Text credits: Silpa Anil

The word “kallumakaya” may ring a bell in your mind about the funky music band that appeared as Faizi’s friends in Dulquer Salman starred Ustad Hotel. But for those hailing from North Malabar, it is that distinctive taste that lingers in the mind with the mere thought of kallumakaya.

Kallumakaya, which may be a kin to the oysters, breed on rocks that are occasionally kissed by sea waves. Pearls in oysters are the slightly salty flesh inside the shiny emerald shells of kallumakaya.

The kallumakaya plucked out of the rocks contains a gross amount of dirt in and out of the shells. Therefore, considerable effort and time goes into the cleaning of kallumakaya, but the end result is definitely worth the hard work.

A variety of dishes and snacks can be made out of kallumakaya. Some of the prominent ones are as follows:

Arikkadukka (Stuffed Mussels)

Source: blogspot.com

Arikkadukka (the name may differ as simply kallumakya, kadukkaa or kallumakaya nirachath in different parts of north Malabar) is a popular snack made out of kallumakaya. It is basically mussels steamed with a stuffing of flavored rice flour dough, deep or shallow fried after marinating with red chilly paste. The filling is a seasoned mixture of rice flour, coconut, shallots and cumin seeds. The inviting aroma that diffuses into the air during the process of cooking itself serves as an appetizer. Arikkaduka is a perfect tea time snack, best enjoyed with intermittent sipping from a steaming hot cup of Sulaimani (black tea).

Kallumakaya Varuthath (Fried Mussels)

The flesh from the shells are scraped out and cleaned. The cleaned flesh is then marinated with a paste of red chilly powder, a pinch of turmeric and salt to taste. Then fried in coconut oil. You have the liberty of choosing between deep frying or shallow frying. Deep frying would give you crispier fries. Since scraping out the flesh is a somewhat laborious task, an easier alternative is to first cook the mussels with the shells on and then separate the flesh out of it. Further simpler alternative would be purchasing frozen mussels that are now readily available in the market. But finding comfort with the task would also lead to compromising with the real flavor of kallumakaya. Kallumakaya fry is one of the best appetizers or side dish. The spicier the fries, tastier it becomes  and goes well with the booze too!

Kallumakaya Roast

Source: recipes.snydle.com

Fried kallumakaya can be reformed into a different dish by roasting it with some sauteed onions and tomatoes along with some added spices. It can further be garnished with some curry leaves and coriander leaves. The roast will be a perfect side dish for your appam for breakfast, rice for lunch and chapatis for dinner.

Kallumakaya Thoran

Source: blogspot.com

Kallumakaya thoran is a delicious non-veg thoran that goes well as a side dish for rice. It is a fine blend of grated coconut, finely chopped onions, ginger garlic paste and other spices including red chilly powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, pinch of pepper and salt to taste that is sauteed and cooked with half cooked mussels. Kallumakaya roast is ready to be served after adding in some curry leaves and mustard sauteed in coconut oil.

A lot more experimentation can be done with kallumakaya. At the end of the day, what matters is the blissful delight in savoring the taste of this exceptional gift of sea. For any sea food lover who pays a visit to North Malabar, it would be a major loss to not relish the goodness of kallumakaya!

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