Valsalammayude Chayakkada in Thrissur

Life has always been different to each one of us. But, we have to be positive and face all the challenges posted towards us to the best of our ability. Age has always been a hindrance for many people and as we become old, we would naturally require help from others in every aspect of life. All of us would have seen old aged people being cared for by their relatives or the community in their day-to-day life. It’s on my journey through the Thrissur district that bought me and my friend Nishad to a kiosk run by an old lady in her seventies. Her name is Valsala and at the age of 74, she is an inspiration for all the people who wish to take charge of their lives even in their old age. Valsalammayude Chayakkada in Thrissur is a small teashop by the side of the road located exactly at a place called Vilankamkunnu.

Everyone calls her by the name Valsamma and hence the teashop has the name Valsalammayude Chayakkada. The kiosk was started 30 years back by her husband and since she lost her partner, she has taken care of this teashop all by herself for 16 years. It feels as if age is taking a toll on her moments, but nothing seems to face her. We reached the teashop in the morning and she was busy preparing tea for the customers. As we normally see in teashops across the state, she poured the tea from a height to a cup in her left hand. Puttu and Idli are the two breakfast recipes available in the food spot. Puttu or steamed rice cake can be had with Kolli (tapioca) curry with gravy and fish curry. Idli can be had with Sambar and Coconut chutney.

Our vlog at Valsalammayude Chayakkada in Thrissur

The breakfast dishes will be displayed on the dining table and customers can select the food according to their choice. We both had a cup of tea for the starters followed by the breakfast dishes like Puttu, tapioca curry and fish curry. Pappad was also served with Puttu as it’s a famous recipe combination in these parts of the world. The thick gravy of the tapioca dish and the sour flavour of the bilimbi used in the fish curry combined really well with the Puttu.

The taste feels similar to homely food as it does not contain any artificial ingredients to enhance the flavour. We also tasted Idli towards the end and it’s been served with Chilli Chutney, Coconut Chutney and Sambar. One of the fascinating aspects of this food spot was that the lady was charging for only a few items like Puttu, Idli, Tapioca curry and Tea. The rest of the items like Sambar, fish curry and chutneys were all served free for the customers.

Valsamma does all the work by herself and there is no one available for helping her in running this kiosk. She has to collect the drinking water from the nearby well and the water for cleaning from the pipes. Firewood is being used for cooking and the food spot is operating in a single room with the kitchen located towards one side. Her house is located near the food spot and she has no children for her to give a helping hand. Most of the people who visit this teashop are regular customers who live nearby the teashop. We have also seen people who came for work in the locality also visiting the teashop for breakfast. If you are on your travel and if you feel like giving a helping hand to the old lady running this food spot, then you could make a visit to Valsalammayude Chayakkada for delicious homely food.