Kochi is a lively city that is a perfect coming together of all that is traditional and contemporary. On one hand, you have traditional Chinese fishing nets that were installed here in 1350 and on the other, you’ll find posh cafes overlooking the vast sea.

Kochi also is a potpourri of art, culture, cuisine, and history, which makes it a perfect tourist place in Kerala. Somewhere amid this, you will find the beautiful Cherai Beach. The atmosphere that surrounds the beach exudes relaxation - nonchalantly swinging palm trees, the fishing boats moving along slowly with the water and the shallow azure waters hitting the shore. Little wonder it’s often called the ‘Princess of the Queen of the Arabian Sea’.

As you spend your time on the beach on your family vacation, it’s also recommended you please your taste buds because Kerala offers some delectable food. The state is known for its cuisine with authentic delicacies prominently made with coconut oil, grated coconut, and coconut milk.

Here are five must-try local dishes of Cherai during your stay in the resorts in Cherai Beach.

Cherai Beach, Kochi Appam and Stew

1. Sadhya – When it comes to food, in Kerala, it has to be grand and Sadhya is the epitome of grandeur. Sadhya means feast and it’s a combination of over 24 pure vegetarian dishes that are served on a banana leaf.

A variety of dishes like sambar, avival, varavu, pachadi, boiled rice, payasam, etc. make up this feast and it is typically served on ceremonial or religious occasions.

2. Puttu and Kadala Curry – A popular combination, which stretches far and wide in India and makes for a good breakfast option is Puttu and Kadala curry.

Puttu is a cylindrical steamed rice dish that contains coconut served with mildly-spiced black chickpeas gravy, again made with coconut. Not only is it easy to cook but also tastes heavenly and hence, it’s a go-to Keralite recipe. Other than Kadala Curry, Puttu serves as a good combination with other accompaniments as well.

Kerala Prawn Curry Kerala Biryani

3. Appam and Stew – Once you taste appam, you will always want more. Appam is a rice pancake with a medium thick centre and thin and crispy outside. Whether breakfast, lunch, or dinner, make sure you devour appams when they’re hot to really savour the taste.

Appams can be paired with almost anything. But it’s a classic sidekick for stew. Stew is a dish with chunks of chicken, meat or vegetables in exquisitely spiced and creamy coconut gravy.

A similar combination is idiyappam and egg curry. Idiyappam is steamed noodles typically teamed with egg curry but also works well with stew.

4. Kerala Prawn Curry – Fondly known as Chemmeen Curry by the locals, it’s a signature dish. You’ll have to taste it to believe it! This is a preparation in which simple ingredients such as green chilli, pepper, fenugreek, fennel seeds, black mustard, jaggery, coconut milk and curry leaves (garnish) come together to make a lovely dish.

It has a spicy and tangy flavour. You can get the Nadan Kozhi Varuthathu (chicken fry) as an appetiser and order the Kerala prawn curry with the famous Kerala Parota for the main course.

5. Kerala Biryani – A crowd pleaser and soul food for not just Keralites but Indians all over, biryani in Kerala has a unique taste that is sure to delight.

The biryani crossed borders making its way to Kerala where the locals have added their own special touch to it. It has characteristic flavours that come from the spices used to make the dish. The small-grained rice and the meat masala are layered and then placed over charcoal to cook for hours. Having the biryani with raita is recommended.

After a heavy lunch and an afternoon siesta, you can enjoy some tea time snacks like the famous banana chips or pazham pori (fried ripe plantain) at Cherai resort There’s the scrumptious food, an enticing day at the beach; these are the perfect ingredients for a family vacation. However, you also need the best resort in Cherai to unwind and relax.

We recommend the Club Mahindra Cherai Beach resort. Along with the very dishes we listed for you, you will find so much more in the wide menu of the in-house restaurant of the Cherai resort. Moreover, the Club Mahindra Cherai Beach resort offers you comfortable and spacious rooms with a host of modern amenities and a host of fun activities for the whole family that will make you look no further when you’re holidaying in Kochi.

Make sure you check out the Club Mahindra reviews to know more about the Cherai Resort and get your Club Mahindra membership today if you haven’t already.

About Club Mahindra

Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Ltd. (MHRIL), a part of Leisure and Hospitality sector of the Mahindra Group, offers quality family holidays primarily through vacation ownership memberships and brings to the industry values such as reliability, trust and customer satisfaction. Started in 1996, the company's flagship brand ‘Club Mahindra’, today has over 290,000 members , who can holiday at 140+ resorts in India and abroad.

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