What we’re talking of is the latest food joint to hit Cochin. KFC’s first outlet in Kerala is located on the ground floor of the Gold Souk, at Vytilla. It is easily accessible – right in the heart of town, and located in a 5,00,00sq.ft shopping mall.

KFC has over 18,000 restaurants in about 50 countries. In India, they have 50 outlets in 11 cities! Head to the nearest one, right here in Cochin. KFC has tailored its menu to suit the Indian palate: there’s veg burgers, rice meal options, krushers (cool drinks), toasted wraps, desserts and, of course, the famous chicken buckets. So… dig in!

The seating is comfortable, the ambience nice and calm. Music is good, too. The lighting inside and on the porch is mentionably good. Not to forget the colourful fountains outside. There are a couple of tables inside, and a few sprawled in a portico outside.

The ice cream flavours range from apricot, coffee and Scottish crunch to Kafchoc almond – a mix of slightly dark chocolate and almonds. Then, there are the usual likes of chocolate, strawberry and pista. Shakes and sundaes and a bunch of kiddie favourites, too, line the menu.

The outlet has a relaxing atmosphere, and one of its advantages is that it is located within the town area, but still shielded from the hustle and bustle.

Beaches at Kovalam, Cochin, Alleppey, Calicut, Varkala and Kannur are favourites for tourists from India and abroad. Each coastal city has its own history, culture and community lores. From the Malabar coast where Vasco da Gama landed to the one at Cochin, with its intricate backwaters, Kerala’s coastline is lined with beautiful beaches.

Tourist spots closer inland, too, find a mention. Seafood and Indian cuisine is a part of the coastal life. Most restaurants and shacks around the place have the option of letting you buy fish and them cooking it for you. Spicy fish curries, fried prawns and mussels, juicy lobsters and oyster dishes, all wait to be sampled.

visit: www.beachresortkerala.com

Boat cruises, diving trips, speed boating and house boating, are operated by travel agencies and private companies. Most cities also have trips and tours organised by government and private agencies. There are mangroves, estuaries, saltwater grooves, creeks and canals along the coastline. There are wildlife reserves, sanctuaries and bird parks which add to their tourist value and eco-knowledge.

The Malabar area is known for its non-vegetarian dishes. The most known and asked-for combos are Pathiri (rice-based pancake) and meat curry, Porotta (layered flatbread), and Meat Biriyani. Biriyanis and Pulaos are made with meat, onions and spices cooked in boiled rice. There are varieties of sea food, too—prawns, mussels, squid and sea fishes.

Travancore cuisine makes use of vegetables and fruits like plantains, bitter gourd, taro, colocasia and Ash gourd. Spices like garlic, cloves pepper and cinnamon are used. The Syrian Christian Cuisine, too, has its own history and patrons.

A typical breakfast can be anything from the following—Puttu (steamed rice cake with coconut scrapings) and bananas or peas curry, Idlis, Dosas and Appam and stew. Lunch and dinner is mainly rice with meat (usually chicken and beef) and vegetarian dishes like Thoran (chopped vegetables and grated coconut cooked in very little oil), Kaalan, Pachadi (yoghurt, sugar, coconut, chilli, mustard seeds and spices) and Olen (ash gourd and coconut milk).

Avial is made with mixed vegetable, coconut and Yoghurt in a gravy-like form. Sambar, which is prepared using lentils, cooked vegetables and spices including asafetida is gravy that goes well with idlis and dosas as well as with rice.

Banana and Tapioca chips make good accompaniments for rice dishes. They also serve as snacks. They become sweet dishes when cut into bits, fried and dipped in jaggery.

Fish is eaten both as curries and fried varieties. Sometimes, it is baked in a plantain leaf over a fire. Meen Vevichathu or fish in red chili sauce is also another favourite item. Erachi orlarthiathu is made from beef or lamb, and is a common food item that goes well as snacks and as part of the main course. Payasam, a porridge-like sweet with a vermicelli-rice base, cooked in milk and sugar or jaggery serves as dessert.

Here’s a recipe for Kerala Beef:

Ingredients:

* 1 kg beef cut into 2 inch-long, one inch-think strips

* 2 large onions thinly-sliced

* 2 large tomatoes finely-chopped

* 2 tbsps ginger paste

* 2 tbsps garlic paste

* 2-3 green chili

* 3 tbsps coriander seeds

* 4 tbsps fennel seeds

* 8 cloves

* Seeds of 6 green cardamom

* 1 inch stick of cinnamon

* 25 black peppercorns

* 50 curry leaves

* 1 cup fresh coconut cut into 1 inch-long think slices

* 1 tbsp mustard seeds

* 4 tbsps vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil

Preparation:

* Heat a flat pan on medium flame till hot. Reduce the flame to simmer and add fennel, coriander seeds, cloves, peppercorns, cardamom seeds and cinnamon. Stir well till spices become darker. Turn off fire, and cool.

* Grind the above roasted spices into a coarse powder in a dry grinder.

* Put the meat, sliced onions, green chili, tomatoes, ginger and garlic pastes and ground spices into a large mixing bowl. Mix well till all the meat is coated. Marinate for an hour.

* After an hour, put the mixture into a deep vessel and cook on a medium flame. Do not add any water as the meat will give off its own juices. Cook till the meat is tender.

* In a separate small pan, heat cooking oil and add the chopped onions and fry till transparent. Add curry leaves and mustard seeds and cook till they stop spluttering. Now add the coconut slivers. Cook till they begin to turn a pale golden colour.

* Add this to the meat and mix well. Turn on the fire (medium flame), stirring often, till the meat browns. The whole dish begins to turn a deep, dark brown. After the water dries off, serve hot.