Ramzan orders peak at small-scale snacks production units in Thiruvananthapuram

Sabeena S dips the masala ball carefully into the maida batter, coats it with vermicelli and makes a dent in the centre with a spoon. Once a batch is ready, they are deep fried and boiled quail eggs are placed inside the dent. A kilikkoodu or bird’s nest is ready. Each is then wrapped in food-grade plastic sheets. “Minced chicken, mashed potatoes, onion, spices, go into the masala,” explains Sabeena, when we meet her on a Sunday morning at Kismath Snacks, which she and her husband, MS Badarudeen, run at Poonthura.

The small-scale unit, once their home, resembles a war zone as nine employees are busy preparing vegetarian and non-vegetarian snacks. A batch of samosas, cutlets, chicken roll and chicken bun are ready for dispatch, while chicken pocket, egg pocket etc are ready to be fried. “We also make chattipathiri (a layered snack), elanji (sweet, yellow crepe stuffed with coconut), erachipathiri (meat-stuffed crisp flatbread), meat box, egg box etc. Work begins as early as 3am, starting with the preparation of the masala that goes as the filling for rolls, cutlets, bun, chicken pocket etc. It is different for each snack,” adds Badarudeen.

MS Badarudeen and Sabeena S at their unit, Kismath Snacks
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Kismath is among the many small-scale snacks production units in Thiruvananthapuram that go into overdrive during Ramzan as they prepare a plethora of short eats for iftar, the food to break the fast. They primarily sell a range of Malabar snacks and the usual fare of fried snacks such as different types of samosas, vada and fritters.

Kilikkoodu
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Besides their regular clients such as bakeries and other eateries, these snacks are also bought by small-time vendors who set up roadside shops in the evenings in areas such as Beemapally, Manacaud, Vallakkadavu, Chala, Karamana, Kazhakkoottam, Pattom, Palayam, Kesavadaspuram etc.

Chicken roll getting ready at Homely Tyst
| Photo Credit:
SREEJITH R KUMAR

“While roadside carts are mostly seen within the city limits, there are vendors who come from the outskirts, like this customer from Panachamoodu, some 30 kilometres away from the city. He travels this far because some snacks that we make are not available in that area,” says Usman S, 26, who runs Homely Tyst at Paruthikkuzhy.

Usman S (second from right) with his staff at Homely Tyst
| Photo Credit:
SREEJITH R KUMAR

Homely Tyst produces over a dozen eats that include vegetarian and chicken cutlets, chicken samosa, irachi petti, Malabar puffs, chattipathiri, unnakkaya (fritters made with ripe banana stuffed with a sweet filling), elanji, kaipola (dessert made with banana and egg), kinnathapam (steamed rice cake) etc. “Last year we sold snacks at Lulu Hypermart as well,” he adds. His mother Rejeena S, seven women and a couple of male staff manage the kitchen.

Both Kismath and Homely Tyst started their operations after the pandemic. “We had to wind up our textile business during the lockdown. Once a neighbour asked me to make some snacks for a function. I made chicken cutlet and everyone liked it. As word spread, we started getting more orders, leading to the opening of Kismath. Our most sought-after snack is chicken cutlet,” Sabeena says.

They make uzhunnuvada only for Ramzan, she adds. An addition this year is chicken tacos with khuboos as the base.

Chicken tacos
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Usman says that he was familiar with Malabar snacks having studied at Kozhikode, a haven for those snacks. “In 2022, during Ramzan time, my sister had made tasty Maggi cheese balls. I felt that it had to be marketed. Around the same time I realised that many like her are looking for an avenue to sell the snacks and eats they prepare at home. So I started a venture to connect them with customers. However, I had to close it since it was not profitable. But I kept getting inquiries from shops for these snacks. That was when I decided to start my own venture and got it registered,” he says.

Chattipathiri being sliced by a staff at Homely Tyst
| Photo Credit:
SREEJITH R KUMAR

Usman stresses that the unit does not make the commonly available vada and fritters. “Variety has been our focus and besides Malabar snacks, we have specials such as chutney pathal (a fried snack with boiled egg and spicy coconut chutney), kalmas (steamed and shallow-fried meat-stuffed snack), bread pocket, kilikkoodu etc,” he adds.

Usman S, owner of Homely Tyst
| Photo Credit:
SREEJITH R KUMAR

Usman markets the snacks through the unit’s Instagram page @homelytyst.

At Twins Malabari Snacks run by Al Ameen for the last seven years at Beemapally, the snacks are available throughout the year and not just during Ramzan.

Al Ameen at his unit, Twins Malabari Snacks
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

“We increase the quantity of production in the holy month. Our hot-sellers are chicken roll and chicken cutlets. Unnakkaya and elanji are also in demand. The vendors have their favourites — some shops ask for more of erachipathiri, chattipathiri etc, whereas others prefer the regular fried items such as samosas, different varieties of vada, banana fritters, cutlets etc,” says Al Ameen, adding that he expanded the business after a kidney transplant. His wife Saleema Beevi and a staff of six employees manage the kitchen.