Why Thiruvananthapuram loves Turkish rolls
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Mobile joints merchandising forms of Turkish rolls have mushroomed within the Kerala capital
Alwin Mathews and associates are looking out for “something different” to munch on a Sunday night in Thiruvananthapuram. They drive by the sequence of cell joints flanking the busy Kowdiar-Kuravankonam highway, and cease by one merchandising Turkish-style rolls for a fast chew. “They are quite filling and spicy. Sometimes, I have one for a meal if I plan to skip dinner,” says Alwin.
Thiruvananthapuram’s love for the West Asian snack shawarma now seems to have morphed right into a pattern of tangy Turkish rolls. Come night, and Turkish roll joints which have mushroomed within the metropolis develop into abuzz with the chatter of keen clients ready to ‘grab’ and eat. It’s principally a younger crowd.
At Istanbul Grills and Rolls, Kuravankonam, seasoned meat (hen and beef) stacked round a slow-turning vertical spit will get prepared. A deft hand shaves off meat slices which are transferred onto a flat saj bread (rumali roti) earlier than onion, lettuce, tomato and a few French fries are added. These are topped with mayonnaise and chilli sauce. The flatbread is then folded right into a roll, wrapped in butter paper and served sizzling.
Bazil Muhammad, proprietor, says he opened the joint after his travels in Istanbul two years in the past. “There’s a street dedicated to meat rolls in Istanbul. I was blown away by the crowd there,” he says. He purchased a truck and designed it to go well with his necessities. The title, in fact, is a tribute to the Turkish metropolis.
Rolls from Istanbul Grills and Rolls
| Photo Credit:
Harikumar J S
Competition is tight: shut by stands Turkish Ottoman Rolls & Grills. Owner Muhammad Sharif says, “I was earlier running a travel agency that suffered greatly when the lockdown came. In order to retain my staff and help support them, I opened Ottoman.” To make his meals as genuine as doable, he roped in prepare dinner Sulfikar Sulthan, who has expertise making ready Turkish dishes whereas working with a restaurant in Oman.
What primarily differentiates shawarmas from Turkish rolls is the combination of herbs and spices used within the latter. Also, not like the Arabian shawarma, its Turkish cousin principally steers away from cabbage and tomato sauce. But these working these joints wish to preserve the substances that go into the masala a “trade secret”. “Apart from the mix, we use Kashmiri chilli that is added both in crushed and powder form. Mayonnaise, barbecue sauce and a bit of our spicy in-house sauce are added during mixing,” says Amal Raj R of Turkish Ottoman Leba at Nalanchira.
At Turkish Rolls and Grills, Pazhakutty, en path to Nedumangad on the outskirts of town, the rolls are available 4 varieties — regular, spicy, full meat and cheese. Nazim NS, who opened the joint with three associates, says aside from onion and tomato, cucumber can be added “to slightly neutralise the spice and the tang.” Their ‘full meat’ model, because the title implies, is an all-meat deal with with no veggies, plus French fries.
Spicing it up
The unique Turkish rolls are admittedly much less spicy, and restaurateurs right here understandably make tweaks to go well with the desi palate. Mohammad Fauzan of Turkey Gold, a newly-opened shawarma joint hooked up to the restaurant Moroccan Midway in Pettah, says a spicy in-house sauce, jalapenos, cheese, tabasco sauce and mustard sauce are used of their snacks. “I obtained the recipe for our Turkish rolls from a Syrian-origin Turkish chef that I got to know of via Facebook. After trials, we added some of our signature touch as well,” he says.
This selection can be mirrored within the nomenclature of their rolls — they’ve Turkish-style Bob Marley shawarma (oregano and mustard sauce), Che Guevera shawarma (tacky) and Ghostface (the spiciest) aside from Turkey Gold platter, which is a plate of meat slices that include two items of bread, salad, dips and French fries.
A cell barbecue on a Royal Enfield Classic with a big side-car launched by three associates at Sasthamangalam had grabbed eyeballs as ‘Rider’s BBQ’ late final yr. On its menu are Turkish-flavoured dishes corresponding to Turkish hen BBQ, Turkish tikka, wings and lollipops. “Our masala includes three varieties of chilli powder imported from Kuwait with the help of a friend working there,” says Harish K H. Another spotlight is Turkish kofte (meat balls) BBQ. The trio are actually set to launch an outlet close to Medical College. Harish opines that maybe one purpose why Turkish delicacies is all of the sudden in style right here, is as a result of many in Thiruvananthapuram present curiosity in making an attempt out new and completely different dishes.
Bab Arabia close to Marappalam, which manufacturers itself as a Turkish-Arabic restaurant, is probably the one place within the metropolis that gives a wider selection of genuine Turkish delicacies. On the menu are Adana kebab (named after town of Adana in Turkey), beyti kebab, pide, shish tawook (a kind of kebab) and Turkish-style hen {k}apama, a meat (beef, hen or mutton) and rice-based dish.
Akbar Kunnappadi, in-charge of Bab Arabia, says, “Authentic Turkish dishes are deemed quite healthy. They need minimal oil but are also less spicy. So we spice up our dishes to suit Malayali tastebuds. For marination, Kashmiri red chilli powder is added. Apart from Turkish spices, we use leaves of rosemary, garlic, black pepper, thyme, olive oil, Himalayan salt (rock salt) and a wee bit of butter for flavour.”
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