Kerala cuisine: spicy flavours from the tropics

The Friday Cookout

Name: Valsa Jacob
Nationality: Indian
Belief: Positive thinking. Believes anything can be done if one has the inclination and the passion for it. Particularly so in the case of cooking.
Favourite dish: Fish Moli.
Shopping tip: Always go for fresh vegetables, meat, etc.

What you are most likely to find in her fridge: Fresh cream, cheese, garlic, coconut chutney, grated coconut, ginger-garlic paste, coriander, vegetables, meat.
Food is a major topic of conversation at the Jacobs home. And there is a reason: Valsa is passionate about all things culinary and is happiest when dishing out mouthwatering delicacies for guests. In fact, so keen is she about cooking that she offers cookery demos at the Dubai International Women's Club fairly regularly.

There are several ways of winning a man's heart, and my wife has taken the best route to win mine - through the stomach," says John Jacob about his wife, Valsa.

They have been married for more than two decades and their bonds of love has grown stronger with each new dish that Valsa has lovingly prepared. Food and anything related to it is a major topic of conversation at the Jacobs' home in Al Mulla Plaza, mainly because Valsa is so passionate about it. A friendly woman, Valsa believes in laying out a sumptuous spread for her friends or guests when they drop in for lunch or dinner.

She learnt the basics of cooking from her mother when she was a kid. "I have been trying my hand at cooking since I was in standard eight," says Valsa. Over the years, she has become quite a versatile cook, as much at ease with Indian dishes as she is with Continental or Chinese cuisine.

For Friday, she prepared a spread of typical Kerala dishes: Beef Cutlets, Fish Moli and Hoppers, Duck Roast, Green Masala Biryani, Green Loaf With Yoghurt, and Baked Bananas.

The beef cutlets were excellent. Delicately flavoured with just the right amount of spices, the dish set the pace for things to come. Next was Valsa's piece de resistance - Fish Moli, a kind of stew made with coconut milk. This dish is very popular during wedding receptions in Kerala, she says.