked
on the griddle. A must with our curries. |
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| Chapathi (2 pieces) |
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£2.50 |
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| Round, flat wholemeal bread. |
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| Traditional puffed wheat flour bread. |
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| A crispy, spongy rice pancake, essential for mopping - up moist curries. |
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| Madhuram |
| Any auspicious feast in Kerala is not complete with out a “Payasam”. It is said that the
Payasam (the sweet) will make the meal memorable for years. Try our selection of
traditional Keralan sweets and other lesser known Indian sweets. |
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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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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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| An auspicious rice pudding from the famous Krishna temple in Kerala. Rice cooked in
boiling milk with cashew nuts, raisins and cardamom. |
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| Vanilla /Banana/Strawberry/ Chocolate |
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| Optional service charge 12.5% |
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