Global Malayali chef

KOCHI: There are some moments in life, that make you wanna kick back and savour it because you know you have spent hours dreaming about it.  Chef Jomon Kuriakose recently experienced such a ‘dream come true’ moment, after almost 13 years of imagining it. 

Jomon, a native of Mavelikkara, flew to London to study culinary arts a decade back. “It was my dream to study at the West London. But due to heavy fees and some unforeseen circumstances I was not able to enrol there,” he shares. Now, after 12 years, the same university has asked him to train their students. “ I could be the first Malayali chef to teach a class there. Their maiden class on our cuisine.

They wanted me to explain our food habits and my plating. And I took that opportunity to introduce them to Kerala’s famed Alappuzha fish curry,” he shares.  The fish curry was a hit among the students who hailed from all over the world. Chef Jomon is famous for reinventing Kerala cuisines and elevating them for a global audience. The college has invited Jomon back for another class in June. 

Flavour challenge
His recent experiments include a modern interpretation of our very own ayala fry. In his hands, it turned into a delicately presented Scottish mackerel fried in banana leaves infused with Kerala spices and served with crabmeat pepper salad and curry leaves oil. His genius shines on each plate that he carefully structures, keeping in mind the texture and taste of each ingredient.