Kothu Parotta from Azad

For a foodie to be in India is one of the greatest delights. The spice, the diversity, the colors - everything is amazing. I mean at one particular time you can have spicy, tangy pani puris, steamed momos, kulchas with chana masala, aloo tikki chat, samosas with imli ka chutney, dosas with creamy chutney  and my mouth is watering at the thought of all of them on my table right now. The street food that us Indian have managed is simply mind blowing. As a seasoned street foodie in the sub continent I thought I had tried it all - from the northern capital of Delhi to the southern city of Chennai. That was of course before Trivandrum and Kothu Parotta.

The View from the Kovalam lighthouse, Kovalam Beach

Last week, I had a whirlwind tour of Kerala touching down in Trivandrum before finishing off with the great Mallu wedding up noth in Trisshur. The capital of Kerala has its own unique style of food from spicy chargrilled meats to pure veg lunches to very interesting ice-cream combinations. But, as my friend had put it, the best Mallu food is the one made by home cooks.
And indeed it is true. I have had the good fortune to dine with four great families with food that had been so different from what I have previously encountered. I mean chicken curry with idlis, idiappams[string hoppers] with egg curry in coconut milk, hot appam and stew, puttu and kadala curry, chicken roast, parippu - words never before heard and now words never to be forgotten. But, nothing the author sampled, came close to this particular street food.

 From the time the trip was conceptualized, the author's local friend Sulfia Santhosh talked up Azad and Kothu Parotta. You have to have kothu parotta, it is my favorited takeaway food of all times. And I was like really, really??!! The days in Trivandrum were spent visiting beaches, local sights and good home cooked food. But this particular food seemed more of a concept than a reality. And then on the last day, there it was on her plate for a late dinner. You know that scene in The Pink Panther where Clusseau has his epiphanic hamburger. The part where they is violin music and voices going hallelujah. For the author is was something like that. The Kothu Parotta is a mixture of chopped kerala parotta, scrambled eggs, spicy chicken curry, chillies, curry leaves. For me, it was a taste of Kerala in one big plate. And lots of servings. This particular plate is from Azad which is a local sight in itself in Trivandrum. Miss the sadya, miss the beef fry, miss the appam and stew but do not miss the Kothu Parotta from Azad. And have lots while you are at it. Because when you are miles away you will definitely crave the spice, the moorish parotta bits and the egg that gives an underlying texture and flavor.  If I were judging this it would be perfect ten - hell I'll break the rules and give it a 15 out of 10. It is that good.

Location: Azad Restaurant, Trivandrum [For directions, go here]
What to try: Kothu Parotta hands down.
Rating: 4.7/5