a day ago
Pocket-friendly Kerala food in New Delhi's first Kudumbashree cafe
In the vicinity of India Gate, Cafe Kudumbashree gives the city's Malayalis a feel of being at home with its Kerala cuisine. Thankfully, the weather has been pleasant the past few days but even in the unsettling blaze you cannot miss people sipping hot chai with pazhampori (banana fritters).
Kudumbashree, a project launched by the Government of Kerala in 1998 for poverty eradication and women empowerment, translates to prosperity of the family. Amidst food stalls of different states on Amar Jawan Jyoti Road, Cafe Kudumbashree tells its own story of women's empowerment, financial independence and authentic Kerala cuisine.
The menu is a simple mix of Kerala's popular snacks and meals, all prepared fresh daily. For breakfast, there is a variety of dosas to choose from; puttu (steamed rice cake) and porotta paired with chicken, fish or kadala (chickpea) curry are staple breakfast items served here from 10 am.
Oonu or Kerala meals include matta rice, sambar or moru curry, a yoghurt-based curry tempered with spices, and either thoran, a popular vegetable dish, or spicy fish curry. All served on a hot bed of rice and priced ₹80 is the lunch and dinner favourite.
The outlet, which many people still do not know about, is gradually gaining popularity with the city's Malayali community comprising mostly working professionals, students and daily wagers who work in the nearby India Gate complex.
Even the non-Malayali population is frequenting the place. 'The menu is limited but the food is tasty and budget-friendly; I have started coming regularly,' says Sameer, who works inside the India Gate Complex.
Despite restrictions on usage of gas on the premises, the staff manages to whip up flavourful meals on induction and electric stoves. The cafe has also faced water shortage on certain days and was forced to shut down on those days. 'It is a loss for us, but we are helpless. We feel happy that people like the food we prepare for them,' says Lissy Paulose, who runs the cafe with Asheeba VT, both from Wayanad, and Abdullah MTF from Kasargod.
Entrepreneurs are identified from Kudumbashree units to run the cafes. Lissy and Asheeba have been part of Kudumbashree for eight years 'Back home, we took orders from bakeries and food enterprises, and sold snacks, cakes and other savouries from our home. Now being part of the cafe initiative in a different state is a good experience; we get to learn about a new culture and gain a new perspective on business,' says Asheeba, mother of a three-year-old whom she has left behind in Wayanad. 'This exposure will prepare me for future,' she says.
Cafe Kudumbashree, near Gate No 2, India Gate, inside the amenity block in the subway, is open on all days from 10am to 9pm. Meal for two costs ₹200 for vegetarian and ₹250 for non-vegetarian.
