Culinary Celebrations

Restaurants in the city have come up with special menus and buffets to celebrate Onam

Restaurants in the city have come up with special menus and buffets to celebrate Onam

Celebrated with joy and enthusiasm,Onam is a time to indulge in delicious Kerala cuisine. With the aroma of coconut rich avail and payasam in the air,it is a culinary celebration for non-Keralites as well. Foodies wait for this time of the year to explore South Indian cuisine which is beyond dosas,idlies and uttapams. Onam is incomplete without avail,appams and payasam,In the South,you would get this being distributed to the people at every nook and corner, says Chef Jothi,South Indies restaurant,which is offering a special lunch from August 28 to September 2,where customers can choose from a variety of dishes on the ala carte menu. The restaurant is introducing a special buffet on the day of Onam,which is on August 29. Kerala delicacies like Vendakkai More Curry (ladies finger cooked in coconut and yoghurt curry),Kootu Kari (mixed vegetables cooked in coconut & tampered with spices),Spicy Red Rice,Inji Puli (Tamarind in spicy tangy sauce) and Avial will be served. There is also Olan,which is white pumpkin cooked in coconut milk with curry leaves,Kalan Yam made with raw banana cooked in yoghurt and seasoned with mustard seeds and Patch Kari Sambar which has mixed vegetable lentil curry, he adds.

Head Chef Kannan Nair,a Keralite himself from Zambar,Aanora Town Centre reminisces his childhood memories as he plans the restaurants special Onam menu. He not only wishes to bring back the taste of the festival but also its traditional customs. Kerela and Tamilnadu might be close neighbours but it is only when you analyze closely that you see a world of difference. A simple preparation of the dish avail tastes so different when it is made by a person from Tamil Nadu or Kerela, says Nair. To retain the authentic taste of the cuisine,the restaurant has purchased ingredients from Kerela. Chef Nair is looking forward to prepare two types of pickles- puliyinji,and uperi. While Yingi means ginger,Uperi is the Kerela special banana called Nandera. The restaurant will also be handing out scraves and munds,white dhotis to their walk in guests.

Mystic Masala,located at Vivanta by Taj Blue Diamond will be having an Onam special all through the extended weekend from August 29 to September 2. The dishes are being prepared by Chef Raja who is from Tamil Nadu and specialises in South Indian food like like Kalan masala-Mushroom and babycorn cooked with onion tomato and blended spices,Chena porichathu,Pineapple Pachhady,and Malabar Avial. It will be a blend of the traditional as well as some unique creations by the Chef, says Shilpa Gokhale,director,sales.

At Four Points by Sheraton,Viman Nagar,a special lunch and dinner buffet will be served on Onam. The menu will comprise of Kerela favourites with appams and milky coconut stew on top of the list.

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