Nom Nom Stories!

"Like momma, like son " she squeals as I lick clean the last spoon of ragi porridge! Duh Mamma - if all you were fed through your life - the entire 6.5 months- is that breaastmilk am sure you too would lap up anything that comes near your mouth.

But I have a sneaking suspicion that am missing the party! I see my ammamma(thank good for her!) rue "Add at least a spoon of sugar in that kurke.... Poor kannan, it's so tasteless ". As if my  bull headed amma will lsiten. Instead she gives a long lecture on "no salt, no sugar, no honey until he's one"! Anyways I wonder what this "sugar" is.....

Looks like if I let this mamma have her way, my taste buds would be dead by the time am one. So I have decided to take things into my hands - errr into my tongue I mean. I now lick things off the floor :-D. I have managed bits n pieces of this n that! But as luck will have it, ammamma is not being my partner in crime - instead she keeps flicking off my prized possessions from the floor! Hmpf! Looks like its time to up my game people!!

Mamma wants me to add that I was started on solids at home from Aug 20 and the first morsel I was fed is Kunan Kaaya that my velye-ammama lovingly sundried, powdered and sent it all the way from Guruvayoor, Kerala.

That's how first meals look - messy n yummy :-D

Linking this to Write Tribe’s Monday Musings. I write cause these memories are priceless to me!

Foodie Woes.....

There was no way we could let our blogs just sit and rot, while we blamed everyone but ourselves for not writing. Deciding to put an end to the hiatus on writing, me and Ishithaa have decided to write on every day of November on alternate days. Today if the post is on my page, tomorrow it will be on hers.....

  I am known to gloat over my eating habits. Throw me to any corner of the world and I will not starve. In fact, my excitement is directly proportional to the "exotic" quotient of the food! I will be one of those who when handed over a menu card at a restaurant, will order the most "unheard of" item on it. Of course it helps to have a "partner in crime" right at home in my hubbs! In fact I may even be guilty of turning down my nose on everyday Indian food (and people who prefer it)..... ***Evil Grin****

So imagine my surprise, when all I wanted to eat were good old "comfort" food. From the humble Kerala veggie dishes that my grandmother used to dish up in my childhood to discovering an unheard of craving for Andhra food and sweets. Who had imagined my Hyderabad roots were so strong. The biggest shock was when non-veg food started going down the preferential list- I’m sure my grandmother must be having the last laugh! **Ohh the horror**

 Can you guess that I am in absolute shock and dismay. Hopefully this is a phase that will go away soon! So here's sharing a recipe of one of my current favourites - the ever favorite Kerala Dessert "Ela Ada". The recipe is courtesy my Ishi who is an expert on Kerala Cuisine (or at least claims to be :-D)

• Boil 2 cups of water and add a spoon of salt to it. When the water starts boiling, add the roasted rice powder (approx 3 cups) to it and mix well. Knead well, making sure that the dough is not too dry or watery. The consistency of kneaded dough for making rotis works well for ela ada as well. 
• Cut plaintain leaves in such a manner that they are the size of a notebook. One whole leaf can make upto 4 or 5 such pieces, depending on the total length of the leaf. 
• Make one lemon sized ball of the kneaded rice flour and spread it in the plaintain leaf, using your hand. Spread evenly and then into this spread the mixture of coconut and jaggery that are grated. You can also make a simpler version of this by replacing the jaggery with sugar. 
• Fold the leaf along the stem. Arrange all such folded leaves in an idly steamer and steam for 10 to 15 minutes.

An Yummilicious Birthday :)

The one word that describes this Birthday must be - "Yummilicious"! From having my first taste of a custard cake to trying out Japanese cuisine  - we indeed had a gala time!

The custard fresh fruit  cake, came from a bakery next door, who went out of their way to accommodate a cake that was not even on their menu! Of course the choice of cake was spelled out clearly to 'Chocoholic' Pheno:-D

Dinner that day was a Japanese affair - another first! While I obviously cannot vouch for its authenticity, I absolutely enjoyed the experience @ Teppan. Pheno has reviewed it in details here. My abs fav were the Tuna Salad and Sushi- Indeed I have waited for a long time to taste them and they truly dint disappoint me :)

Japanese Cuisine is synonymous with Sushi for me!

