A Plate Of...

See what's been on our menu over past few weeks!  I assure they tasted as yummy as they look here... Now if you need details on the recipe, pls do feel free to reach out to my resident-chef Pheno :-D (errr blame him for this food-porn too)

Golgappas with  a difference anybody - That dash of Vodka makes a difference Indeed :-D

Savory Tarts :-D

Now for this finger-licking good Pork Rib came from Cory :-D

Linking this to AtoZ challenge - P is for Panipuri\Pie\PorkRibs :-D

Ramasseri Idlis....

Idlis is a staple breakfast in almost all south Indian Homes. Each region has its own slight variation - - from your regular idlis to Kushboo Idli to Thatte Idlis. A good 30 years of living in South India and just as you think you have sampled the entire plethora of Idlis  - there comes another that is subtly different from everything else you have tasted...

'Ramasseri Idli'...... from the village of Ramasseri a few kms off Palaghat district in Kerala. These idlis seem more like steamed version of Mini dosas - So thin and flat are they! Here is a picture of the idli we had for breakfast one of those days.......

Am told that in this part of Kerala, Ramasseri Idli is a regular item during feasts at home and hotels. But of course, we had to drive the extra 10 -15 kms to Ramaserri village and sample the 'original'(cue to roll eyes)

You could read more about Ramasseri Idli and its cooking procedure here


Linking this to AtoZ challenge - I is for Idli. N thus we head off to Palaghat and its interiors for the next few days.....

Book Review: Monsoon Diary

This is one review that was long overdue. "Monsoon Diary" was in my to-read list from the time Sabs mentioned it revolved around Kerala and its food. So it was an absolute  delight when I received it from Leo as a part of secret Santa.

The book is autobiographical -  author's story  from the time she is a toddler to well  into her 20s intertwined with food associated at each age.  Starting with choru-unnal(A Malyalee hindu custom of initiating an infant into solid food) to injipulli(A sweet and sour ginger pickle) to fusion food, end of each chapter has the recipe for the delicacy.

The first few chapters can as well be the story of any other child growing up in parts of Kerala and that's where I began losing the interest - I could have as well penned those chapters! But the latter part of the book when she flies off to USA for higher education is where the book gets interesting - the coming of age of an young Indian girl !

What though makes this book extra special for me is the unexpected meeting with the author herself as I was reading the book. She bowled me over with her simplicity and is somebody who has  absolutely no-airs about her .... Was a pleasure meeting you Shobha Narayan!

I would recommend this book especially for non Kerala readers -it  gives a simplistic glimpse into our food and lives.....


This review is a part of WT fest - Day 4. 

Snack on a .......

A typical weekday after-work travel home involves me braving public transport half the way before being picked up my hubbs. There is a small cycle vendor around that corner who dishes up Bhel-puri, sev-puri n similar stuff - so the daily ritual involves that whoever among us reaches early, gets the snack-of-the-day packed n ready to eat :). My two fav snacks that this vendor rustles up with perfection are

*** Nippat Masala - 'Kaara Jaasthi' for hubbs N 'Swalpa Sweet' for yours truly!

*** Boti Masala

*** Nippattu Masala - You can read about Nippattu here
***  'Kaara Jaasthi'  - Extra spicy
***  'Swalpa Sweet'-  Little Sweet
*** Boti - Long yellow Fryums

Linking this to May Photo A Day Challenge for the prompt - 'snacks'!

Summer Delight....

... For me should be these succulent, golden beauties. 

Drool Worthy aren't they!

I wonder thou if a large part  of this liking is due to the nostalgia I associate jackfruit with. You see, during school days, The only time I would get to feast on these lovelies were during the annual summer visits to our ancestral home in Kerala where the backyard was peppered with jackfruit trees. Half the fun then was the definite banter that would ensue among cousins to see who would get the larger share.  I hv a cousin bro, who would mark his share by licking on each(so that nobody else would touch it) n then leisurely eat his voluminous loot... Ho the cries of outrage that would follow tht! Those memories still bring a smile.

So famed is my love for jackfruit that for one of the Bdays I was gifted one large one - N mind u it wa slugged a good 25 kms on a bike. N I hv a family who will wake up at unearthly hours jus so that they can cut, deseed n pack it in neat boxes ready for me to carry it back to hyd n now Kerala :)

Linking this to A2Z challenge - S is for Summer delights!

It's only in Chennai ....

.....that I have seen 'coconut flower' being sold by dozens on road side.

Considering my roots are from the 'land of coconuts' this one is a definite delicacy for me ;-). What makes it all the more special is the fact that my chances of tasting it before was purely based on luck !!!!

Linking this to AtoZchallenge - C is for 'coconut flower'

'Bombay Toast' And Other Tales....

The tasty,filling,delicious yet easy-as-a-jiffy sunday morning breakfast... Jus puurfect for a cosy, cuddly Sunday morning :-D


More Food Porn For u! Pic courtesy Hubbs....

 
If u want to know, this is french toast with a twist! French toast minus the sweetening agents n of course topped with cheese strips - supposedly called "Bombay Toast" in these parts!
 
Now onto some other interesting news, my mom is decided to become a egg-iterian n a Fish-iterian after a long gap of 13 years! For once am happy that she decided to heed the docs advise...  Our incessant breathing down the neck jus kicked out the last iota of doubt she had :-D. Indeed its time for a "Pat On The Back"!

Linking this to Color Deckors weekend wrapup and ABC Wednesday(B is for Bombat Toast :-P)

Wood Fired Pizzas!



Wood Fired Pizza @ Bier Club, B'lore



One item that I see flying off the shelf at quite a few lounges is the "Wood fired Pizza". Yea, we hv had it too .... N if u ask me it definitely tastes betta than ur regular pizza.  Of course goes without saying that you pay a premium for it cause well they are "wood roasted"!

But come to think of it, isnt it how the food was always cooked at least until a few years back in villages across India! Heres a click, clicked at a roadside eatery somewhere on the Kerala-B'lore Highway... "Wood Fired Dosa" anybody :-D

Funny huh, that we end up paying "premium" for what was(is) still jus a regular way of life! Signs of changing times??

Linking this to ABC Wednesday(W if For Wood-Fired)

The Greatest Equalizer!

Go ahead, take a guess as to what could be the greatest equalizer esp in our country where u hv the richest of the richest n well the poorest of poorest too!!

Ok how about this? Pani-Puri Waala :-D. C'mon come to think of it..... How many times hv u seen a prim-n-proper aunty-uncle-boy-girl types jostle for a space with your milk waala- sabji waala all for a plate of paani-puri :) Nee nee not the mineral water kinds - I tell ya - U waana taste the best pani-puri\Puchkaas hop onto the push-cart - cycle waalas! Ha nothing like a plate of them to spice up ur day.... LOL!

Pic Courtesy - Google!