Ingredient guides
Know what you are buying: the varieties sold in Kerala markets, how to tell good produce from tired, and how to keep it fresh at home.
Kochi market guideBuying spices in Kochi: Mattancherry, Jew Town and Broadway
Where Kochi's spice trade lives, what to look for at a stall, and the Malayalam words that help.
Buying guideHow to identify fresh fish at a Kerala fish market
Check smell, eyes, gills, skin, flesh and belly to pick fresh mathi, ayala, neymeen and more.
Storage guideHow to store spices so they stay fresh: pepper, cardamom, cloves
Keep Kerala spices dry, sealed, dark and whole so pepper, cardamom and cloves hold their aroma.
Produce guideKerala banana varieties: nendran, palayankodan, njalipoovan and more
Nendran, palayankodan, njalipoovan, chenkadali and robusta explained, with Malayalam names and uses.
Produce guideKerala rice varieties: matta, jeerakasala, ponni and more
Matta, jeerakasala, gandhakasala, njavara, pokkali and ponni explained, with Malayalam names and uses.