Kerala Thrissur famous Nahdi Kuzhi Mandi, a delicious food you must try

Diet is different in every state. Diets are an aspect of health, especially in the diet of South Indian states. Here is a look at the two cuisines available in the Thrissur region of Kerala.

1. Nahdi Kuzhi Mandi, Thrissur. 

My first taste of Mandi (a very subtler version of Briyani, almost a veg pulav). As the name suggests this is a Mandi made in a 'kuzhi', an underground tandoori pot. The rice was flavoured with cinnamon, finest sticks, probably srilankan ones, cloves, star anise, jeera, onions, tomatoes and capsicum! No ginger and garlic so forget this being anywhere closer to a briyani. 

Must Read: Idiyappam and Mutton Pepper perfect combination at Hotel Millath,Royapettah

Chicken was tender and cooked to perfection in the underground tandoor, again no traces of ginger and garlic, just the flavours of turmeric, chilli, salt and of course the mild smoke which tasted great with the veggies, rice and mayonnaise.

 Don't know why they serve raw tomato paste with this! Probably an acquired taste, couldn't acquire in a short time. Since there was no Ghee or heavy oils the entire meal was easily digested. If you have a taste for Lucknowi and Bengali biryani this is a good try. Tamil biryani lovers who want their rice to be cooked over meat stock and cannot stand anything other than this,  you can definitely skip.

2. La Maison Du Kunafa, Thrissur

My travel maniac friend told me to try Kunafa in Thrissur. He says you get good Mandi and Kunafa only when you get over Palakkad and go to Thrissur or Calicut. Google suggested this Kunafa outlet. 

My tries with Baklava and Kunafa in TN has never been great. I always ended up eating rancid ones. Only if you have a good demand you can serve fresh desserts especially the baked Arabian ones. 

Here I tried Kunafa with two flavours. One half was biscoff and the other being Nutella. The entire disc was fresh and good. Biscoff was great. Nutella was bitter than usual, sugar syrup arrested the bitterness a bit. A mix of both tasted heaven. This is a must try if you are around Thrissur. Here the portion size is for two people.  I argued with him English, Tamil, broken Malayalam for a single portion serving, nothing worked. Just like the auto drivers in Kerala he was a strict officer, so better be cautious if you're alone.

Deepak Elango