Puttu inspires fond feelings. Of home and the contentment that comes from simple food. The staple Malayali breakfast dish, however, has long moved out of home kitchens and thattukadas to hotels, which devote entire festivals to the dish. Recreating ‘home’ flavours is the idea along with some experimentation, of course.
The ‘puttu mela’ at the ‘Coffee Shop’ at Travancore Court brings puttu to the table just as one should have it—steaming hot and accompanied by crisp pappadams. “Puttu is not just a breakfast option. It is great for dinner, too,” says the F&B Manager, Ajish Varghese Chack. So there is puttu of every kind here, planned and presented by Executive Chef Biju Mathew—rawa puttu, gothambu puttu, chemba puttu to start with. These come with vegetarian, chicken and beef curry.
The keema puttu has beef filling. The flavours of the meat combine well with the grated coconut and the gravy in the typical side dish kadala curry. The chicken puttu is self-explanatory.
With a traditional chicken curry made with thick coconut milk, the dish is a great dinner choice.
For the more adventurous, try the Chinese special noodles puttu or the Szechwan style mushroom puttu. Vegetarians can go for paneer or cheera puttu.
The Travancore special seafood puttu brought together the unconventional in a unique way. Filled with squid and shrimp masala, the puttu could be had with a mutton stew or a naadan chicken curry. The kappa puttu is a popular choice, says Biju. A much-loved thattukada dish, the kappa puttu is healthy, filling and delicious, too. The kadala curries, however, could use a lot more spice and character. Since the hotel receives a number of tourists, the avoidance of spice is deliberate, says Biju.
The side dishes keep with the spirit of the festival—duck, crab, egg or beef roast. Pappadam, plantains, cherupayar and kadala curries are served along with the puttu and a glass of hot black coffee or tea.
The festival is on till May 31 and is open from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
