Age Old Chaya Kadas

While visiting the villages in Kerala, one gets to see small shops or restaurants called chayakkada which will open early in the morning serving good tasty tea made from fresh cow milk.
For breakfast, will be serving Puttu or Rice cakes made in Bamboo as in olden times or in puttu kudams. Puttu is served with Kadala Cury or Brown Chickpea with Kerala spices in gravy is one of the favourites of locals. Then there will be Thattu dosas, idly, uzhunnu vada with coconut chutney and sambar made with lentils and veggies. Nowadays some chayakkadas offer meat delicacies with Puttu which tastes awesome.
Kerala Bread or Appams as the Malayalis call it is also popular which is again served with either Kadala curry or Peas Curry or even meat delicacies. Appam served with Mutton in Coconut Curry (Gravy) is a speciality during Easter and Christmas time, which is loved by all. Chayakkadas also offer Iddiyappams which is made with rice flour is also very popular.

These tea stalls or chayakkadas as they are popularly known serves wonderful tea snacks during snack time for the customers who come during late mornings and for evening tea. Popular snacks being payampori which is made with banana coated with batter which is then deep fried in coconut oil. Unniyappam, neyyappam, vada which are all snacks fried in coconut oil. Other snacks like koyakkatta, elayappam or ela ada which are in turn made through steaming.

For lunch parboiled rice is served in banana leaf along with Aviyal (veggies mixed in coconut, Thoran which is veg & coconut sautéed, KoottuCurry with chickpea for vegetarians served with sambar, rasam and moru for gravy. For non-vegetarians fish curry meals, chicken curry, duck roast are other specialities which is available. Those who prefer fried fish or fried chicken, is also available.

Kerala Porotta is also very popular which can be had with chicken curry or fried chicken. Kappa or cooked Tapioca is a popular dish in Kerala which is loved by all.Kappa is best served with fish curry.
These chayakkadas are also areas where the locals discuss politics; local happenings just like round table conferences, locals’ gets to read Malayalam newspapers and discuss politics and discuss their difference of opinion in these little tea-shops.