Kattoor Toddy Shop near Kodanadu

Villages in Kerala are so beautiful as they were fully stacked with greenery all around. Everywhere we lay our eyes on, we could find lush green plants or trees giving us a soothing atmosphere. Back in the day, each village had a toddy shop where people used to have a drink every once in a while. Nowadays with the introduction of other forms of liquor through luxurious hotels, toddy shops have lost the importance it had enjoyed in the past. But, village toddy shops have been gaining popularity recently with their unmatched and unchallenged array of traditional food preparations which you might not have experienced in any of these so-called luxurious mansions. Kattoor Toddy Shop near Kodanadu is one such eatery serving some special traditional non-vegetarian recipes which would really catch your attention.

We were on our travel from Kochi and it took us a little more than one hour to reach a toddy shop in the village by the name Kattoor near Kodanadu, a famous tourist destination which houses an elephant training centre. It’s a small building by the side of the road facing a green grassy paddy field. Banana plants and coconut trees form the boundary for these paddy fields and it enhances the beauty of the place.

On the way to the place, we enjoyed the view of large pineapple farms along the way by the side of the road. As we were about to enter the toddy shop we have seen people carrying green fodder grass for cattle in a scooter. The village atmosphere is so mesmerising as it will surely be a breath of fresh air for the people from the cities.

Our vlog at Kattoor Toddy Shop Near Kodanadu

Chellappam Chettan is a middle-aged person who takes care of the cooking part along with a guy called Thangappan who seems to be slightly older with grey hair. Traditional firewood has been used for cooking and some of the dishes were in the midst of preparation. Non-vegetarian dishes like Pork, Beef and Chicken were placed on large pans over the flame for cooking.

It took me by surprise to see large beef pieces placed in the beef curry for preparation. When asked about the same, Thangappan Chettan gave the idea that it’s a fat piece which has been added since the meat pieces lack the required fat. Apparently, beef curry tends to have more flavour if it’s rich in fat and if the meat pieces have the required amount of fat, these large fat pieces won’t be used.

Recipes from toddy shops tend to have a slightly high spicy flavour as it’s been believed to be ideal for having a glass of toddy. We ordered some of the dishes which caught my attention while I was going through the preparations in the kitchen. Pork, Beef and Duck recipes were all served on the table to be had with Tapioca and Appam. Pork Chilli fry was tasted for starters and it was really special. Sliced lemon pieces placed along the dish were squeezed over the deep-fried pork pieces for an amazing flavour. Fried green chillies kept on the sides can be had for an added spicy flavour. The presence of onion pieces served along with the dish has made it even more attractive and delicious.

I have gone for Appam and Duck curry combination after the Pork recipe. Duck curry seems to have a thick gravy and it tends to contain more bone pieces compared to other meat varieties. Easter festival has been a special occasion which sees duck recipes being made in many houses for breakfast. The taste was superb and it felt really good to be had with Appam.

Pork curry was so delicious to be had with Appam. It was a top-notch dish and I liked this recipe more than any other dish we have ordered. Freshly sliced onion pieces mixed in vinegar served along the recipe have made it even more enjoyable to be had with Appam. The beef curry was also so good and it had a slightly high spicy flavour. I had a feeling that if the beef pieces were cooked some more, it would have made the recipe even more delicious.

I preferred to have tapioca with fish curry than any other recipes on the table. Fish curry was rich in spicy flavour and we could feel the taste of Malabar Tamarind in the recipe. As I was having the dish I thought of fish curry pots on the second or third day of cooking where it contains gravy on their sides. It would be so tasty to have this remaining fish curry from the pots to be had with tapioca. Kattoor Toddy Shop near Kodanadu has been a real gem as it serves some mindblowing traditional recipes which we would really appreciate. If you ever happen to be on your way to the tourist destination of Kodanadu to witness the elephant training centre, you can very well add this toddy shop to your bucket list to have some amazing dishes on your travel.