About Red Chillies
Nestled in the Silicon Valley suburbs of Milpitas is our Malabar kitchen, Red Chillies. It was created by a food loving crew of Western Indians on a passion to share their family recipes with our clienteles to have a feel of ‘kitchen away from home’ while dining. Along with the great family recipes offered at Red Chilies, is the at home feeling you get the moment you walk in. You will be greeted with a warm welcome and instantly feel as if you are in a quaint Malabar villa. The warm welcome you received at the door will be continued throughout your stay because of our dedicated hospitality. We want to encourage you to come, have a meal with us and experience our Malabar kitchen. It is our hope that you will make it your own “kitchen away from home”.Our goals are simple – to furnish the finest quality products in a comfortable atmosphere with professional service.
Malabar & Travancore Cuisine – A brief history
For over 2000 years, Kerala has been visited by ocean-goers, including traders from Greece, Rome, the eastern Mediterranean, Arab countries, and Europe. Thus, Kerala cuisine is a blend of indigenous dishes and foreign dishes adapted to Kerala tastes. Coconuts grow in abundance in Kerala, and consequently, grated coconut and coconut milk are widely used in dishes and curries as a thickener and flavoring ingredient. Kerala's long coastline, numerous rivers and backwater networks, and strong fishing industry have contributed to many sea- and river-food based dishes. Rice is grown in abundance, and could be said, along with tapioca (manioc/cassava),to be the main starch ingredient used in Kerala food. Having been a major production area of spices for thousands of years, black pepper, cardamom, cloves, ginger, and cinnamon play a large part in its food.
As with almost all Indian food, spices play an important part in Kerala cuisine. The main spices used are cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, green and red peppers, cloves, garlic, cumin seeds, coriander, turmeric, and soon. Few fresh herbs are used, unlike in European cuisine, and mainly consist of the commonly used curry leaf, and the occasional use of fresh coriander and mint. While Tamarind and lime are used to make sauces sour in North Malabar areas; the Travancore region uses only kodampuli (Garcinia Cambodia), as sour sauces are very popular in Kerala. Sweet and sour dishes are however, rare, but exceptions like the ripe mango version of the Pulissery and tamarind-jaggery-ginger chutney known as puliinji or injipuli which is also known as Ginger Tiger are popular.
Another favorite dish in Central Travancore is stew: chicken, potatoes and onions simmered gently in a creamy white sauce flavored with black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, green chillies, lime juice,shallots(cherriya ulli) and coconut milk. Stew can also be prepared with chicken, lamb, and duck.
Other dishes include piralen (chicken stir-fries), meat thoran (dry curry with shredded coconut), sardine and duck curries, and meen molee (spicy stewed fish). This is eaten with appam. Appams, kallappams, or vellayappams are rice flour pancakes which have soft, thick white spongy centre’s and crisp, lace-like edges. Meen vevichathu (fish in fiery red chilly sauce) is another favorite item.
