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THE BITTER END
Keralan meals aren’t complete
without a mouth-
puckering melon
What with all the
payasam
in circula-
tion, Keralans
almost
had
to
develop a trick
to stay slim. Their secret? A bitter
melon so inextricably linked to the
land that it goes by a near-identical
name:
karela
. The fruit of a
subtropical vine native
to India, it looks like a
zucchini covered in
bumps and is usually
served thinly sliced
and fried as part of
a traditional
thali
Big Fish, Small Pond
A formerly fame-bound chef finds peace in a tiny seafood kitchen
“THERE’S BEAUTY
in small,” says Jude Allen Stephens, head chef at Li le Maxim’s, a
waterfront eatery in Kochi, India, with a kitchen the size of a closet and a bamboo
overhang providing the only shade for patrons. It’s just past noon. Stephens is frying
up his third batch of
karimeen
, a round-bodied freshwater fish that’s considered a local
meal called
thali
, an all-you-
can-eat menu of rice, curried
vegetables and
paneer
(fresh
cheese curds) served on a metal
platter or banana leaf. Sharing
payasam
in a restaurant is con-
sidered a mark of friendship, and
inviting someone to try a home-
made version, asMalappuramhas,
indicates high esteem indeed.
Though the traditional recipe
calls for rice or crackedwheat and
unrefined cane sugar, most restau-
rants add their own flourishes to
encourage guests with a sweet
tooth to linger after dinner. The
Mount Park Inn, a popular stop
along National Highway 49, for
instance, employs a vermicelli-like
rice noodle called
semia
as a thick-
ener and adds cinnamon for extra
spice, while Surya Soma, an eatery
in Munnar, loads its version with
raisins for extra ballast. Moreover,
most Keralan families have their
own idiosyncratic recipes that
they prepare tomark special occa-
sions likeweddings, birthdays and
major festivals.
Malappuram’s homemade
payasam
is so thick that it takes
nearly a minute to pour into a
glass. It is deep brown, dotted
with flecks of cashewand popped
cardamom seeds, and so rich that
just a few sips satisfy completely.
Knowing how much care went
into its preparation, however,
leads to a stomach-challenging
marathon of consumption and
conversation among the assem-
bled company. And happily, unlike
withmoonshine, no onewakes up
embarrassed the next morning.
BOARDING PASS
Bound for
Mumbai or destined for Delhi?
United is the only U.S. carrier
offering nonstop service to India,
flying daily fromNewark/New
York using a Boeing 777 aircraft.
United’s new premium-cabin
offerings—in food, amenities and
more—pamper the international
traveler like never before.
Go to
united.com to book your flight
and get schedule information.
36
APRIL 2012
•
HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
ABRAHAM CHACKO (FISH);
ERIN CUMMINGS (MELON)
THEWORLD
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Food &Drink