Cuisine from the coastal regions of south-west India — Goa, Mangalore and Kerala — comes to Calcutta
Cuisine from the coastal regions of south-west India — Goa, Mangalore and Kerala — comes to Calcutta
Karavalli (the iconic 26-year-old restaurant at The Gateway Hotel, Bangalore) comes to Calcutta Where: Sonargaon, Taj Bengal (in picture) When: Till August 20, for lunch and dinner Pocket pinch: Veg Thali Rs 1,850, Non-veg Thali Rs 2,150 and Seafood Thali Rs 2,450 (excluding GST). A la carte is also available
TT Bureau
Published 19.08.17, 12:00 AM
What: Karavalli (the iconic 26-year-old restaurant at The Gateway Hotel, Bangalore) comes to Calcutta
Where: Sonargaon, Taj Bengal (in picture)
When: Till August 20, for lunch and dinner
Pocket pinch: Veg Thali Rs 1,850, Non-veg Thali Rs 2,150 and Seafood Thali Rs 2,450 (excluding GST). A la carte is also available
Oggaraneda Aritha Pundi: Steamed rice dumplings, flavoured with coconut and cumin. “A lot of people think that coastal snacks are healthy but many of them are fried. So we introduced this dish, which is steamed,” said Naren Thimmaiah, executive chef of The Gateway Hotel, Bangalore, in town for the festival. This particular dish comes from the Havyaka Brahmin community from the hinterlands of Mangalore.
Tiger Prawns Roast: When Barack Obama was in Delhi, he was served this very item — renamed Karavalli Shrimps for the occasion! It is one of the most loved dishes at the 1990-estbd. Karavalli restaurant in Bangalore. Prawns are tossed in a Kerala spice mix full of the fresh flavours of tomato, ginger, green chilli, coconut slivers, lemon juice and traditional spices. “Almost all Kerala dishes end with ‘fry’ or ‘roast’,” said chef.
Rasam: “Down south, rasam is had as a course with rice. In Karavalli, we serve it as a palate cleanser between starters and main course. It is simmered for around three hours and then strained,” explained chef.
Gobi Kempu Bezule: Cauliflower florets, fried crisp and tossed in yogurt, green chilli and curry leaves make for a tasty snack. “Nowadays, almost every second table is vegetarian in our restaurant in Bangalore so we have added many vegetarian dishes,” said chef.
Naren Thimmaiah, executive chef of The Gateway Hotel, Bangalore, poses with the spread at Sonargaon, Taj Bengal.
Curries: The curries are a whole different story at Karavalli. “Even though the south-west Indian coastal cuisine covers Goa, Mangalore and Kerala, things differs between the regions. For example, I have seven types of souring agents in the kitchen including tomato, lime, kokum, Coorg vinegar and hog plum,” said chef. So while kokum is used in the (picture left) Sungatache Kodi (Goan Prawn Curry), raw mango is used in the (picture right) Allapuzha Meen Curry (Kerala Fish Curry) as souring agents. Pair it with some (picture centre) unpolished red rice — found in Kerala and Goa — and you’ll scurry for more curry!
