As the capital city of erstwhile Travancore and later as the capital of Kerala, the city is a melting pot of cuisines and cultures. One such melting pot in our city can be discovered in a tiny outlet sandwiched between two small shops in Kedaram complex at Kesavadasapuram.
Happy Kitchen, a take-away counter has many stories kneaded into the breads and sautéed into the masala of its various dishes: Sindhi, Mumbai, North Indian and Malayali. And therein lies a story.
Janvi Kamnani who runs the place is from Mumbai. The city has been her home for 15 years after her marriage to Harish Kamnani, who runs a textile shop next to her joint. One is surprised to hear Harish deal with customers in fluent Malayalam. But then as Harish points out, he was born and brought up in the city and is more Malayali than Sindhi. And these multiple influences are reflected in the joint which serves everything from Gulab jamuns and Punjabi samosas to Fish moilee and Thalassery biriyani.
A glass counter encases samosas, cutlets, spring rolls and bondas and Janvi is busy taking down orders from behind the counter. “Try the Bombay Frankie. It’s a popular dish amongst our customers. Frankie is a well-loved street food that originated in the streets of old Bombay. Our Frankie is a maida roll with a stuffing of egg and chicken.”
The Frankie arrives piping hot along with a glass of refreshing iced tea that has fresh mint leaves as garnish. Janvi places the dish on one of the takeaway counter’s three tables. Priced at Rs. 50, the Frankie is paisa-vasool. Served hot as it is made to order, it is a satisfying snack. The stuffing of chicken is delicately seasoned and the wrap is thankfully not leathery.
Barely a year old, Happy Kitchen and its food is already making waves. The menu is a mix of North Indian, South Indian and a couple of Chinese dishes thrown in for those Chinese fans. There is Kadai chicken, Boneless pepper chicken, Chicken fry Keralam, Aloo ka paratha, Chilli parotta, Egg sandwich, Vegetable fried rice, Paneer Manchurian… And for those diehard biriyani enthusiasts, there are Thalaserry, Hyderabadi and Punjabi biriyanis on the menu. Some of the dishes such as Methi mutton, Palak chicken, Goan fish curry and Dahi pakoda ki curry, for instance, are made on prior order.
Janvi recommends Butter chicken and Parotta. The parotta is soft and fluffy and the gravy of the butter chicken does not have thick blobs of oil floating and is not overpowering in spice. The pieces of chicken in the dish are tender and the juices sealed in.
All the dishes served at Happy Kitchen are based on her own recipes, says Janvi, even the Kerala dishes such as Kappa, Appam, Beef fry and Ghee rice. Fond of entertaining friends and family, they were the ones who encouraged Janvi to start Happy Kitchen. The take away joint is open Mondays to Saturdays from 10 a.m. till 8.30 p.m.
One among five
Harish Kamnani is a second generation Sindhi in India. His father, J.K. Das Kamnani, left Pakistan with his family and came to Ajmer, Rajasthan, during the Partition, when J.K. was five. He then moved to the city and earned a living as a door-to-door salesman before starting Ganesh Readymade in Pazhavangadi and later, a branch in Palayam. Harish and his family are one amongst the remaining five Sindhi families in the city. There were once 10 Sindhi families residing in the city, says Harish. And out of the 10, nine were in the textile business. He recalls how the families would meet quite often and how the women would meet every Saturday for a Sangeet night.
Festivals, like Diwali were mostly celebrated within the family. “On Diwali, the day would start with a puja followed by distribution of homemade sweets to family and friends and ending with dinner at a relative’s house. The tradition still continues, although now-a-days, we distribute store bought sweets.”
His mom, Leela, is an excellent cook and food at home then was mostly Sindhi dishes. A local cook, however, introduced us to Kerala food and soon Kerala dishes became a part of our meals." Like, the other Sindhi children in the city, Harish and his siblings too did their education in the city. His daughters, Khushie and Naasya, do not speak Sindhi, although Kushi does try to pick up a few words. He says Janvi, his wife, tries to inculcate their culture and tradition in them but admits that it’s a losing battle. Asked if he plans to continue making the city his home and Harish replies, “The city is my home; all my memories, friends, life... are here.”