For True Fish Lovers - The Tuna salad must be mana!

Linking this to Linking this to AtoZ challenge - Y  is for Yummilicious :). Another post coming up soon on best part abt birthday - gifts, what else :-D

Summer Treat...

Last week we went on a road trip across parts of Tamil Nadu. The summers here are scorching but  - as if to compensate for it -  its when the nature is at its abundant best!

One of the unsung heroes of tropical fruits should be the humble "Ice Apple" or "Nungu" as it is called in these parts. That Jelly-like fruit has a complex taste that's difficult to describe!

Now while I have had Nungu from my childhood, its for the first time I came across "Pathaneer". Pathaneer is basically sap collected from Palm trees. The Nongu sellers in interiors of Tamil nadu, usually have a pot of Pathaneer in their push-cart which is served to you in dexterously molded Palm Leaves!

Come summer, I make sure I treat myself to these delicate tasting Ice-Apples! Linking this to Linking this to AtoZ challenge - S is for Summer Treats!

Recipe: Pazhutha Manga Curry

Have you yet had a taste of the delectable , luscious , finger-licking good mangoes this season?

Once you have had these mangoes to your heart-content, here is a "Curry" made of ripe mangoes that tops my list of favorites (My mouth literally waters as I write this :-D)This recipe is courtesy dearest Bhavs who has been delighting us this season of A2Z with her amazing stories..

Ingredients    
Ripe mangoes (small sized variety) - 8
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder  - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Grated coconut - 1/2 coconut
Cumin  - 1 tsp
Thick sour curd (beaten) – 1 1/2 cups
Fenugreek powder - 1 tsp
Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Dry red chillies (cut to 2) - 2
Curry leaves -10-12

Preparation

Cook the ripe mangoes, chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt in one cup of water. Grind the coconut and cumin to afine paste adding a little bit of water and add to the mangoes when they begin to cook.
When the coconut and mangoes have cooked evenly add the beaten curd, cook for a very short while (do not allow the curd to boil) and remove from flame. Allow to cool lightly and then sprinkle the fenugreek powder. Mix again.
Heat oil in a pan and let the mustard, dry red chillies and curry leaves splutter. Add this to the curry and mix well.Adding a bit of sugar/jaggery to make the curry sweet makes it all the more yummy.

Linking this to AtoZ challenge - R is for Recipe

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

Malayalam New Year.....

Today is Vishu - Kerala new year. A new year hearalds for Malayaless......

Our VishuKani.....

 I have blogged about Vishu  here.

But what I will share with you today is the recipe for "Kaalan" - a regular item in a Kerala Sadya. This recipe is courtesy Pheno's grandmom

Ingredients
Yam
Curd (1-2 cups)
To Grind
1/2 Coconut
Green Chills
Jeera - 1-2 tbsp
Rice Flour(1 tbsp)

Tadka
Mustard
Jeera
Curry Leaf
Pepper
Grated Coconut 1-2 tbsp

1. Pressure cook Yam with salt and slightly Mash it
2. In the meantime Grind all ingredients under "To Graid" Together.
3. Add the ground paste to the mashed yam and cook it together for max of 5 mins
4. Once it cools down, Add curd to this. The purpose od adding curd is to adjust the sourness. So ad the amount of curd accordingly
5. Mix it well and add the "Tadka"to it

This version of Kaaln is called "Kurukku Kaalan" as its almost thickish Gravy.

Linking this to  AtoZ challenge - M is for Malayalam New Year.....
 

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.....

Eating in Kolhapur..

Kolhapur was the pit-stop on our Bangalore-Mumbai road trip. Of course, it was a conscious stop considering this place is synonymous with its non-veg cuisine :).

This is how our dinner plate looked like that evening. Now, this is the interesting bit - you'll see two kinds of gravy - the red and the white one.  The white\green gravy is called "Pandra Raasa" and its mildness is the perfect foil for "Tambda Raasa" which is a fiery hot red gravy!

For breakfast next day morning, we landed at Phadtare Misal Paav. This is a no-frill, modest eatery open only for breakfast and the only item in the menu is Misal-Paav. Its rated as one among the best in  Kolhapur and it truly didn't disappoint( Of course am no expert on Misal, but it was definetely lip smacking good).......

