O womunia!

Kerala and West Bengal lie along the coastline and so their love for fish is not much of a surprise But for Madhu Sarkar Kuriakose 57 from Kolkata this connection goes beyond meen and machi Kuriakose was only nine years old when she moved to Delhi with her family After studying design she made a name for herself in the production design industry She is behind the look of several wellknown films including Rani Mukerjee starrermdashthe Rani Mukherjeestarrer Mardaani and The Shaukeens featuring Anupam Kher and Akshay KumarPran HaraFor the most part of her early life she juggled work and kept her love for cooking alive in her kitchen ldquoMy father used to cook and that is how I learned cooking We are all food enthusiasts so you can imagine how much fun it was to grow up in that homerdquo Kuriakose tells us Her success in the kitchen prompted her father to suggest the idea of starting her own food venture ldquoI wish he could see what I have achieved todayrdquo she says of her new cloud kitchen Muniarsquos MenuChaanar PulaoLocated in Goregaon it caters to gastronomes who enjoy both Bengali and Kerala cuisines But how did she come to learn Kerala food ldquoI met my husband Ajit Kuriakose Varghese in Ahmedabad After I got married into his Mallu family I started learning more about Kerala cuisine I pestered my motherinlaw to spill some of her culinary secrets Over a few years I had aced the southern cuisine toordquoBut even then starting her own business was never on the cards She was happy feeding delicious homemade meals to friends and family And then one day a friend stepped in ldquolsquoWhy are you feeding people free of costrsquo my friends said And so Muniarsquos Menu was born four years ago But I have to confess it only took off in the pandemicrdquoLuchi AlooLast year the unforeseen COVID19 lockdown and resultant government norms led to indoor dining restrictions Inevitably the gap created by the absence of restaurants was filled with takeaways and home deliveries as people tried to satisfy their desire to eat out This was when homechefs flourished while restaurants lagged ldquoI serve Bong food Kerala food and even Continental cuisine People want to eat hygienic food and order from a chef they can trust And I offer that I prepare meals a day in advance and pack them well to avoid spillage All of my food is cooked with fresh ingredients before it is dispatched to locations across the city I am fortunate because the response has been phenomenal so farrdquo she addsChicken Korai RoastNot so surprisingly the business which she launched with partner Vivek Thapar gained popularity through social media Her menu is a balanced mix of the two cuisines and includes cholar dal Rs 300 bhoger khichuri Rs 300 shukto Rs 320 palong kopir ghonto Rs 250 kaalajeera maacher jhol Rs 400 holud bhaat Rs 200 chingri shores bhapa Rs 450 and bhetki prawn batichorchori Rs 550 in Bengali fare and avial Rs 450 puttu Rs 250 pineapple pachadi Rs 400 pariappu payasam Rs 550 meat oolarthiathu Rs 650 and mince oolarthu Rs 650 features in the Malyali menu Her Continental section offers roast chicken legs Rs 550 Irish shepherdrsquos pie Rs 650 and roasted lemon chicken and tomatoes Rs 550Steamed BhetkiKosha mangsho has been the alltime hit ldquoBengali and Kerala cuisines are a contrast For instance Bengalis use mustard oil while Keralites use coconut oil for cooking Bengalis follow an Ayurvedic way of eating and start their meal with shukto mixed veg with karela which works as a cooling agentrdquo The fact that she has learned the art of food styling has helped boost the ldquolikesrdquo ldquoVery recently Irsquove started doing this where I take beautifully plated shots of the dishes and post them on social media They look like professional pictures and that helps me sellrdquoBhetki PaturiOur VerdictAfter observing Shravan a holy month dedicated to Lord Shiva we decided to dive into some nonvegetarian food from Muniarsquos Menu The order included prawn roast mutton oolarthiathu Rs 650 kosha mangsho shorshe ilish Rs 1600 chicken and homemade chutney We started with shorshe ilish a classic Bengali dish made with hilsa green chillies and mustard oil There are few things as comforting as a plate of piping hot steamed rice with shorshe ilish in pungent mustard gravy and this one was a real treat Our second favourite was the prawn roast which was styled with curry leaves and grated coconut We especially loved the sumptuous coating that cloaked the spiced prawns Wersquod list this among our top 10 lockdown mealsTo order 9867512623