Spices of Kerala

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Blog Break..
2007-11-03 06:10:00
  Multnomah Falls I apologize for disappearing without trace :)):)). Life is hectic at the moment and I hardly get time to upload pictures and jot down recipes. Still I try to blog-hop whenever possible and try recipes. It is easier that way:). Thanks for all the wonderful comments and e-mails. Till we meet again…….
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Jackfruit Erisseri - Jihva for Ingredients
2007-05-23 09:28:00
(Green Jackfruit Erisseri)  Yes!! I have finally cooked up a dish with Jackfruit I have known Bee for a little more than 4 years now and when I learnt that she is hosting next Jihva event, I expected it to be something different. She is always full of surprises and a very thoughtful friend. But when I read the Jihva ingredient is Jackfruit/Chakka in Malayalam/Katt-hal in Hindi, I was excited and then a little disappointed because I wasn’t sure if I would find it at the stores I frequented. I asked at two stores but I couldn’t find it and then things got so hectic that I almost forgot about it. Then few days back I was at this little store picking up some cans of coconut milk and I screeched ‘Jihvaa……’. Those were pretty little cans of young green Jackfruits smiling at me :) It is like ’jisko dhoonda gali gali……..’. This food blogging and the events have sure made me crazy, that is what V thinks but am not comp...
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Crab/Njandu Masala
2007-05-19 00:40:00
Past few days were frantic with both mom and daughter falling sick and dad out of town on an official trip. We survived on soups and kanji. While rubbing Vicks on my little one’s neck I became a bit nostalgic. There was an advertisement in the 80s where a son, charming Jugal Hansraj, drenched in rain, sneezing  and his mom scolding him for going out in that weather. He gives her flowers and wishes her ‘Happy Birthday’ and the mom touched deeply by her son’s thoughtfulness rubs Vicks Vaporub. My little one loves drenching in the sprinklers Vicks and advertising have come a long way since then but Vicks advertisements still are poignant. M and I bonded over storybooks and Vicks Then we called grandmom and 3 of us chatted. M got bored after her regular dose of rhymes, her personal favorite is Itsy-Bitsy Spider, and then left her mom and grandmom to voyage down memory lane. It is always fun to hear childhood stories from mom. Now you must be thinking what has Crab ...

Poori with Potato-Fenugreek greens and Juicy Julep
2007-05-13 06:08:00
The Methi (Fenugreek) green season is in. Twice I called our Indian grocer to reserve the leaves for me or else it finishes as soon as it arrives. We have also potted some Methi this spring. This weekend breakfast is simple, healthy and heavy. Poor is, Aloo-Methi and fresh juice is the menu. Poori with Aloo-Methi (Potato -Fenugreek leaves) as side dish Fenugreek leaves are called magical leaves. I could never understand why my mom was particular about us consuming greens like Methi and Drumstick leaves. I came up with hundred excuses back then to avoid it. Both leaves taste bitter. But now I love them may be because I rarely get them or may be now I am health conscious. Dried fenugreek leaves are called Kasoori Methi which is available in most Indian grocers. Fenugreek leaves when eaten raw are good for curing indigestion. Fenugreek seeds are soaked in water and drank by Diabetic patients and also used to cure colic.    Ingredients for Aloo-Methi : Fresh Fenugreek lea...
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A cocktail and hors d’oeuvres
2007-05-10 08:24:00
Cocktail parties in summer are fun; close gathering of few friends, cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and 2-3 hours of chatting. This is the time when we mix contemporary cocktails to get friends’ opinion. Classic cocktails are easier to mix but contemporary ones needs trials. Wild Night Out is one such contemporary cocktail which is mixed to perfection by us. I especially like the name   Wild Night Out cocktail Serves 2 White Tequila - 3 oz Cranberry Juice - 3 oz Lime Juice - 1 oz Club Soda Ice - 5-6 cracked pieces Method: Put ice cubes into cocktail shaker. Pour tequila, cranberry juice, and lime juice over the ice. Shake vigorously. Strain the mixture to chilled cocktail glass. Add a dash of club soda and decorate with mint sprigs. We flew to Denver to spend 2005 new years’ eve where we have tons of friends. Every day we had lunch and dinner at one friend’s house. There were only 5 days and lots of friends. One such friend is L. L is a British Malayali...