Of course, no trip to Kolhapur is complete without picking up these famous Kolhapuris....

 

Linking this to AtoZ challenge  E is for Eating@Kolhapur

Food Stories ** Day 4 - Festival Of Words **

"Write Tribe" the amazing write club am a part of  is hosting its first festival of words from 1-7 Sep on the theme "Seven". You could get more details about it here....

Am choosing to write of the seven loves of my life.... 

If you been in this space for sometime you know that food is my one true love! But when somebody taking the effort to cook up a dish simply cause u like it - it speaks volumes of their love for you!  So every 3 months, Pheno's 87 year old Grandmother religiously sends across home made(by her!) "Idli Podi"(Locally called "Gun Powder" as it can be explosive to your taste buds :-D)  simply cause it's his favorite.

Off late, she's been bed ridden for few months due to a recent Gall bladder removal surgery that she had to undergo and is now barely on her foot! But when she heard that we have exhausted our stock of her "gun powder" absolutely nothing could deter her from dragging herself into the kitchen and hand roasting-pounding until her signature "podi" is ready exactly how her grandson loves it!! If this doesn't speak of her love for him I dono what does.....

Thou it ought to be a family "secret", I will be generous enough to share it with you ;)

1. Boiled rice           1 cup
2. Urad dal              A handful
3. Chana dal            as above
4. White til               one level table spoon
5. Hing                    half tea spoon
6. Whole pepper      1 teaspn
7. Red dry chilly       12  ( more according to taste)
8. Jeera  :                 half teaspoon
9. Salt                      2  teaspn(  or accrdng to taste) 

 Method:

Dry roast  items 1   to 6  except  hing  till  nicely  fried (Rice should  be  crisp). While frying red chilly use a little oil. Hing and salt can be added while grinding. You can also roast curry leaves and add to it. Allow it to cool. Grind coarsely. The powder should not be very fine. 

GuestPost for DQ ;)

 DQ    has asked me to do a guest post for her space, I rummaged a bit for ideas. Nothing popped up except a book review - But "Ishithaa" is a space that I have come to identify with stories and a book review just didn't appeal to me.  It was only later in the day, in midst of usual "whats for dinner" whatsapp conversation that this idea of doing a "recipe" post stuck me - it allured to the foodie in me while the story behind it seemed apt for Ishithaa.  Read the story and recipe behind this pic here........

Go on ask Bhavya what DQ stands for ;)

Smile with me.......

... as with this post I finish the 500th post in my blog :). Here is something yummm to make the celebrations complete....

Now this was baked by hubbs to bring in my sisters Anniversary! Loooks yummmm doesnt it :). So here is the catch - the cake 'sunk' in as soon as it was out of the oven but we aint the ones who gets discouraged by these minor details. So with a v calm elan, the ugly depression bang in the center of the cake was filled with 'Gems' n lo ;)

Speaking of smiles, here is a pic that sure brings a smile to my face  - the simple pleasures of childhood....

Sabs Says "Similar yet different"!

 Linking this to May Photo A Day Challenge for the prompt "Smile"

In My Cup!

Off late my fav beverage is Lemon - honey tea(or suleimani as it's called in Malayalam)! Sourness of lemon with the sweetness of honey ...The  first perfect glass of this was devoured at Shanthi Guest House in Hampi n now the love affair continues :) Afterall as the lead actor in mal movie "Ustadhotel" says "every Suleimani needs a bit of mohabbat in it" ;)

Linking this to Day 4 prompt of "In My Cup" as a part of May Photo A Day Challenge!

Yummmm!

Its been some time since I did a post on whats cooking in our kitchen ~~ Thou for records the last one is still my fav!

Can we enthuse u home with this menu ....We Shall start with drink of your choice n Chicken Seekh as the starter. For main course, we give u a choice between burger n roasted chicken(No, we dont believe in healthy food) n then a simple dessert. Sounds delicious rt .... Jus so that u r convinced here is a pictorial walk-thru ;)

Drink of your Choice in nature's drink holder ;)

Chicken Seekh ala BBQ courtesy the latest addition in out Kitchen the BBQ maker!

The Fail-proof Ham Burger!

First Attempt at Roasted Chicken!

Strawberries dipped in chocolate sauce served chilled!

