Dubai: He remembers the earthy night air, the steaming cups of tea and the spicy snacks that he munched through with his grandfather during their numerous visits to the ubiquitous tea shacks of Kerala.
They are wonderful childhood memories, and as a tribute to them, the former Dubai-based investment banker has brought the food after his heart - Moplah or Kerala Muslim cuisine - to the emirate.
He’s had no formal culinary training, but that didn’t stop Aneez Adam. Initially, it was just a pop up in the yard of his ancestral home in Kozhikode, formerly known as Calicut.
Within four days of him setting up the impromptu home-based cafe, his guests increased from “40 to 4000”. It was a success and Adaminte Chayyakada or ‘Adam’s tea stall’ was born. This was 2014.
Moplah refers to the Muslim community, concentrated mostly in the Malabar region of Kerala. Its culture, tradition and food has been heavily influenced by Indo-Arab trade from the past.
Calicut was a major port city since the 13th century, facilitating spice trade with the Arabs, English, French and Portuguese. This impacted the food in the region making Moplah cuisine an amalgamation of local and borrowed recipes.
Adam named the restaurant in memory of his grandfather CP Adam, especially as its focus are traditional dishes being adapted to modern tastes. “In Kerala, there are tea shops at every nook and corner, each chayyakada is known for a different dish... Many dishes are invented here. A chayyakada is not just a tea stall, it is a food lab.”
The success at home urged Adam to try bringing the concept to Dubai. In March, he started a branch in Al Qusais. It was an instant hit. “We didn’t expect our chayyakada to be such a success in Dubai.”
The place boasts of interior decor items that are nearly 120 years old and have been brought in from Kerala to give the place a nostalgic feel.
He told Gulf News: “Many of our Moplah dishes are inspired by Arab dishes, the most common is the samosa that is like the popular Arabic sambousek. Or our pathiri (a pancake made of rice flour) came from the sweet dish Fatir.”
And all of this you can find at the restaurant in Dubai - a journey through Calicut’s culinary past.
“The restaurant has a Ramadan speciality called the Adaminte albudha nombuthura, it means a surprise feast to end the Ramadan fast. Some of our best dishes are the ozhivakkan pattathu kadikal (snacks you can’t ignore), we also have erachi choru (adapted biryani), chatti chor (rice cooked in an earthern pot), erachi pathiri (rice pancake stuffed with curried meat), chemeen unda (shrimp dumplings) ...some authentic Moplah dishes that people love.”
So whether it is a Malabar dum biryani or the ummammante sharbat (cooling drinks made by mum), if you want to try Moplah fusion cuisine, Adam’s restaurant might be the answer.
Cost
The breads, including the popular pathiris, dosa and kerala porota, range from Dh2-5. The Kithaabiley Koyi Porichathu, a popular fried chicken dish found in every Malabar recipe book, costs Dh25. Most main dishes on the menu range from Dh15-35. The portions are enough for two people to share.
On average, two people can have a hearty meal under Dh100 which should cover starters, maincourse, tea and all.
