Qum Qum in Kakkanad, one of Kochi’s newest Arabian food places looks something out of Arabia with its sand-coloured exterior, square columns, many arches and flat roof. The two rows of palm trees leading up to the entrance complete the vibe. Outside, near the entrance, in the open kitchen are lined specially fabricated pressure cookers on gas stoves. These cookers, we learn soon enough, play an important role in the presentation of madghoot or madghout, as it is known in its place of origin in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, the reason we are here.
We are there on a Friday, for lunch. The weekend has not yet started but the crowd there is testimony to Kochi’s love of Arabian cuisine, which extends or rather embraces foods beyond shawarma, mandi, shawaya and al-faham.
Since we are warned that madghoot is a big enough meal, we opt for simple starters – the chicken barbeque, a tad sweet which would work for spice-wary children.
This does not prepare us for what comes next.
At most Arabian food places, the mandi is served on a plate with the meat and the rice but at Qum Qum the madghoot being served is a whole production.
Chicken madhghoot
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The madghoot pressure cooker is brought to the table, opened and upturned on a large serving plate. The hot steam and the fragrance of long-grained, a subtle hint of zaatar-like spices hits you, as it forms a transparent ‘cloud’.
Anaz Ashraf, one of the partners, introduces us to the madghoot, and why he decided to add the dish to a menu alongside mandi, one of Kerala’s favourite dishes ranking very close to biryani.
“Mandi is, as we all know, hugely popular here. We thought of introducing madghoot, though we were confident about how it would be received, we did not anticipate this kind of response!” says Anaz who used to be based in West Asia. He claims he now has to order more madghoot cookers from his fabricator in Malappuram.
A row of madghoot cookers at the open kitchen
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The pressure cooker is different from the ones available in the market, they are round, heavy bottomed and the lid is more complex. For instance, it has more than one outlet for the steam to pass.
Coming back to what is on our plate – it is a version of biryani but not quite. This just has a hint of spices like cinnamon, clove, cumin and pepper among others; and the ubiquitous dry black lemon, which is integral to certain Arabian foods. The mutton literally falls off the bone, and works well with the mildly spiced long-grained rice. The portions are large enough for four, and there are chicken and beef options.
A disclaimer, if you are a lover of biryani with a bias towards spicy food, madghoot might feel weak.
While the mutton madghoot is a pale, light pink the others are yellow. It is accompanied by a tomato-salsa like relish, and salad. The relish makes it lighter and tangier.
Arabic grill
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The one-pot dish derives its name from how it is prepared using steam, as a form of dum-cooking. This is now cooked in heavy bottomed pressure cookers made for the purpose. Although madghoot has become the star item on the menu, there are the others like the mandi, al faham, shawaya, and shawarma too. The beverages menu includes shakes, falooda, juices, and lemonades.
Madhghoot done, the kunafa or knafeh (as the menu prefers) arrives. The pistachio cream kunafah which resembles a pista-coloured cushion with a border of super fine, golden, crisp kataifi forming a border around it and a topping of pistachio bits is decadent. Made more so by the drizzling of sugar syrup on it.
Pista cream kunafa at Qum Qum
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There is the option of outdoor seating, along with the spacious interiors which can seat more than a 100 people at a time. There is the option of majlis seating as well; interestingly Qum Qum is so designed that it does not feel crowded.
While the mandi, barbecue, shawaya and tandoor meats have quarter, half and full options, madhghoot has just the one.
Published – July 10, 2026 03:26 pm IST
