The toddy shops of Kerala have long been the exclusive abodes of 'off-track' 'mischievous' male folk who fan away their day's sweat with fermented toddy, sizzling hot curries and spicy gossips. Indoors of toddy shops had always been stigmatized against women, who but lent hands to craft the aromatic 'shap curries.' When their curries spread flavors and aroma beyond geographic and gender boundaries, there happened a female invasion all through the male-spaces. Toddy shops are one such unique category food destination which screamed at the barred to break stigmas and invade.
This is exactly how 'Kakkathuruthu shap' in Alappuzha transformed itself to a family dining space. Once an incompatible male space, this toddy shop is now a fancy-dining space where families spend their weekends. Facing the mighty Kaithappuzha lake, this place is famous for its unique duck and fresh-water fish recipes. With private dining spaces in the form of bowers made of bamboo facing the lake, a meal in Kakkathuruthu shap is indeed a hover into Alappuzha's natural quintessence. You get a variety of seafood like crab roast, beef porichath, pork, and native duck recipe here. The shap owners have kept a couple of row-boats in the lake for the customers to have a different, subtle Alappey experience.
I choose to go by rice as main course as rotis would spoil the local finesse. Prawn roast, garnished by fresh red chilly flakes, coriander leaves and spice-mix prove to be an excellent dry starter. The cotton-ball prawns would squeeze out all its juice on your first chew. Twitching all your taste buds, it makes you want more flavors to relish. Duck curry comes first in the main meal, even before the rice does. Keep chomping its well roasted pieces while waiting for your rice platter. Pork gravy, fish curry and a Karimeen (green chromide) roast would make perfect side dishes for boiled rice.
The spicy brownish pork gravy with immense lard melts down in your mouth. All the dishes are designed with extra spice to compensate the sharp taste of super sour fermented toddy. Fish and mango gravy is one another attraction, in which the sourest raw mango beats the fuming chilly flakes and leaves a nostalgic tang on the back of your tongue. Once you are done with the rice, just call out for the waiter who would bring you the very aromatic karimeen fry, wrapped in banana leaf. The taste of heated banana leaf blends well with that of the blackish red fish roast to make a mouthwatering smell. Start exploring the softest flesh from your dish and never forget to squeeze lemon in between.
Kakkathuruthu shap is indeed a get-away from your busy city-life schedules. Once in a while, escape from your work-pressures and sit back in one the bamboo bowers here, glancing at the swaying Kaithappuzha lake and the row-boats gently drifting in it. Your foodie's heart will want no more peace, neither less.