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Puttu and Chana/Kadala curry
2007-05-07 11:15:00
Puttu and Kadala curry (Black chana curry) is Kerala’s very own breakfast. It is made at least 3 or 4 times a week in most Kerala households. If you happen to go to the interiors of Kerala then you will find small tea shops carrying only Puttu-Kadala curry-Banana combo and men sitting there gorging on it while sipping hot tea from a tall glass discussing politics, which is most Keralites favorite hobby (Puttu and Chan a Masala) Since we didn’t live in Kerala, my mom made it a point to have Kerala special breakfasts on weekends and I hated the very sight of Puttu. So my sweet mom always had two set of breakfasts on weekends; Puttu for Papa and Mamma and Masala Dosa or Poori-Aloo for my brother and me.   I conveniently avoided Puttu all those years.  So imagine my plight when I married a guy who swears by Puttu. I could only sympathize with him because all those trials and error didn’t work out and my Puttu always remained like rice powder. That was because I didnâ...
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Bhel Puri / Jhaal Muri
2007-05-04 10:25:00
I love chaat. Who doesn’t? Bhel Puri is the most common and yet an intricate chaat. Now are you wondering why I called Bhel Puri intricate? That’s because it doesn’t have a proper recipe. It is a mishmash of so many things available in your pantry with a dash of spicy-tangy-sweet this and that and voila! Bhel Puri.   A legend not so happy-: It is said that British were quite amused by the variety of snacks available in India and one day an officer tasted something which locals called Bhel Puri and ordered his cook to find the recipe and prepare it for the entire barrack. The poor English cook not knowing what his officer had and what it looked like, went door to door only to find different recipes for the dish. He came back dejected and told the officer that he was unable to find a proper recipe.  The mad officer shot the cook which resulted in a rebellion of the barrack.   We have come a long way from that and even today when we have mishmash of various ingredien...
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Prawn/Shrimp/Chemmeen Theeyal
2007-05-02 09:29:00
(Prawn/Chem meen theeyal) Theeyal is a traditional Kerala dish made with fried coconut and spices. The color of this dish varies from brown to dark brown to black depending upon how much the coconut and spices are fried. Any kind of vegetables like Okra, Eggplant, Drumstick, Shallots, Potato or seafoods like Prawns, Fish can be used to make theeyal. Prawn theeyal is the most famous and high in demand. Prawn or Chemmeen is the most popular seafood world wide. In Kerala it is used in theeyal, to make fried Shrimp s, a curry with mango, Shrimp Biriyani, Shrimp Pakoras…the list is endless. That is how popular this seafood is in Kerala. There is also a famous novel titled Chemmeen which was made into a critically acclaimed film. There is an age old debate over Shrimps and Prawns. The arguments about their size and habitat is mostly invalid. The only difference is in its biological structure. India and UK pefers calling it Prawns whereas in US it is Shrimps. Here is an easy gu...
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Going Green - JFI event
2007-04-30 08:26:00
HALLOUMI AND GREEN SALAD Halloumi cheese is firm which can be fried or grilled, that makes the outside crispy and inside creamy and soft. This is a fabulous cheese from Cypress and often used in Greek cuisine. This salad is mixed with Green herbs, Halloumi and fresh fruits. Ingredients: Organic fresh Herb Salad (details given below) - 5 oz Halloumi cheese - 4 oz Cantaloupe - 4 oz Green grapes - 2 oz Sunflower seeds - a handful Olive oil- 4 tablespoon Vinegar dressing - 1 tablespoon Preparation: Wash the herbs and let the water drain. Toss green herbs, Sunflower seeds, Cantaloupes and Green grapes. Fry Halloumi cheese till it starts to turn golden. Add to the salad. Pour Olive oil and Vinegar dressing. Serve fresh with crusty bread and some wine . Variation: You can add any fruit which is naturally sweet. You can also substitute Sunflower seeds with toasted pine nuts. Organic fresh salad content: Baby Lettuces (Red and Green Romaine, Red and Green Oak Leaf, Lollo...
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Aviyal - A mixed vegetable dish
2007-04-27 23:56:00
Aviyal is a traditional Kerala dish cooked with all sorts of vegetables. It can be easily termed as the hotchpotch of vegetables.  In mood for an easy and healthy side dish for lunch then open your refrigerator pick out all the vegetables, cut them horizontally, cook them. Voila! you have your Aviyal:)):)). Actually for an authentic taste you need to do few more things. So I will elaborate the preparation. (Mixed vegetables - Aviyal) Origin of Aviyal -Two interesting stories It is one of the oldest dishes known to Keralites. There are two interesting stories associated with Aviyal and both trace back to one of the Pandava prince, Bhima from Hindu epic, Mahabharata. First story is when Kauravas invited Bhima to a feast which had poison and when he fainted after having the feast, the Kauravas tied and pushed him deep into the river. Bhima is presumed dead and Pandavas mourn his death. According to Hindu rituals after the death, the family decides to give feast to everyone and th...
