Kayastha kitchen now open

Enjoying a CKP meal is now possible even if you don’t have a buddy from the Maharashtrian sub-group. A lockdown catering service serves a mean bharlala pomfret and other delights

Kayastha kitchen now open

Bharala Pomfret

In May 2016, when I read Ase Amhi Kayastha, a cookbook by Akola-based chef Sushma Deshpande, I wanted to tuck into a wholesome Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu (CKP) meal. The CKPs belong to an ethno-religious community, which claims to have ties with Chandrasen, an ancient king of Ayodhya from the Kshatriya dynasty. After spending the last four years hunting for options, I had almost given up, when a friend recently uploaded a social media post about Sizzle Seafoods, a new homefood venture in Mulund.

Sizzle Seafoods was started by husband and wife, Nikhil and Manali Durve, when they were bitten by the startup bug. “This was around last year, at the start of the Coronavirus outbreak. I had quit my job as a fashion designer in January 2020, and wanted to start my own business. Nikhil, who works as an HR recruiter, had more time to spare, thanks to the WFH setup. So, we decided to take this seriously,” Manali, 35, recalls.

Manali Durve cooks authentic CKP food from her Mulund home

The couple, of CKP origin, began a fish delivery venture, supplying fresh catch to customers across Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. In the first month, they delivered about 250 kg, and it seemed like they had struck gold. “But, our customers started telling us that we should consider prepping authentic CKP dishes. It was around September 2020 when the pandemic was raging and restaurants were shuttered. We thought it was good timing,” adds Nikhil, 39. Food is considered an important part of their culture, which is why its people are often referred to as “changla khaanare peenare”, meaning people who love to enjoy sumptuous food and drinks.

Coconut, coriander, fish, prawns and tamarind are integral to the cuisine. “Until we started this venture, we knew of only one restaurant in Thane that serves CKP food. There is a dearth of options for food enthusiasts, and we want to bridge that gap,” Nikhil says. Adding to his thought, Manali shares, “We use a lot of coriander seeds and fennel in our masalas, especially for all the fish curries. The same masalas go into chicken gravies, but these are concocted separately. The cuisine is not known to be excessively spicy so we keep it moderate.” The couple tweaks spice levels depending on customer requests.

The Durves started Sizzle Seafoods last year. Pics/Shadab Khan

The duo procures fresh fish and therefore, take orders a day prior. “Our aim is to deliver fresh food to our customers. So far, 70 per cent of our clients are repeat customers,” Nikhil says.

Our Verdict

This writer ordered prawns curry (1 plate for Rs 250) and bharala pomfret (1 fish for Rs 320) from Sizzle Seafoods in Mulund to her Dahisar residence. The order took about two hours to reach via WeFast. Covering long distance seems to be the prime reason why this writer feels she could have had the dishes at the chef’s home instead. Incessant rainfall was a spoilsport. The order had turned cold, and despite reheating, it was no fun. While the prawns tasted good, the green chutney smeared inside the pomfret proved to be a bummer. The price of the order was almost equal to the delivery charges (Rs 310)—quite steep, we think. It’s a legit option, no doubt, but better if you live close to Mulund or in the eastern suburbs. The food didn’t travel well, and that was a disappointment given the high prices.

What a CKP Foodie Thinks
Jaideep Gupta, 57 Civil contractor, Thane

We CKPs take our meat and fish very seriously, and I am no exception. The running joke about us in other communities is that if we could, we’d even add
prawns to sabudana khichdi during fasts.

Prawns Curry

I’ve always lived in a neighbourhood around my extended family. For as long as I remember, Sunday would be a mini festival in our house. My father would step out in the morning accompanied by other men in the extended family to shop. They would divide themselves into two groups, one would target mutton shopping and the other, fish. It was something of a ritual for us kids to observe them from our balconies to see which man was joining what group every Sunday.

The shopping would be followed by the women cleaning and chopping the day’s haul, after which the cooking would begin. As kids, we could hardly wait for the food to be ready so that we could dig into it. CKPs have a style of cooking that is unique to the community, which is true of most [communities]. Over the years, I have sampled food from numerous home kitchens and restaurants that claim to offer authentic CKP meals.

Of all, I can safely say that the Durves are among my top five favourites. Their meal reminded me of the dishes I would relish as a child. Sizzle Seafoods was recommended to me by a relative and I sampled a few of their dishes, after which there was no looking back. Not just me, even my sister and my teenage daughter, both staunch CKPs when it comes to their food choices and eating habits, have become Durve fans. The meat is tender and the dishes stay true to the CKP style. Even the raw meat and fish that they provide is cleaned so well that there is hardly any work required on our part.

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