A Kerala meal from above: fried fish on a banana leaf, fish curry in a clay pot, bean thoran and sambar on a black table
Illustrated portrait of Chef Binoj, the Vanchinad emblem

Kerala cuisine

An elevated expression of Kerala, shaped by tradition, memory and the craft of Chef Binoj.

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From the south.With soul.

Vanchinad brings the cooking of Kerala to the UK through a chef-led kitchen: coconut in every form, curry leaf crackling in hot oil, fish from the coast, meat slow-cooked with black pepper, and rice patiently fermented into dosa, idli and appam. Familiar food, cooked with care and served with ceremony.

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A golden curry in a rustic clay pot, glowing in low light
Star anise, green cardamom, cinnamon bark and bay leaves
Curry, cooked down in a manchatti clay pot
Illustrated portrait of Chef Binoj in chef’s whites, from the Vanchinad emblem

The hand behind the flavour

Every plate that leaves the pass at Vanchinad carries the signature of one cook.

[CHEF BIOGRAPHY — paragraph one. Where Chef Binoj learned to cook, and from whom. Supplied by the client.]

[A short quote in Chef Binoj’s own words]

Meet the chef

Kerala,reimagined.

Banana leaf and clay pot. Rice in a dozen forms. Coconut, kudampuli and pepper from the Malabar coast. The flavours are old; the way they reach the table is Vanchinad’s own.

  • Biriyani in a clay pot with its lid lifted
    Dum, under a sealed lid
  • A golden curry in a rustic clay pot, glowing in low light
    Cooked in a manchatti
  • A vegetarian sadya laid out on a banana leaf, seen from above
    Served on the leaf
  • Lace-edged appam with vegetable curries on a steel thali
    Appam, lace-edged
  • Crisp lentil vada beside a split coconut and chutney
    Lentils, ground and fried
  • Rice tempered with mustard seed and curry leaves in a black pot
    Tempered with curry leaf

Signature dishes

Dish names proposed for Chef Binoj to confirm

  1. Biriyani lifted from the pot on a spoon, in low warm light

    Thalassery Dum Biriyani

    Sealed in the pot and left to steam in its own fragrance, then opened at the table.

    Short-grain kaima rice layered with chicken or mutton, fried onion and ghee, sealed and slow-cooked

  2. Layered Malabar-style porotta on a black plate with curry, onion and dried chilli

    Nadan Beef Curry

    Kerala’s great late-night pairing: a dark, peppery curry and a Malabar porotta to tear into it.

    Beef slow-cooked with roasted coconut, black pepper and curry leaf

    Gluten free

  3. A red fish curry in a steel bowl, lit from above against a dark ground

    Kappa & Meen Curry

    tapioca & fish curry

    Tapioca and fish curry, soured with kudampuli and cooked down in clay. The taste of the backwaters.

    Mashed tapioca with red fish curry soured with kudampuli, cooked in a clay pot

    Gluten free

The Vanchinad table

A Kerala feast, laid one plate at a time.

01 / 10

Nadan Oonu

the Kerala meal

Matta rice, fish fry, thoran, curries, pappadam and pickle on a thali

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The ingredients

Kerala cooking begins long before the pan is hot. Choose one to find it on the table.

Dropped into hot oil until it crackles. The first scent of a Kerala kitchen.

Whole and ground spices, curry leaves and turmeric root arranged on a dark surface

The art of the kitchen

  1. Star anise, green cardamom, cinnamon bark and bay leaves
    01 / 04

    Gather

    Whole spices, bought whole and ground as needed.

  2. Flames rising from a pan in a dark kitchen
    02 / 04

    Fire

    A hot pan and the patience to wait for it.

  3. A pan held over a high flame
    03 / 04

    Temper

    Mustard seed pops, curry leaf crackles, and the dish begins.

  4. Curry ladled from a large clay pot
    04 / 04

    Serve

    Ladled from the clay pot while it is still singing.

The menu

by Chef Binoj

Proposed dishes, awaiting Chef Binoj’s sign-off. Prices to follow.

Tiffin

Kerala’s morning table, served all day

  • Nei Roast Dosa£—

    ghee-roasted dosa. Crisp fermented rice and urad crêpe, sambar, thenga chammanthiVGF

  • Idli, Sambar & Chammanthi£—

    Steamed rice cakes, lentil sambar, coconut and curry-leaf chutneyVGGF

From the coast

  • Kappa & Meen Curry£—

    tapioca & fish curry. Mashed tapioca with red fish curry soured with kudampuli, cooked in a clay potGF

  • Nadan Oonu£—

    the Kerala meal. Matta rice, fish fry, thoran, curries, pappadam and pickle on a thali

Nadan

Home-style meat curries

  • Nadan Beef Curry£—

    Beef slow-cooked with roasted coconut, black pepper and curry leafGF

  • Nadan Kozhi Curry£—

    country chicken curry. Chicken on the bone, shallots, coconut milk and garam masalaGF

Biriyani

  • Thalassery Dum Biriyani£—

    Short-grain kaima rice layered with chicken or mutton, fried onion and ghee, sealed and slow-cooked

Alongside

  • Malabar Porotta£—

    Flaky, layered flatbread from the griddleV

  • Kerala Matta Rice£—

    Red parboiled riceVGGF

To finish

  • Palada Payasam£—

    Rice flakes slow-cooked in sweetened milkVGF

V vegetarianVG veganGF gluten free chef’s selectionPlease tell us about any allergies before ordering.
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A dimly lit dining room with warm pendant lights

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[RESTAURANT DESCRIPTION — the room, its atmosphere, how many it seats, private dining if offered. Supplied by the client.]

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