Festival time in Kerala means a house full of visitors, a table full of food and a plate of snacks that never seems to stay full. A good snack platter is what keeps everyone happy between meals, and it is easier to build than it looks.
What belongs on a festival platter
- Upperi, the thin salted banana chips. They are the snack everyone reaches for, and a Kerala feast is hardly complete without them.
- Sharkara upperi, thicker nendran pieces coated in jaggery, dried ginger and cardamom. Sweet, spiced and a little sticky.
- Achappam, delicate rose-shaped rice-flour cookies fried in a patterned mould. Light, lacy and gently sweet.
- Murukku, the crunchy spiral snack made from rice flour and urad dal. Kerala versions are often seasoned with sesame or cumin.
- Kerala mixture, a salty, spicy mix of fried gram-flour pieces, lentils and nuts with curry leaves.
Add a bowl of mini samosas if you want something savoury and substantial. They are a modern favourite rather than a traditional festival snack, but they disappear quickly.
How to build the platter
Think in contrasts. A good platter has something salty, something sweet, something spicy and something delicate, so that every guest finds a favourite and nothing tastes the same twice.
- Balance the flavours: pair salty upperi and spicy mixture with sweet sharkara upperi and mild achappam.
- Use small bowls or plates rather than one big heap. People can see what is on offer, and the snacks stay crisp for longer.
- Line a brass or steel plate with a piece of banana leaf. It costs nothing and looks like a Kerala kitchen at once.
- Plan a handful or two of each snack for every guest, then add a little extra for second helpings.
- Serve with strong tea, coffee or a cold glass of buttermilk.
A sample platter for ten guests
If you are not sure how much to set out, this is a comfortable starting point for about ten people. Adjust it up or down for your own crowd.
- Two bowls of upperi (salted banana chips).
- One bowl of sharkara upperi.
- One plate of achappam.
- Two bowls of murukku.
- One large bowl of Kerala mixture.
- One bowl of mini samosas, served warm.
Days full of visitors
Festival days bring neighbours, cousins and friends to the door, often for several days in a row, and every visit calls for something to offer. Many families keep a large steel tin of snacks topped up through the whole period, so that there is always something crunchy to share with a cup of tea.
Serving without the fuss
Fill the bowls shortly before guests arrive and keep the rest of the packs sealed until they are needed. Fried snacks lose their crunch when they sit open in a warm, humid kitchen, and Kerala’s weather is often both. Refill the bowls rather than overfilling them, and your platter will taste as fresh at the end of the afternoon as it did at the start.
Order early
Festival weeks are busy for every kitchen in Kerala, ours included. If you are planning festival hampers for family, staff or customers, send your enquiry early. Our team confirms the products, the quantity, today’s price and the delivery on a call, and can tell you what is available in time. We take bulk and corporate orders across India.
Snacks as gifts
Relatives who live far from Kerala often miss the festival snacks most of all. A box of banana chips, mixture and murukku carries the smell of a Kerala kitchen to them. Our Combo Packs bring several favourites together, and our Traditional Snacks page lists the murukku and achappam style snacks we make.
