We are a lucky country to be surrounded by the mighty, infinite water from three sides and the beauty of the mountains on one side. That is also the reason that coastal life is so important to us in many ways. Right from vacations to food, we know what joys are stored in those waves.

If you have ever been on a vacation closer to the sea, know someone hailing from the coast or have heard stories from friends and relatives who have been there, there will be mention of the coastal food in plenty. And why not, coastal food worthy of it, thanks to its heavenly flavors in every dish – sweet, sour, spicy – and coconut-y! Yum!

Some of our chefs at Holachef serve these delicacies and, needless to say, they are in high demand. Here are some of the most popular coastal dishes form our dynamic menus.

1) Chicken Malvani

A detailed selection of spices goes into this delicious favourite from Konkan – pepper, red chillies, cloves, bay leaf, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander seeds, coconut, ginger and garlic. All the spices are well balanced with the mighty coconut; and chicken cooked in this masala is absolutely delightful!

2) Mangalorean Mutton Sukka

The famous sukka variation from Mangalore is something you cannot miss. Chillies, pepper, fenugreek, mustard, carom seeds and almost the same ingredients that go into a Malvani spice list help this semi-dry preparation tingle the right taste-buds!

3) Vegetable Chettinad

This spicy dish from Tamilnadu is made from a fairly simple list of ingredients. Onions, ginger, garlic, fennel seeds, pepper, chillies, coconut and cumin seeds account for the chettinad paste. Apart from these, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves play an important role in bringing a unique flavour to the dish.

4) Fish Moleeshan

A dish every Malayalee and their friends will swear by is this! Marinated, shallow fried fish is cooked in a brilliant blend of simple ingredients – coconut milk, curry leaves, ginger, chillies, onions and tomatoes.

5) Bengali Doi Maach

The key behind bringing the right flavour in this dish is sauteing the spices in the same oil in which the fish has just been shallow fried and kept aside! Bay leaf, cinnamon, cumin seeds, cardamom, ginger-garlic paste, onions are topped with thick, slightly sour curd and this is the blend that the fish catches, to bring in a spicy-sour flavour to this delicacy.

You are salivating already, aren’t you? Without these robust coastal delicacies, the gastronomical journey would be incomplete. Holachef takes you on a exploration of coastal flavors with its many offerings, made by some of the best expert chefs. Check them out at Holachef.com.