“Let’s start with breakfast,” says Sukhaina Moosa, chef and founder of FoodieMeSu, Kerala’s only restaurant serving traditional food from the Lakshadweep islands. Seated at her small, yet well-kept restaurant kitchen in Kaloor, Kochi, Sukhaina explains what constitutes a traditional Minicoy breakfast. “A couple of faratas, which are rectangular maida (refiend flour) paranthas cooked on a pan until golden-brown, with Rairiha, a fiery red fish curry,” she says. At the restaurant, however, she serves Thelulimas (fried fish) too, with the combo. “The people here have been giving me great feedback,” she says.
The rairiha pairs extremely well with the faratas . “It is very similar to Kerala fish curry, in that it has coconut milk, coconut oil, curry leaves and spices, but we don’t use kokum or tamarind in our curries,” says Sukhaina. The delightfully consistent gravy, which contains garlic, onions, coconut milk and lots of chilli powder, is a unique take on fish curry.
