Sadhya : A taste of Keralam

Food is something that always wins our hearts, especially when our stomachs are empty. It had been a long time since I last ate authentic Kerala food. Since it’s a cuisine I don’t get to enjoy often, I truly love it, though I prefer it with less spice. However, in many places, the spice level can sometimes be unbearable for me.

After craving it for so long, my eyes fell upon a South Indian restaurant named ‘Keralam.’ The name itself suggested the kind of food they would serve. Still, I wasn’t completely confident, as I had visited many restaurants that claimed to offer authentic South Indian food but ended up disappointing me.

The ambience was so similar that it almost felt like I was in Kerala. As we entered, everything seemed pleasantly unfamiliar. Once we sat down, one thing that caught my attention was the doodles of Malayalam actors; they were so cute. Next came the menu. Even though we had the menu card, the server enthusiastically listed a variety of dishes commonly found in Kerala.

After a short discussion, we decided on sadhya. The wait wasn’t long before the banana leaf was placed before us. Soon after came the red rice, still steaming hot. Then followed the various curries like sambar, aviyal, thoran, mango pickle, puli inji (a slightly sour ginger pickle made with tamarind), papadam, and more.

Everything tasted absolutely delicious. The last time I had a proper sadhya was at a wedding years ago. Eating it again felt refreshing and nostalgic. Today, it’s all about that sadhya, reviving memories and flavours that had almost been forgotten.

This meal was a beautiful revisit to an old experience, a moment filled with warmth and love, as we spent time together as a whole family, enjoying authentic flavours.