Mee Mee: How A Former IAS Officer Became A Culinary Star In Kochi
From cooking during his civil service days for his colleagues to opening up his own eatery, Ali Asgar Pasha has come a long way. Retired as secretary of Kerala’s Food and Civil Supplies department in 2023, Pasha now runs a restaurant in Kochi called Mee Mee.
Serving authentic traditional lunch every day of the week, Mee Mee has become a regular spot for many within the span of four months. He also found a working partner called Sasha Benny, a retired HR head of Southeast Asia for the beer company Heineken.
Before his retirement in July last year, he made the decision to open his own restaurant. The former IAS officer explains his journey towards getting his eatery open. After taking a house on a lease and renovating it with an open kitchen, Pasha focused on offering Kerala-style food.
The 60-seat eatery at Kochi’s Vallarpadam boasts authentic and healthy food. “No colours are added to the food, and there is no adulteration of any sort. Most of the vegetables are sourced from farmers, but we also depend on the market for some items,” he said.
With the fish caught in the Chinese fishing nets in the region and food cooked in desiccated and sulphur-free coconut oil sourced from Alappuzha’s Onattukara Producer Company, Pasha’s Mee Mee promises to only offer the best.
Mee Mee opens at 12:30 pm and closes at 3 pm. Fondly expressing the origin of the name, Pasha recollects the times when he used to take fresh fish from Kerala to Bengaluru for his brother-in-law’s family, where the children began calling him “Mee Mee Ikka,” which gave him the idea. Children in Kerala often use “mee mee” when referring to fish.
The 2004-batch officer has always had a passion for cooking and feeding others. Naturally, post-retirement, he found a way to put his culinary skills to use. Pasha explains how, while in service, he used to cook food at home and serve his colleagues, who appreciated his cooking skills.
From buying groceries, preparing the meat and fish, and cooking the mouth-watering dishes, Pasha does it all. The former bureaucrat says that his intention is not to make profits but to provide quality food to the people at a reasonable price.
