Shakira Bano can’t imagine Iftar without homemade food Palauda. has no cousin faloodA, Palauda It is a popular dish that is part of Iftar in North Kerala, especially Kannur.
Home cook Shakira says her mother, who has roots in Marthandam in Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari district, learned cooking from her. Palauda When he was living in Oman.
“It is milk cooked with a spoonful of flour, a little sugar, cardamom and cinnamon. Finally, it is tempered with onions and cashew nuts fried in ghee. My mother preferred peanuts over cashews. Now, with so many types of nuts that are easily available, you can use your imagination to decorate it Palauda” says Shakira.
After fasting throughout the day, a variety of filling beverages are served in the evening during Iftar. The mercury is continuously rising, various types of fruit juices are prominent. Additionally, Kerala has an abundance of traditional homemade drinks that are made for Iftar.
Jugunu Thajudheen, a resident of Kannur, Kochi, says that the benefit of these beverages is that they are easy to digest and help the empty stomach deal with the food consumed after long breaks.
,paluda It is a commonly prepared drink for Iftar in most of the households in Kannur. It is soothing to the stomach and easy to digest. We use cloves and cardamom for flavour. Finally, I add a little rose water or rose essence. I make it when my grandchildren are home for iftar,” says the septuagenarian.
Palum Pazhavum | Photo Credits: Shakira Banu
Another traditional drink that Shakira, an experienced home cook, loves Palam PazhavumShe says that this is a drink that she can drink any time of the day, Small varieties of yellow bananas are mashed and mixed with coconut milk, “And it is sweetened with palm jaggery shavings, It is a staple food in my house, Nowadays, jaggery, sugar and honey are also used, In my opinion, palm jaggery beats all other sweeteners,” says Shakira,
There is a wide variety of other traditional domestic beverages. awl (flattened rice) sail And Gothambu Kachiyathu (wheat drink)“Thari Kachiyathu Semolina is cooked in coconut milk with sugar and cardamom and cloves. It is garnished with cashews, raisins and caramelized shallots. I only use it Destiny And shallots,” says Jugnu.
Vermicelli cooked in coconut milk. , Photo Courtesy: Jugunu Thajudheen
Jugnu says vermicelli is also used in making beverages Payasam But coconut milk is used instead of dairy. other traditional drinks like first moment And Gothambu Kachiyathu are also made, she adds.
“For first momentyellow banana like Najali Poovan (a variety of yellow banana) is mashed and mixed with coconut milk. At the end, awl Sugar and ground cardamom are added to it as per taste. It is very tasty. thus my ummah (Mother) used to make it,” says Jugunu.
Jugnu says, nowadays YouTubers bring all kinds of diversity. “Right now he eats as he pleases.” gothambu kanji (wheat porridge) is not commonly made. In Kannur, we get polished wheat which is hand crushed to remove the bran. It is cooked with some onion and cinnamon. Once it is cooked, the cinnamon is removed and the cooked wheat is crushed and sieved. Then coconut milk is added to it and it is cooked again. Before serving it is seasoned with fried onions.”
