Iftar showcase curated by Abida Rasheed at Kochi Marriott Hotel

Experience Abida Rasheed's curated Malabar cuisine for iftar at Marriott Kochi, featuring traditional dishes like thari kanji and biryani.

Thari kanji is an integral part of nombuthura (breaking fast) during Ramzan. The thari kanji is not too thick, the velvety graininess of the milk-based semolina gruel makes it a filling bowl of porridge. It is said to be light and cooling, soothing on the stomach, ideal after a day of fasting. 

Mildly sweet, with hints of shallots and a sprinkling of dry fruits like cashew and raisins, it is almost dessert-like and a refreshing way to break a fast. Curated by Abida Rasheed, an expert in Malabar cuisine, the iftar spread at Marriott Kochi is home-style food in a restaurant setting.

A part of the all day dining restaurant, Kochi Kitchen has been sequestered for the iftar showcase. The Kozhikode-based celebrity chef has taken Mappila cuisine to the world, showing that there is more to it than just biryani. 

One can start the meal with mezze and fresh cut fruits and follow it up with the starters and the main course. 

Arikadukka is being prepared live, as are crisp and crunchy onion fritters, then there is the ubiquitous unnakkaya along with chicken samosa and a cheese version, chicken and egg chattipathiri, and bun nirachathu (hollowed bun with a filling of meat). Abida’s iftar menu changes daily. 

The lasagna-like chicken chattipathiri is delicately flavoured, with hints of green chilli and coriander as is the bite-size chicken samosa (the Kerala version). The cheese samosa does not match up to the chicken version. The onion fritters are crisp with a hint of spice, very different from what is usually available.  

The snacks are filling enough but the main course is hard to resist. The Kozhikodan biryani is different from the Thalassery variety, Abida says. The rice and meat are cooked together in the former, unlike the Thalassery version in which cooked meat and semi-cooked rice are layered and dum cooked.