Canoga Park strip malls have become a bigger culinary draw in recent years. At Coconut Lunch Box, one of my favorite new Canoga Park restaurants, owner Abhilash Kurian serves spicy Indian cuisine from Kerala. His home state near India’s southern tip is known for fiery food. Kurian recently replaced the short-lived Biryani Hut, a rare (for Los Angeles) Sri Lankan restaurant. While I’ll certainly miss the previous tenant’s aromatic biryani, I’m pretty excited about the great new Kerala combo from Coconut Lunch Box’s powerhouse menu.

Chicken Pepper Fry ($9.99) is a spicy curry loaded with what must have been two full chicken breasts. Coconut Lunch Box stir-fries bite-sized chunks with onions and black pepper powder. Steamed white rice is a natural pairing, to help put out the culinary fire in your mouth, but I’d suggest adding Kerala Perotta ($2.25) to your order. This flaky, pull-apart, roti-like bread is coiled and crisped at the edges. I spooned tender chicken on the bread, rolled it up like a burrito, and ate ravenously. My only regret is not ordering more perotta, since the quantity of chicken far outpaced bread. My last bites were pure fire, a testament to the forceful flavor that the Coconut Lunch Box kitchen managed to generate.