Kumarakom travel guide

Kerala Karimeen Pollichathu

Pearl spot fish (karimeen — native to Vembanad Lake) wrapped in banana leaf with a paste of coconut, chilli, shallots and curry leaves and roasted over an open fire; the banana leaf steams the fish in its own juices and the coconut coating caramelises on the outside; Kumarakom's defining dish eaten on every houseboat evening

Chemmen Curry

Kerala prawn curry in a thin coconut milk and raw mango base, flavoured with kokum, curry leaves and Malabar spices; the prawns come directly from the Vembanad backwaters into the pot; served with red matta rice — the indigenous Kerala staple

Puttu and Kadala Curry

Kerala's beloved breakfast — cylindrical steamed cakes of coarse rice flour and coconut, served alongside a spiced black chickpea curry; eaten in homes across Kerala every morning; the contrast of plain, dry rice with flavourful chickpea curry is deceptively satisfying