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Popularising Kerala cuisine
TO SERVE the cuisine of God's Own Country can be a tall order because nothing short of divine, heavenly, exotic and godly is expected. But then, for Chef Bitta Kuruvilla of Hotel Le Meridien, Kochi, that is what his ladle has been doing for many years as a speciality chef with the hotel. He has been popularising the cuisine of Kerala in Meridien hotels across the country. And ask him what makes the cuisine so exotic to others? " Spices, kodumpuli, coconut and seafood, especially fresh water fish, is what makes all the difference." And serving the cuisine across the country, he has observed the steady rise in popularity of the Kerala paratha. " The appam stew is very local in flavour and popular too but of late the Kerala paratha is seeing an unprecedented popularity." He insists that coconut oil, coconut milk and even the paste of the coconut be used in Kerala cuisine to give it the right and true flavour. And of the discernible food faddists, Bitta says he is surprised that, " people ask for fresh water fish by name and insist on that special one."
Though chef Bitta popularises the cuisine of his State, it is the Italian pasta and Sicilian seafood that he loves to cook. But then it was the subtlety flavoured mutton rogan josh that won him the Best Chef award at the Oberoi training school at Bangalore. And before arriving at this stage, in his long gourmet journey at Le Meridien, he travelled the high seas on the `Cruiseline' kitchens of `Celebrity' serving to a variety of palates, matching their likes and choices.
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