The Romance of Clay Pots and Kerala Fish Curry
The best meals we’ve ever had are usually a combination of nostalgia and great cooking. These are meals that we will always cherish because they not only satisfy our taste buds but also take us down the memory lane. For me, the Kerala fish curry cooked in the traditional Manchatti (clay pot) will be my ultimate soul food. Soft and juicy chunks of fish cooked in a spicy-sour tamarind gravy is a classic recipe in all Syrian Catholic homes. It tastes best when prepared in the age old Manchatti. The clay pot enhances the overall flavor of the fish curry giving it an authentic taste. But gone are the days when people cooked in earthenware. Today, clay pots have been replaced with metal utensils. Metal utensils have a tendency to leach the food being cooked in it. Acidic ingredients such as tamarind accelerates the leaching process and renders the food bland. You then have to add more and more ingredients to compensate for the loss of flavor. Metal utensils are no d