Over the weekend, as our local businesses start to open more; in support of local businesses, I discovered a local Kerala dish that I had not seen, heard, let alone eaten before. It’s a special localized dish called Kizhi Porotta. Enjoyed by locals throughout many districts in Kerala in South India. I am not sure why I have not bumped into this specific dish before, but glad I did. So what is Kizhi Porotta?
[picture below] Porotta or Parota or Paratha is a very common Indian fried bread, which is made by skillfully stretching a dough made with all purpose flour (maida) into a very thin film, and folding it multiple times so it forms layers when fried, almost croissant like (although no where near to a croissant).
[picture below] For building up a Kizhi Porotta, 2 slices of cooked porotta is stuffed with fried curry meat usually beef or chicken between the porottas, wrapped in banana leaf, tied into like a parcel with a knot on the top. Which looks like a bundle of herbs used for ayurveda treatment (aptly named Kizhi)… hence the name Kizhi Porotta. Then the bundle is steamed for a few minutes, and then grill on top of a hot skillet with coconut oil, charring the banana leaf, adding that extra incredible banana leaf and coconut oil aroma to inside the bundle.
*We do not eat the banana leaf, it’s for making the parcel to impart the extra aroma only.
[picture below] when one opens the bundle, there is a great whiff of intense aroma from the banana leaf, coconut oil and the delicious dry gravy inside. It’s like opening present on Christmas morning. 
. Only this is deliciously hot and makes everyone drool just looking at it.
How was the taste? Amazingly delicious. And having some hot black tea or coffee at the same time, will make it a greater experience.
Let’s go out where we can and where our budget allows and try to support local businesses as we recover from the global pandemic.
Sharing another post from another Local Guide @Its_me_arun which I found for Kizhi Porotta
https://www.localguidesconnect.com/t5/General-Discussion/Kizhi-porotta-beef/m-p/2293448#M754405