A Suriani Clam Fry
Mahabelly is a beloved Kerala restaurant in Delhi, named after Mahabali, the lionized mythical king of the Kerala. Restaurateur Thomas Fenn expresses their vision in one cheeky line: “More Malayali food for more people.”
Last weekend, Mahabelly hosted a special sadya (more on that here) featuring several meat and fish items — a departure from the traditional vegetarian sadya, but very much in keeping with Kerala’s history of inclusivity, where non-vegetarian items are added to the meal, based on family and community tastes. This clam fry was part of an extravagant ela sadya celebration, in the lead up to Onam. If you’d like to book an onasadya, here’s a list of our favourite sadyas in the country.
KERALA SURIANI CLAM FRY
Ingredients
500 g mussels, cleaned and debearded
½ cup grated fresh coconut
1 tablespoon chilli powder
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
½ teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 cup water
1 teaspoon tamarind paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil
12 shallots, sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
8 curry leaves
Method
Place the mussels in a pan with all the ingredients except the oil, shallots, garlic and curry leaves. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the water has almost completely evaporated but the mussels are still moist.
Heat the oil in a large skillet and fry the shallots until soft. Add the garlic and curry leaves and continue frying for 2 minutes, until they are lightly browned.
Pour the cooked mussels with liquid into the skillet and stir-fry over low heat for 5 minutes, until the mussels are coated with the spices.
The Suriani Kitchen by Lathika George is one of the seminal cookbooks on Kerala Syrian Christian cuisine. You can purchase it here.
Image credits Aarohi Mehra.
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