Karthiyayini Kochi opens in Coimbatore

As I propulsion the solid doorway unfastened and marque my mode to the newly-opened Karthiyayini Kovai, I americium hugged by warmth, familiarity, and the aroma of food curry simmering successful coconut oil. Karthiyayini, tally by the couple, Jajina and Vinoo Vijayan successful Kochi, brings its hearty, Kerala-style luncheon to Coimbatore implicit with food fry, food curry and an awesome dispersed of specials including kalanji (Asian seabass) fry, crispy tiger prawns and squid roast marinated with kanthari or birds’ oculus chillies.

The 120-cover seafood edifice has casual, community-style seating that instantly puts you astatine ease. Fresh food is the instauration of the dishes here, which is wherefore they picked Coimbatore for their archetypal edifice extracurricular Kerala. “I ever manifested it. To person Karthiyayini extracurricular home,” says Jajina, adding that their branches astatine Cherthala and Nedumbassery in Kochi, spot a immense turnout from seafood lovers successful Coimbatore. “They thrust down regularly for our meals. Their feedback astir deficiency of seafood successful the metropolis motivated america to instrumentality the plunge.”

Her spouse Vinoo Vijayan reiterates that Coimbatore had to beryllium a earthy choice. “Our USP is caller fish. We tin bring it by roadworthy from Kochi present successful nether 4 hours. There is much to seafood than vajram fry. We privation to present the caput boggling assortment that is retired determination including thirutha (grey mullet), kalanji, seer fish, snapper, tiger prawns, and squid.”

Jerin Rajan, Jajina’s brother, who leads the Coimbatore operations, says bully roads, infrastructure support, and connectivity played a large part. “For the past six months, we person been moving retired the logistics. Our kanthari chillies, coconut, lipid and naadan vegetables comes from Kerala. A squad of chefs from Kochi was present for six months to bid the team here,” says Jerin.

I statesman my meal, served connected fresh plaintain leaf placed connected a sheet with steaming blistery Kerala reddish atom and chemmeen (shrimp) curry. Then travel chemmeen chammanthi, and tangy food curry, on with plump, brushed prawns tossed successful fiery masala, earthy banana kootu and karichakka (butterfruit).

From squid and prawns to neimeen (seer fish) and karimeen (pearl spot), each crockery is prepared successful antithetic styles and flavour profiles. While the juicy kalanji fry won my heart, the Alleppey-style creamy, mildly spiced, and tangy tharavad fish curry made with sliced mango pieces is simply a prima dish. “Tharavad fish curry tin beryllium made with karimeen (pearl spot), neimeen or pomfret. Made successful our ancestral homes in Cherthala, near Alleppey, it is clip consuming, but worthy it,” says Jajina.

Over their signature crunchy tiger prawns dusted successful an adust grated coconut garnish, Jajina talks of carrying guardant the bequest done a idiosyncratic approach. “I started successful a humble mode aft the pandemic and gave myself 3 months time, and I survived. And, we are present today. It was my father-in-law who recognised my passionateness for cooking. Most of the Central Kerala recipes are drawn from each time cooking astatine my maternal home. As my roots are successful North Kerala, those influences amusement successful my cooking. For example, portion making Thalassery-style biryani,” she explains.

Jerin says the Kochi outlet draws diners from extracurricular the State, including movie personalities passing by the city. Actor Nani loves their seafood biryani. Actors Sivakarthikeyan, Jeyam Ravi, Atharvaa are fond of tiger prawns and squid roast. “We saw a unreserved of tourists from Andhra anxious to effort retired Nani’s favourites,” helium recalls.

An offering connected the weekends see the airy and brushed ghee puttu that tin beryllium teamed with food curry and seafood biryani. Though Jajina calls herself a earthy cook, who goes by instincts and measurements by hand, an SOP is already successful spot for her most-famous thirutha (flathead grey mullet) curry. “I look retired for caller dishes and recipes during my travels crossed Kerala, particularly the Malabar region. I skip large restaurants and alternatively similar tiny outlets operated retired of homes, chatting up with ammammas determination for tips. We service implicit 1 1000 meals astatine our Kochi outlets and erstwhile guests accidental the nutrient reminds them of their parent oregon grandmother, it makes my day.”

Jerin talk’s of Jajina’s passion for innovating dishes, for illustration by adding a kanthari chilli marination to elevate the taste. When helium told her that radical successful Tamil Nadu person rasam and curd with meals, successful conscionable a mates of days, she came up with an instant rasam recipe. But, with a robust twist. Check it retired portion there.

Located astatine Kings Complex, 44/2, Sungam Bypass Road, Shanmuga Nagar. Open lone for lunch. A repast for 2 costs ₹1500 approximately. For reservations, telephone 7339623222

Watch: Karthiyayini Kochi comes to Coimbatore