Tastes and Night vibes of Kozhikode Beach – An interesting note

Kozhikode beach has one peculiarity, families and friends gather here till midnight. Most of them will be engaged in chats till late night. There are also a few ‘deep sea lovers’ who go and visit seas after 10 pm. It’s one of the most active sea beaches in the coastal belt of Kerala. It wakes up early at 4 am. The shore is filled with people engaged in morning walks. After 9 am tourists reach here slowly. There are also Malayalis from other districts who arrive here to spend their time. Friends, lovers, foreigners, businessmen, traders, gangs of old people who spend their time with friends etc are among those. Night vibes of Kozhikode beach, also known as Calicut beach is spectacular to watch and experience.

When it is 11 pm, the people outside Kozhikode leave the place, while residents stay like late night. On the busiest days such as Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, some families may stay after 1 am. It’s a favourite place for tourists to watch sunset too. There are many restaurants in the town where food is available 24*7 hours. Birthday parties, ghazal nights, marriage anniversaries, football, volleyball – nights of Kozhikode and its beaches are always engaged. Kozhikode – The land of Dum Biryani also has a few more distinct and traditional tastes. Let us have a look of a few of them.

Kozhikode restaurants are famous for some delicious and trademark dishes, and a few of them are many decades old. Appam and Mutton Curry of Paragon, Sagar restaurant where rice and fried seer fish are available even at late nights, Beef biryani of Rehmath, Parotta and curries of Topform, Chicken Pottitherichath of Adam’s Chaayakada (Check the recipe here), Milk serbat, Sharjah shake – just like a long queue at beverage shops, the list is too long.

There are plenty of small shops available near the seas, where tourists can enjoy light snacks and desserts. Most important is how you enjoy the beauty of seas at night, rather than the dishes available nearby. It’s also a rare sight to watch families enjoying sea breeze during late nights at 1 pm, a peculiarity of Kozhikode beaches. Elanchi, Poricha Ada, Cutlet and Semiya Cake – each and every item has distinct Kozhikode flavours. There are numerous food stalls available in Kozhikode beach.

Icorathi or Nellikka Uppilittath

In one such small shop you can get two dishes, opposite in poles, in taste and characteristics. It is your decision to choose, either chilled or salted. But at 11 pm the shop will be closed. Fried mussels (Kallummakkay) are also readily available in the evenings.   

Ice will be rubbed and filled into small serving glasses. Then different flavours will be added. Icorathi is ready.  If it is the case of salted pickles, it is available in different types – Chow Chow, small salad cucumber, mango, carrot, guava, gooseberry, pineapple, jujube fruit (Elanthapazham) etc. Gooseberry has some peculiarities of course. In its small body it can hide different tastes and flavours. Sour and bitter are its real trades, while it turns salted when salt is added and it turns sweet when honey is added. Yet gooseberry is a little bit psycho in nature. We can hardly imagine its true shades.  

Ice stick is available at just 5 rupees, in the flavours of pineapple, grapes and orange. It gives a chilled nostalgic feel of childhood. It tastes the same, our old days Kol Ice (Ice stick). There is one home two streets away from the beach, where these ice sticks are made.  

Groups of late night people

The sea shore is lazy during examination time. If you want to see active beach, choose fasting season. The sea shore doesn’t sleep at night, and it stays awake till day break. After Nombuthura ceremony (end of fasting) people have delicious dishes, stay awake whole night, have food at morning 4 am, and then go to sleep. Masala quail eggs available at Abookkante Chaayakada and Noorinte Pathirikada are high in demand. Instead of going to big restaurants people prefer street food during such festival seasons. Pappads, Kadalamittai and many more items – there are many local traders with more than 25 years of experience, who reach the beach in the evenings and return after 11 pm.

Unlike other south Indian beaches, why Kozhikode beach is busy at night time? There was a time when many Muslim husbands stayed at wives homes, especially at Kuttichira regions. Most of them were traders and shop owners. When they reach home after daily business, it would already be late. After supper they may take their wives for a walk to the beach. As time passed by, it became a common sight where families spend their quality time at beaches even after 1 pm.

Now not just residents of Kozhikode, families from neighbouring places too spend their late nights at Kozhikode beach. This procedure was started around 5 years back, around year 2015. People can sit here and relax without any disturbance.

Arabian tastes at sea shore

There are many restaurants and food chains which regularly conduct food festivals in Kozhikode. It includes beach hotels and corporation office. Calicut Karachi Darbar is one such. Only roasted (chuttath) items are served here. In chicken and beef dishes, Kabab, Tikka and Barbeque variants are high in demand. Afghani Tikka is most popular. The restaurateur was originally a photographer in search of tastes across the globe. Once he happened to eat Karachi food at a restaurant in Dubai, and later started a restaurant in Kozhikode dedicated to Karachi dishes.    

Dishes with roaring tastes similar to rising sea waves

There are two types of ice sticks available here – Ice cream stick and Candy stick (5 rupees, described earlier). Ice cream sticks are available in 20 flavours – Vanilla, tender coconut, dates, chikku, guava, custard apple etc. There are many friend groups of new generation which prepare such ice cream sticks, with joint efforts. They made use of their nostalgic memories to recreate tastes of yesterday, and their attempts received a warm welcome. They still follow the homemade recipes, where natural ingredients like fruit pulp are used.

Sarish is a trademark Kozhikode dessert with chilled coffee favour. It is prepared using chilled milk, chocolate and Boost powder. There is one juice shop named Suhra Juice Shop, which remains open between 11 am and 2 am. More than 60 varieties of juices are available, apart from shakes. Healthy juices like aloe vera and masala gooseberry are also available now. Masala gooseberry juice is prepared using gooseberry, salad cucumber, ginger, garlic and bird’s eye chilli, and hence is healthy. Shakes of custard apple and Oreo biscuits are instant hits.

In the late night, when the gentle breeze pats you and say good bye, it gives a chilled and relaxed feel. When you have some chilled juice or dessert, it gives a wonderful sleep at late night. Before I end, here is the secret recipe of Kada Mutta Masala (Quail eggs masala) of Abookka’s teashop. Quail eggs are boiled first. Meat masala and coriander powder are heated, and cardamom, cinnamon and powdered nutmeg are added, followed by ginger-garlic paste. In the thick gravy, boiled eggs are added. This dish is hot and spicy, and high in demand too.

There is one tea shop owned by a person called Ramakrishnan. Chukku Kaapi (prepared using dried ginger and pepper) is available till 1 am. When waves gently touch your feet, you feel very much relaxed. When you leave the place, you can take back a lot of breezy memories which Kozhikode beach offers you in grand.

Also read a few more posts related to Kerala cuisine. Here is the page link. Click on the images to read