Coconut is the staple ingredient used in Kerala for cooking, because coconut is available in plenty here. The other speciality of Kerala is seafood. Seafood tastes divine in Kerala because fishes and crabs are fresh catches from the countless coastal areas nearby. Fish lovers can make merry here because of the many varieties of fishes here. Fish, mutton or vegetables cooked in a stew kind of dish made from coconut gravy are a sheer delight for the taste buds of the tourist. Kerala cuisine is generally quite mild and not too hot, which is one of the main reasons why foreigners love the food here. Here are some of the most famous combination dishes from Kerala.

Puttu with Kadala Gravy

Puttu is the traditional dish of Kerala. It is made from steamed rice. There is a special vessel used for cooking Puttu. It is known as Puttu Kudam. The vessel is of two parts. The lower part resembles a pot, in which hot water should be poured. The upper portion is long tube like vessel that has small pores. Powdered rice is filled into this tube with small grating of coconut in between. It is closed with a perforated plate and kept on top of the pot like vessel. When the stove is switched on, the water in the vessel boils and the steam generated from the water cooks the powdered rice and once steam starts coming out from the holes in the tube, it means the puttu is cooked. The best combination for this is kadala curry, or kadala gravy. This kadala is brown, commonly known as black chickpea. This is cooked in gravy of onion, tomato, coconut, jeera and water. This combination is absolutely a tongue licking experience.

Idiappam with Egg Curry

Idiappam is also made of rice flour and they look like noodles. There is a specialised vessel to make this. The rice flour is mixed nicely with little salt and water and filled in the idiappam maker. Then the idiappam vessel is squeezed in such a way that thin threads of rice flour come out as noodles. This is then steamed nicely in a cooker after garnishing them with grated coconut. Idiappam is one of the healthiest breakfast options just like puttu because they are neither oily nor spicy. The ideal combination for idiappam is egg roast. Boiled eggs made in medium spice gravy of onions, tomatoes and certain spices go well with the bland idiappams.

Appam with Chicken Stew

Appam resembles a huge rice pancake. It is slightly different in shape though, because appam is in the shape of a bowl. The rice dough is poured into special vessels in the shape of bowls and is cooked in a covered way. Within minutes, tasty soft appams are ready. There are huge fans for this simple dish. It tastes heavenly with chicken stew. This stew is nothing but chicken cooked with few vegetables and spices with thick coconut milk gravy. This is a standard dish in most of the households in Kerala.