• 4
• Vegan Keralan Options

Tharavadu offers traditional Kerala cooking, so I contacted them as to vegan friendly options and based on their response prompted me to book a table for dinner. Keralan cuisine is quite spicy, so after checking about vegan options, kicked off with snacks and pickles, consisting of pappada vada papadams dipped in rice batter, pakkavadakaya made from rice and gram flour, varuthathu made from deep fried plantain chips and pappadoms. Alongside these were served three chutneys, coconut and chilli, lemon and mango, my favourite was the coconut delicious, creamy and spicy. I passed on starters, but my husband ordered vegetable dosa, which could easily have fed four and which I could not try, as it contained lentils, but it smelled and looked fantastic, he failed to finish it. Main course was kadala masala, chickpeas cooked in a light tomato sauce (requested extra hot) and koon mezhukku varatty, mushrooms sauteed with onion, garlic and coconut and boiled rice. The food was delicious and so different to your run of the mill Indian restaurants and I would be there regularly, if I lived nearer.