Following on from my post about breakfasts in Kerala here is a brief introduction to what one may have for lunch and dinner.

Let’s start with a short video of Judith from Eden Gardens homestay (Cochin) talking through the delicious lunch she prepared. Please excuse the rather poor camera work on my part!

The dishes included Bitter Gourd, Raita, Mango sauce (with coconut and curd), Fish Kadamei and Payasam. Payasam is very popular and is ususally a mix of milk, coconut extract, cashews, dry grapes and sugar.

I had an extended stay at Eden Gardens due to Ash cloud delays. It did give me a chance to sample at length the fantastic cooking!

With Kerala’s long coastline and expansive backwarers it’s not surprising that there is an abundance of seafood. And with large minorities of Christians and Muslims there are plenty of dishes prepared using meat, poultry and fish. Kerala has a long history as a spice exporter and so pepper, cloves, cinnamon and many others are very popular ingredients.

I had a particular soft spot for the Mango sauce, however, all the food is far different from the Indian cuisine I’ve sampled. I plan to visit more authentic restaurants here in the UK – although even those I doubt will be picking spices from their garden to serve!

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Guest post: Dominic Sawyer visited India in April 2010. Based in the UK he is working with Mahindra Homestays on their website.