But of course the cook - photographer behind all this is Hubbs :-D. Now I know I can be biased, but lemme guarantee you that each dish is yummmmmmmm!

Linking this to A2Z Challenge - Y is for Yummm(what else can it be for a foodie)!

Wine N dine @ Mangalore

For huubs n us, food forms a integral part of having "Good Times" be it a weekend or a hol.No vacation is complete for us till we taste the local food from that place! We are a couple who will drive a extra 50 kms if there is a promise of good food :).

On the drive back from Malpe beach to Bangalore, we decided to go into Mangalore city to sample their regional food. Based on the recos in "Outlook Traveler", we zeroed down on "Pereira Hotel" that we were told serves authentic Mangalore Christian Cuisine. The place is literally a "Hole in the wall". It seems a popular haunt thou for the myriad shoppers n students from colleges nearby - The "Value for
Money" should have something to do with it.

We ended up tasting their staples - Sannas, Neer Dosa, Died shrimp chutney, Beef sukha, pork sorpotel, Pork Bafat... Each mouth watering yummm! But what warmed my heart the most is the hospitality they extended - From giving detailed driving directions to ensuring we found a parking spot in the crowded narrow streets, to lining up their regional delicacies (which weren't even on menu) to customizing the tastes to our liking ....

I unfortunately dont have any decent pics with me.. so all you will see here is a slice of Neer Dosa with Sannas! N BTW if you around this area, do check out "Ideal Ice creams" - this place has a legendary following among the locals there!


Linking this to AtoZ - W if for Wine-N-Dine.

My Dear Soul-Sister......

My Dear Soul-sister,

The very word "soul-sister" - took me ages to accept it thou u hv used it liberally from a long time! Maybe simply cause I could not believe that one can love a third person as one would love a sibling.....

The funny part is how the equation changed between us - from a manager - reportee one to a I-am-so-in-awe of u to one today that has some semblance of being "equals". Of course u can still be the tyrannical elder sibling who can spoil my happiness until I decide to see sense :-P

The thing that I love the most thou is the unflinching confidence I have in you that I can throw any verbal missile at you, bombard you with my darkest thots (lemme assure u tht it woul hv made anybody else look at me like a weirdo) without u being judgmental.

You know u have been a strong anchor in times when i lose hope n drown in my own grief! Thank you for being there always!

Here is wishing u on ur B'ay a lotta good luck, good health, more money, more happiness n many happy memories simply cause u deserve them the most!  hope this year sees us breaking the jinx of " Why Bad things happen to good people"! Amen......

Heres a slice of virtual-cake to bring in ur spl day......

Linking this to AtoZ Challenge - D is for Dear N delicious cakes (Cake n pic both courtesy Hubbs)

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'

Insatiable...

.. is what my "mood" emoticon should read :-). But err can u blame me when my resident-chef is on a cooking spree... Hv a decko on what was on menu over last few days......

A  cheesy frittata with the works for the appetizer?

A Beef steak medium well-done with pepper sauce and Mashed potatoes!

A Tiramisu experiment with mascapone cheese, Kahlua, Coffee powder and dark Chocolate!

 Pics n ofcourse all the cooking is courtesy Hubbs :-D

Linking this to ABC Wednesday (I is for Insatiable)

Chef in action

That's my fav chef in his elements  ;).

The apron is courtesy my sis n the wok was on his wish-list for so long that yours truly finally gifted it to him on his bday. The glee on his face was akin to a child gifted with his favorite toy :-).  Now tell me how many men do you know who has kitchen appliances on his wish list!

PS: Errrrr for the uninitiated the chef pictured here is ma hubs ;-) N the next item on wish list is barbeque, blender, kitchen processor... yea the list jus goes on n on **Roll-My-eyes**
Now will somebody explain him the dynamics of a clutter free kitchen!

Linking this to ABC Wednesday(C is for Chef)

2013 Beckons.......

Cause I don want this space to be as despondent a "Mayan Doomsday site"(Ho my frnd Sabs used this v term term to describe it!) as we welcome a new year, I will leave u with a pic of the X-mas celeb at home(pic as well as the cake is courtey hubbs)

Here is wishing all of us a V happy New year n hoping that this year gives us more chances to smile, to be happy n fill us with hope!

Ho 2013, Plz be nicer to me.....