IT’S good to arrive early if you want freshly cooked dishes for your banana leaf lunch at Shobana’s Kerala Kitchen in Petaling Jaya.

We were there at 11.30am on a Sunday, and trays of food – more than 20 of them – had just been brought out.

We made a beeline for the Avial, a signature Kerala vegetable dish cooked with spices, grated coconut, coconut milk and yoghurt, and Fish Puttu, which has shredded ikan tenggiri prepared with dried and green chillies, turmeric, mustard seeds, curry leaves and coconut.

The Avial (RM3) is a mix of snake gourd, carrot, eggplant, long beans and potato. It’s slight tart, with the coconut lending a lovely creaminess. The veggies retain a little crunch, and are not at all mushy.

On my banana leaf was rice, doused with fish curry, and three vegetarian dishes, namely fried ladies’ fingers, coleslaw and spicy bean curd, as well as mango chutney. This basic set is RM8.

Besides the delicious Fish Puttu (RM7.50) and Avial, we added on the Mutton Varuval and a serving of spicy, dry-fried shredded chicken.

Dark and rich, the Mutton Varuval (RM10.50) features tender meat that is well-infused with spices and sweet onions, with small chunks of potato throughout.

For the Chicken Sambal (RM8.50), shredded meat is fried with strips of coconut flesh, onions and chilli. This goes so well with rice, and can even be eaten on its own.

All in all, the dishes made for a robust, zingy meal.

We returned the next Saturday, a little later at 1pm. The fried beetroot I wanted to try was not available, and the sambal ikan bilis was sold out.

This time, we ordered the Chicken Varuval (RM8), Fish Puttu and some spicy tofu. The chicken is flavourful, but I prefer the mutton version of the dish.

The spread on offer also includes the Crab Curry, Fish Molee, Fish Head Curry, Seafood Masala, Mutton Peratal, Sotong Varuval, and Fish and Vegetable Cutlets.

We ended our second lunch here with a peppery Masala Tea, which I enjoyed.

Among the eatery’s dessert options are the Payasam and Cekodok. I wish appam was on the menu as it’s such an integral part of Kerala cuisine, which revolves around spices, coconut and seafood.

Kerala is part of the Malabar coast in southwest India, much visited by Portuguese, Dutch and Arab spice traders in the past.

Shobana’s Kerala Kitchen is located at 357C, Jalan 5/57 in Bukit Gasing, PJ. It can be reached at 03-7773-0409. – June 27, 2020.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.