Sample The Suriani Kitchen at Okra, The Marriott

One of the greatest things about India is the rich culinary heritage with such diverse tastes, flavours, influences and histories. Indian regional cuisine is replete with so many varieties, probably changing every 50 kilometres or so of this vast country, that you could never get bored of having just 'Indian food'. Especially the food cooked in Indian homes, where most women(and some very nice men!😊) literally cook from scratch everyday, grinding fresh pastes, peeling garlic, onions and grating coconuts to whip up fresh, delicious and nutritious meals that actually turn a house into a home.

Marriott, Hyderabad is organising one such very special culinary experience-The Suriani Kitchen at Okra, a lavish buffet, on till 17th Sept 2017. It is nice to see a hotel encouraging a Home Chef Susan Arun to display a wealth of authentic Syrian Christian dishes from Kerala. She brings with her recipes and flavours from the ancestral Suriani Kitchen. Taking inspiration from her grandmother and mother, cooking has always been her passion. Marriott hotels have always believed in thinking out of the box and presenting opportunities to not just established Chefs but aspiring Chefs too. I personally also strongly support institutions that give a new platform to women who may have opted to be homemakers for a few years, to showcase their skills for a wider audience. Just because a woman has taken a few years off to raise children and nurture a family, does not mean she has any dearth of talent or nothing to offer society at large. Home Chef Susan Arun truly proves that the home kitchen can be the perfect training ground for someone who wants to uphold the legacy of one's ancestral cuisine and taking it to a new level. Chef Susan says," One distinct feature is the way in which we tend to lightly fry/saute the spices before grinding them to a paste. Secondly we do not compromise on the coconut milk. No canned stuff here. We break almost 50 coconuts everyday for this festival!"

With very high expectations, we started with the array of dishes culled out by this charming Chef who has an air of being totally stress-free. The bright Kathakali table mats and a serviette wrapped in banana leaf further enhanced the mood. We start with Toddy or Kall, which is a fermented Coconut drink which is slightly intoxicating. There is also a delicious Buttermilk Kerala style called Mor which has a tempering of shallots and many subtle spices.

The typical non-veg spread

We start with the Non-veg section which is characteristic of the Suriani Kitchen. The beautifully done up Thali with a doily of banana leaf is so alluring with dishes such as Meen Vevichathu (Fish curry country style), Pepper Chicken, Fish Pickle and Kappa (a savoury Tapioca preparation). Chef Susan prepared Chicken Stew in a different style which was spicier than the usual. The Vegetable Stew however was the usual white, sweetish stew one is used to, both of which went equally well with the Appams. The Fish curry is supposed to be had with the Kappa instead of rice and that is how we relished it.

The vegetarian Sadya dishes

Then we moved onto the Sadya which is the typical vegetarian meal served on banana leaf comprising of Boiled thick, sona masoori rice, Sambar, Parippu(Mung Dal), Vallarikka Pulisserry(Malabar cucumber), Olan (Ashgourd and red beans), Vellarika Pachadi(Cucumber with delicious Mustard flavour) Cabbage Thoran, Avial. There also the irresistible accompaniments in the form of Pappadum, Inji Puli(Ginger Curry), Narang (Vadagampuli Achar) lemon, Kadu Manga(Mango Achar), Sharkaraperutti, Upperi(Banana chips) and Pazham(small banana) for good measure!

The Suriani Kitchen buffet display in quaint earthenware vessels

It is such a heartening, fulfilling meal with a medley of salty, sweet, sour, piquant, hot tastes that truly satisfies your soul. I particularly liked the vegetable stew, fish curry, Pachadi and the sweet ginger pickle and fish pickle. 

Yet foodies can surprise themselves by still wanting more and the desserts were something to wait for. Perhaps it is the warm cumin water that is served with the meal that acts as a digestive. So we attack the beautifully presented trio of Pal Payasam(a sort of milk and rice kheer), Banana fritters and Ada Pradaman( Jaggery sweetened dessert of rice flakes) which was my favourite!

Home Chef Susan Arun

If you want to sample this truly unique and authentic experience of the homestyle Suriani Kitchen, do head to Okra at the Marriott, Hyderabad. The festival is on from 7 pm to 11pm every evening till 17th of September 2017.
For more information, call +91 9666412009