Home cooks and caterers in Thiruvananthapuram woo customers with curries

Homemaker Asha P Nair, recovering from COVID-19, was in no mood to cook. “Buying a meal would result in a lot of leftover rice, So I cooked rice and bought sambar, aviyal, thoran, and pulissery from a caterer nearby,” says Asha a resident of Palkkulangara in Thiruvananthapuram.

When Vidya Balachandran, a bank employee, wanted to take a break from cooking lunch she ordered side dishes from home cooks. “I bought my favourite vada koottu curry (urad dal fritters in gravy) and payasam .”

In the last few months, Thiruvananthapuram has many food-preneurs selling curries. On the menu are sambar, aviyal, thoran, vada curry, mezhukkuvaratti, pulissery, kichadi, rasam, seafood and meat. Rates start at ₹50 (for 450 or 500 ml) and varies from dish to dish.

While Supreme Bakers and Welgate Organic, both at Kuravankonam, have been focussing on this segment for a couple of years now, several new players have entered the fray post the pandemic, such as home cooks, caterers and women’s groups.

Catering to the patients

Aswathy Shyam who runs Oru Curry Kada

Many of the customers are individuals and families recovering from COVID-19, says Aswathy Shyam who runs Oru Curry Kada at Manacaud. “I opened the outlet in February 2021 and have had a steady clientele till now. We cook for 100 to 150 people, which is sold through our outlet and via food delivery apps. My father, Murugan N, has been running a catering unit for 12 years. This shop is the realisation of my dream. I was working in Hyderabad and quit the job when I became a mother,” says Aswathy, a hotel management graduate.

While she prepares non-vegetarian dishes (chicken and fish), her father is in charge of vegetarian food. There is payasam on the menu every day. Vada curry, a highlight on the sadya menu in Thiruvananthapuram, is the best seller at her shop, Aswathy adds. Dishes made with jackfruit and tapioca depend on the availability of ingredients. While the rate is ₹40 per container at the shop, it goes up if bought through food delivery platforms. Except for Sundays, the shop is open from 11.30 am to 2.30 pm.

SEWA Livelihood, an initiative of the Kerala chapter of SEWA (Self Employed Women’s Association), has also been supplying side dishes for some time now. “We have been focussing on pothichoru (rice and curries wrapped in a banana leaf) that is sold through our food counters and at canteens run by SEWA members. Of late, people have been asking specifically for side dishes. We take orders via our WhatsApp number on the previous day. People can place the order on the same day as well before 11 am,” says an official with SEWA.

A side-dish ready to be packed at SEWA's kitchen in Thiruvananthapuram

When the pandemic forced them to shut down their restaurant, Girija Kumari and husband, Girish Kumar, set up a home-run business venture, Girijas Cook’s Room. “The response has been overwhelming. We upload the next day’s lunch menu on our WhatsApp group. Traditional delicacies such as asthram, pindi pulingari, muringayila curry, puzhukku , pachathakali pulingari , jackfruit aviyal, thoran made with leafy greens and the like are much in demand. Cooking is a passion for my wife and so she manages the kitchen,” says Girish. Also available are pickles and chammanthipodi (roasted coconut chutney powder).

Some side dishes from the menu of Girijas Cook's Room

Seasoned caterers in the city such as Anandam Caterers and Mangalya Catering too have adopted the new business model. “We opened a takeaway exclusively for payasams in 2018. There were a few side dishes then. We expanded that segment when people started asking for those dishes alone. When the catering industry was left high and dry during the lockdown, this venture helped us a great extent,” says Rajalakshmy of Anandam Takeaway and Payasakada near Nanthencode. Some of the dishes are also available at their sister concern, Paykappal, at Kazhakoottam.

Priya Jayachandran of Mangalya adds that the pandemic has forced all of them to adapt to the new reality. “While we don’t do home delivery of side dishes alone, they can be bought from Mangalya Bakery at Poojappura. Orders can be placed the previous day. Since my focus has always been on catering, I did not give much attention to this segment. Things have changed in the last two years,” says Priya.