Alleppey travel guide

Karimeen pollichathu (fish in banana leaf)

Alleppey and Kerala's most photographed dish—pearl spot fish marinated in a red Kashmiri chili and coconut paste, wrapped in banana leaf and roasted on an open flame until the leaf chars; the smoky leaf perfume infuses the fish; best at Alleppey's backwater restaurants

Kerala fish curry

Kerala's most celebrated dish—fresh fish (typically kavuni or sardines) simmered in a sauce of coconut milk, kodampuli (gamboge) and a blend of Kerala spices; the gamboge gives it an incomparable deep tangy flavor absent from any other Indian fish curry

Appam with stew

Kerala's delicate combination—thin, lacy rice pancakes with crispy edges and soft centers, served with a Christmastime stew of coconut milk, chicken or vegetables and pearl onions; the contrasting textures and temperatures is a Kerala breakfast masterpiece

Toddy

Kerala's fermented coconut palm today—sap tapped from the tops of palm trees early morning and fermented by afternoon into a mildly alcoholic fizzy drink; served at toddy shops that double as the state's most democratic social spaces; eaten with fish curry and tapioca

Prawn curry

Kerala's backwater prawn specialty—fresh Vembanad Lake prawns or tiger prawns simmered in a cooling coconut milk gravy with turmeric, green chili and curry leaves; the coconut base is thinner and less sweet than Thai curries; eaten with matta red rice