Kovalam travel guide

Fresh catch grilled

The daily cooking tradition of the Andaman fishermen's families—whatever was caught that morning prepared with basic coconut oil, turmeric and chili or just grilled with lime; the simplicity is only possible because the freshness is so extraordinary

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 stew

See Appam with stew—Kerala's delicate lacy rice pancakes served with mild coconut milk chicken or vegetable stew; one of South India's most refined breakfast combinations; the pale stew of pearl onions, spiced gently with cardamom, contrasts with the fermented appam edge

Prawn masala

Coastal India's prawn preparation—varies by region: Goa uses vinegar and Kashmiri chili, Mumbai adds coconut, Kerala adds coconut milk and kodampuli, Andhra uses mustard and fenugreek; the prawn quality from each coast (Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Andaman Sea) differs completely

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

Coconut-based dishes

Kerala's culinary identity—over 80% of Kerala cooking uses fresh or dried coconut in some form; coconut oil for frying, coconut milk for curries, grated coconut for chutneys; the region's specific coconut variety has a fragrance unlike any imported coconut