Category Food

Fuljar Soda: A Drink in Action

As the holy month of Ramzan drew to a close, there was something else that was waiting to safely erupt into the open, literally – The humble Fuljar soda. Served in a long jar, complete with a shot glass containing a green concoction, Fuljar is the talking point across the country (India).

Claimed to have origins from Kerala, no one knows who created the Fuljar (pronounced as ‘full jar’) soda nor does anyone know how the frothy drink rose to overnight stardom. One possibility of the drink’s popularity can be attributed to the dramatized TikTok videos of youngsters drinking Fuljar soda.

Fuljar Soda
Credit: Manorama Online

What made the drink popular?

We, human beings are attracted to something out of the ordinary. This drink not a boring soda with a pinch of salt or squeezed lime. It reminds me of an overflowing soda like a volcano that was created for a chemistry project and it is a food that can be consumed while it is in action. Interesting enough?

Though there are variations in the color of the drink, the design of the drink is quite similar to the Jägerbomb, where a shot of Jägermeister is dropped into a tall glass of beer or red bull. Interestingly, the origins of the Jägerbomb and Fuljar soda are elusive.

What goes into the Fuljar soda?

The concoction in the shot glass is made up of mint, green chilli, ginger, salt or sugar, depending on the variant. Basil seeds, an ingredient in Kulikki Sarbath, another popular drink in Kerala, are also added to Fuljar soda to make it more interesting to the palate. According to the Fuljar soda drinkers, the drink should be chugged in one go, and then our senses are taken on a sensory ride of flavors.

Where can you get Fuljar soda?

With the drink turning into an overnight sensation, it is widely available at roadside eateries as well as bigger establishments. One has to go to the makeshift shops and cool bars in the smaller towns of Malappuram, to get an authentic taste of the Fuljar soda, where youngsters queue up for their evening fill. The drink has now garnered popularity in the districts of Kannur and Kochi, and is slowly catching up in establishments across the country.

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Restaurant Review: That Mallu Joint

With a traditional wooden ceiling and minimalistic tables and chairs, That Mallu Joint, a new fine dining Kerala restaurant has a welcoming homely feel to it. We went on to try this new restaurant in the city and its worth a visit.

That Mallu Joint

The slightly ripe raw mango marinated with green chillies and sugar arrives as a welcome snack, and is a delicous addition as we wait for the food. Starting with the Erachi Ularthiyathu (beef), it hits all the right notes in terms of flavor and texture. The spicy dish has a dash of green chilies with the fried dry coconut and the curry leaves adding an authentic touch to the dish. The Prawn Porichathu is fried to juicy perfection with a crispy covering comprising of rava (semolina), adding a nice crunch to the dish.

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Coming to the main course, we opted for the Puttu, Egg Appam and Meen Manga (mango) curry. The Puttu was soft and grainy with fewer coconut shavings, the egg appam came with a cooked egg instead of the half boiled egg omlette in the center. Though not a preferred combination for puttu and appam, we opted for the Meen Manga curry which arrived in a mini clay pot that had a homely flavor to it with well-cooked pieces of seer fish.

That Mallu Joint - Meen Manga Curry

That Mallu Joint has a simple menu and excels at delivering the dishes in style. The presentation is good, the service is quite slow, which for sure will catch up as the restaurant is a new player in the city. The quantity could have been a little better, especially for the starters. The restaurant is certainly a place to fulfill your craving for authentic Kerala food.

A special thank you to Arathy Menon for her valuable inputs.

That Mallu Joint Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Mission Mutton Biriyani

The air is filled with the aroma of it. Men, women and children; some burqa clad and some elegantly dressed. Some are already seated on the chairs with a bored expression while others are standing on one leg, slouching to one side, waiting for their rightful place. They are all eagerly longing for a plate for mutton biriyani. You are right, it’s a Muslim wedding reception.

The bride and the groom are on the first floor, elegantly dressed up and have a weary look on their faces. Greeting those unknown people and flashing a fake smile makes it even worse after standing in attention for two long hours. A long queue is leading to the bride and groom. Getting a chance to congratulate the couple after a long wait is like getting a ticket to the dining area on the ground floor, swarmed with people waiting to dig into the piping hot mutton biriyani.

My friends are restless, so am I. We spy on the guest’s plates. They are frustratingly slow in finishing their biriyani, while others are on the lookout for a second serving of biriyani and payasam that comes along with a bun. After sliding in between chairs and creepily standing behind some guests, we find a place. The plates are placed swiftly. Our eyes are in their full efficiency like a 360-degree CCTV camera, searching for the elusive plate of mutton biriyani. The string hoppers (idiyappam) arrives, we gesture our hand in unison, signifying ‘NO’. Next, the brinjal gravy and the bread arrives – Nope. Only Biriyani and Chicken gravy.

The biriyani arrives, to be served in our plate. The biryani travel from a huge cauldron to a big vessel and then transferred to a plate that can be served with a piece of mutton. We dig in to the piping hot biriyani. The meat is tender and flavorful and the rice with a chewy texture.

After all the waiting and chit chatting, we are suspiciously silent. Instead, we get busy devouring the delicious items on our plates, relishing them silently and mindfully. My friends have their own way of pairing with the onion raitha and the brinjal gravy with a piece of mutton. I prefer to have my Mutton Biriyani plainly, with a piece of chicken and gravy to accompany the rice.

Mission accomplished.