Kerala - Kollam   

Dakshin food fete a feast for the palate

KOLLAM: Eating out has never been this popular in Kollam. Families increasingly like to round off their day savouring delectable fare. Food festivals are held regularly to tempt the people’s tastebuds.

The Onam season saw a number of such festivals and they proved a hit with the foodies.

The Beach Orchid is now hosting a Dakshin Food Festival, offering eclectic south Indian fare. There are 89 vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes to choose from and cuisines as diverse as Goan, Nizami, Chettinad, Karaikudi, Mangalorean, and Malabari, all prepared by chef Thulasidharan Pillai who is back at his native place after a long stint in Bangalore and Australia.

The Beach Orchid General Manager Rahul Bhattacharjee said one of the main aims of the festival was to introduce new cuisines to the people of Kollam.

The Goan food served at the festival hints at its Portuguese origins. The chicken cafreal takes 10 hours to prepare, though the cooking time is only about 10 minutes. Then there is the beef vindaloo and a vegetarian soup prepared with tender coconut water.

Apart from traditional Kerala cuisine that includes squid and mussel ‘thoran,’ crab roast and seer fish ‘mappas,’ sea food aficionados can dig into the Mangalorean and Karwari fish curries from Karnataka.

For a taste of Tamil Nadu, one can try the dishes from Chettinad and the Karaikkal fish dish for some flavours of Puducherry.

For those partial to Andhra food, there is the pathar ki gosht or sliced lamb which served steaming hot proves irresistible.

The festival also offers Malabari, Hyderabadi and Mangalorean biryanis and Goan mutton pulao. The Dakshin Food Festival will draw to a close on October 4.

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