Communities and Easter dishes

From chicken stews to snail dishes, Christians across the country are churning out their traditional dishes this Easter

This Sunday is a special one for Christians all over the world. And today, they will start preparing for the big feast that will be celebrated with family and close friends.

Though many in the city have headed to their hometowns this long weekend, there’s no dearth of celebrations here.

From mouth-watering traditional cuisines from different parts of the country to fusion dishes, sweet and savoury, Bengalureans are keeping up with the spirit of the day in a grand way.

Metrolife spoke to Christians from a different state and spoke about the various dishes that will make it for tomorrow’s lunch.

Kerala
Malayali’s start off their Easter Sunday with an exquisite breakfast which will include ‘Pal Appam’ and ‘Chicken Stew’. Mary Anthikad, homemaker, says, “Appams are soft lacy pancakes that are made from the rising dried yeast dough. At home, we have it with coconut chicken stew. It’s important to ensure that the chicken pieces are tender and the finishing touch should be the coconut milk.”

Mary’s family also has homemade wine and rice cake to celebrate the day.

Puducherry
Christians from Puducherry are usually busy preparing ‘Ground Turkey Meatball Gravy’, an authentic dish which is a must-have for Easter.
Homemaker Rosmol Vincent explains, “The turkey has to be diced and minced. It’s then mixed with spices like ginger, clove, tamarind, cinnamon and masalas like chilli, turmeric and salt. It goes really well with ghee rice.”

Easter for Rosmol is also about being with family and preparing food with and for everyone. It’s a perfect occasion to catch up with everyone and feel like a family again.

Mangaluru-Goa
Sharon Sarro, student, is looking forward to being with her family tomorrow with great food, laughter and more. She says, “Prawn Balchao is a Mangalore-Goan cuisine which is a tangy and spicy dish. It’s delicious as the prawns are prepared using a special masala paste and pan-fried. We have it with steamed white rice and a sautéed chutney.” She adds that sometimes, the prawns flambeed with alcohol for flavouring.

And of course, a Goan can’t miss Sannas on their menu. The steamy white rice sponge cake is a must-have on any occasion. “We also have Sarapatel, a Portugal dish, is also something we add to the menu. I can’t wait to relish them tomorrow,” she shares.

Mumbai
Mumbai Christians start off their day with a yummy breakfast. Giving us a sneak peek, Jijo Thomas, school administrator, says, “We can’t start the auspicious day without some homemade pan-fried brown frizzled maida egg-shaped bread. It’s a match made in heaven with spicy pork or chicken curry.”

Manipur
There’s a large Christian community in North East. So when it’s Easter, Manipuris have some special dishes that they will look forward to preparing. Homemaker Baby Rijesh shares, “Oksa Pork Thongba and Tharoi Snail Thongba is one of our specialities. The dishes are slow-cooked succulent pieces of pork and snails and is heavily seasoned with special herbs and spices. It’s abs giving it an elegant taste.”

While most of them will be gathering at home and enjoying homecooked food, there are a few others who are heading over to restaurants and hotels to make most of the day. Many hotels are offering Easter brunches that one can enjoy as a family and group.