The Ultimate Chip-Lover's Guide to Kerala

From jackfruit to tapioca, Nitin Sumitran maps the ultimate guide to finding the best chips in the state of Kerala.

School vacations always meant one thing — family trips to Kozhikode, Thalassery and Kannur. We lived in large houses cocooned by nature, and gorged on all kinds of incredible snacks. Evening strolls meant visits to the local bakery, peering through glass-cases filled with assorted snacks: pazham pori, honey cakes, fresh-baked biscuits, puffs and banana chips – towards which I was unfailingly drawn. Nearby, a wok full of bubbling coconut oil was attended to by a chettan drenched in his own sweat, frying the chips that he had manually sliced and washed in turmeric water. A few rupees would get us a fairly decent quantity, wrapped in the day’s newspaper. Typically, the chips require a 5-minute cooling off period to retain crispness, and juggling hot chips in our little palms was a first lesson in patience.

Back in Bombay, we reluctantly shared them with friends, and relatives, saving a little stash for ourselves, that despite mum’s best efforts, would vanish in record time. Later, as an adult I began exploring the city with fresh eyes, and fell in love all over again with the mind-boggling colours and flavours of halwas at SM street, the bakery items, snacks, street food, locally made soft drinks, and biryanis. What held my fascination 35 years ago still continues to mesmerise — those wafer-thin Kozhikodan banana chips that boast a cult following across India. Though these chips are fried on open fires at every nook and corner in the city, each staking their claim to being the best, I remain loyal to a trusted few. This is my guide to eating chips in Kerala.

A bowl of jackfruit chips

Tapioca Chips

Banana Chips

Chips in itself go back considerably. Early references to something similar were found in a book called The Cook’s Oracle, published in 1817. Kerala leads the country in its range of non-branded chips – banana, tapioca, jackfruit, potato, beetroot and bitter gourd. And what sets the state’s chips apart, is the quality of fresh produce available, the copious amount of coconut oil in which it is fried, and significantly, that it is fried over an open fire fuelled by wood and coconut husk. It is little wonder then, that a few kilos of chips (together with pickles and papadams) are always parcelled by the Malayalee returning from his annual vacation, to the Middle East, or wherever in the world his work takes him.

Banana Chips & Where to Buy Them

The king of all chips, is the banana chip. And with due respect to all the other districts of Kerala, Kozhikode’s banana chips are the best, by a mile. The bananas are sliced so fine, it simply defies logic. I remember watching the chip-master work his magic; in the 90s, they sliced it manually with a simple knife, but now they use a Mandolin slicer and other fancy new machines. These finely sliced bananas are first given a turmeric-water wash, & then deep fried in gallons of coconut oil, over a wood fire fuelled with coconut shells, husks, dried twigs & branches of the coconut tree. Mind you, there is no timer or temperature setting on a woodfire, to help reach that perfect crispness – only the experience of the chip-master. Another variant of the banana chip is the Quartered Banana Chip, cut slightly plumper than the regular banana chip. No Onam sadhya or wedding feast is complete without these little quartered discs of joy. And for reasons unknown, servers are traditionally very stingy with handing out these chips on the ela-sadya, laying at most 4 or 5 quarters on your banana leaf, never to return for additional servings. Another Onam Sadhya special is the Sharkara Upperi. Here, raw banana is fried in coconut oil, then coated in jaggery syrup, and dusted with ginger and cumin powder. My recommendation for the best banana chips in Kerala has to be:
Sastha Chips & Halwa Centre, Tali Road, Near Shiva Temple, Kozhikode, or Kumari Banana Chips, Kannur Road, Opp Paragon Restaurant, Kozhikode.

100 Ways to Eat Tapioca

As one of the largest producers of tapioca in the country (if you haven’t tasted kappa and meen curry at a toddy shop, what are you waiting for?), tapioca chips is simply a logical of the state’s devotion to this tuber. The tapioca is washed, peeled of its thick, muddy exterior, cut into discs and deep fried to a crisp in coconut oil. Variations of tapioca chips include chips liberally dusted with chilli powder, or cut into thin strips and deep fried with curry leaves. No summer vacations in Kerala was complete without a visit to Jayabharathi Bakery in Thalassery – the undisputed source of the best tapioca chips. If Kozhikode is famous for its banana chips, the best tapioca chips are from Thalassery in North Malabar.
Jayabharathi Bakery, New Bus Stand, TC Road, Thalassery.

Jackfruit Chips in God’s Own Country

Another fruit that is perennial to Kerala, found in nearly every Kerala home, is the jackfruit. As they say, when god gives you lemons, make lemonade; in God’s Own Country, when you have jackfruit, make a thoran (stir fry), a payasam or you make jackfruit chips. Jackfruits that are completely mature but not ripe are cut into strips, marinated with salt, & deep fried in coconut oil. Raw jackfruit, when included in biryani, has an almost meat-like texture, and is often referred to as the vegetable-meat or faux meat. But more to the point, jackfruit chips are seasonal, and available only from December to May. So if you find yourself in Kerala in those months, stock up and store them well, so that you can enjoy it through the year. My recommendation is Delecta Bakery, Bank Road, Near Gulf Bazaar, Kozhikode, or Regal Bakery, Mavoor Road, Kozhikode.

Next time you visit God’s Own Country, remember to stop at the local shops to carry bags of assorted chips for your family and friends. They will love you for it.

Photo credits: Sanjay Ramachandran

Nitin Sumitran is an ex-hospitality & corporate aviation professional based out of Mumbai. He operates a small home-kitchen in Powai, Mumbai, together with his wife Deepa, specialising in simple, home-style Kerala cuisine. They deliver across Mumbai and Thane. You can reach them on Instagram as @appamstories or directly on +919004032817.

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