Sink in to a delectable 'kilikkoodu' in Kozhikode

Think Kozhikode, think food! And it ain’t no junk food either, but solid food wrapped in sugar, spice and all things edible and visually appealing, like the 'kilikkoodu' (bird’s nest) for example.

A man who marries into a Kozhikode family should surely be one lucky bloke. The family makes sure that their 'puyyappla' (bridegroom) is wrapped in love and stuffed with food, the latter obviously being the better deal! After all, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach and the one to know this cardinal truth the best would of course be the woman of the house. The women have a gut sense of what a puyyappla would love to feast on and they swing into the act even before the new groom can even wish for it.

At the end of the day, the women know they have to woo the sons-in-law for their daughters and the best way to win him over is to treat him to the best of goodies, served coyly with a lot of mohabbat!

Kozhikode’s super cook ummas are a bunch of resourceful women high on imagination and a yen for mischief when it comes to naming their dishes. So they have the 'puyyappla fish,' a dish which they say, is as handsome as the bridegroom himself!

This is how kilikkooducomes in. This is no nest atop a tree, but a dish made elaborately, as are all Kozhikodan dishes and served with love. A bird’s nest for the lovebirds!

Kilikkoodu is very much like a cutlet and the preparation is almost the same. Picture this: Vermicelli rolled into a ball and fried. That’s the nest.

Now to make the nest:

Cook six medium sized potatoes and mash them. Cook a kg of boneless chicken with salt and set aside. Chop half a kilo of onions and sauté them. Add in two spoons of crushed ginger and garlic, 7-9 finely chopped green chillies and curry leaves. Keep on sautéing. Add two teaspoons each of turmeric powder and pepper powder. Mix in the chopped chicken pieces and sauté again. Garnish with mint and coriander leaves, set aside.

Add the mashed potatoes with the meat mix and make balls out of them. Add salt and water to two cups of rice flour, make a thick batter and set aside. Spread vermicelli on to a plate. Dip the balls in the batter, roll over the vermicelli and deep fry. Serve the kilikkoodu hot.