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Sparkling Peach Melba
2007-04-26 09:03:00
Spring is in the air. The vibrant colors around bring enthusiasm. Time to go fresh fruit picking and getting dirt under your nails and then a refreshing drink to cool off.   (Spar k ling Peach Melba - Non alcoholic cocktail) Peach Melba was a dessert invented by Auguste Escoffier, a chef at the Savoy in London, in honor of the Australian singer Nellie Melba. The perfect combination of Raspberries and Peaches later transformed into a refreshing cocktail. Sparkling Peach Melba is a non alcoholic cocktail. Serves 2 Raspberries - 1/2 cup (pureed) Peach juice - 4 measures Sparkling water Preparation: Put 7-8 icecubes in cocktail shaker. Rub pureed raspberries through a strainer into the shaker. Pour peach juice and shake briskly for few seconds. Then strain into chilled glass. Add sparkling water at the end to form the fizz. A fabulous non alcoholic cocktail is ready to be enjoyed by entire family. Tips: To make this cocktail alcoholic, you can add champagne instead of sparkling ...
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One bowl of spicy Rasam coming up…….
2007-04-23 23:39:00
Tamil cuisine is the oldest vegetarian culinary tradions of the world. When I think of Tamil cuisine, Rasa m is the first thing that comes to my mind. Whenever I had cold or sore throat my mom would make a spicy pepper rasam as a soup. It was made only on those days. Rasam is not a common preparation in our place. So it was only after marriage did I start to make rasam because it is a recurrent preparation in my in-laws place. Trivandrum is a potpourri of various cultures and Tamil influence is noticeable in it’s cuisine. I started trying different types of rasams and now rasam saadam is my comfort food.  A comfort food is something which is simple, makes people nostalgic or relaxes you. I have a long list of comfort foods. In fact if there is an event for comfort food then I might be sending maximum recipes. I no longer know if it is nostalgia, relaxation or just plain greediness . Saadam means rice and when added to Rasam it becomes Rasam saadam. Imagine a rainy day an...
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Apple Crumble and Spicy toast
2007-04-21 19:54:00
I had prepared Apple Crumble filling two days back and refrigerated it. This morning I baked it for brunch. This could be served as a dessert, relish for roasted Chicken or Turkey or simply a side with toast. When Maheswari posted Apple as AFAM theme of April I had already planned on this but I couldn’t bring myself to post it till the last date:). This recipe is adapted from Mary Engelbreit’s Home Campanion, Oct-Nov 2006 issue, Page-90. (Apple Crumble) To make Apple Crumble, you need 1st layer Apples - 2 Cups (peeled and sliced into cubes) Blueberries - 1/2 cup Orange Zest - 1 teaspoon Salt - 2 pinch Sugar - 3 tablespoon 2nd layer Butter - 1 stick (unsalted and melted) Brown Sugar - 1 cup Cinnamon powder - 2 teaspoon Pecans and Cashews - 1 cup (chopped) Oats - 1 cup All purpose flour - 2 tablespoon Preparation: Mix the ingredients listed in the 1st layer and pour it in a greased baking tray. Pulse all the ingredients listed in 2nd layer in a food processor till...
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Kappa/Tapioca with Onion Chutney
2007-04-19 08:52:00
Kappa or Tapioca/Cassava/Yuca root is nostalgia for any Keralite living far away from home. I have seen many faces light up when they see cooked Kappa accompanied with a curry of Fish or Meat. It doesn’t matter where you were born or bred; if you have Kerala blood in your veins then you crave for Kappa at some point:)). I was craving for it after seeing some mouthwatering recipes from fellow bloggers. I remembered the times I had proximity to Indian stores which stocked up frozen Kappa and those Asian markets which carried an array of Indian vegetables along with Yuca root. Now I love living in country so had to let go of some perks. But not anymore! At last!…..I found Kappa in a farmer’s market. My face lit up, I had tears in my eyes..it was as if I had found heaven. I made a simple white Kappa and Ulli chammanthi (Onion chutney) to go with it. (Kappa with Ulli chammanthi) For cooking Kappa: Peel Kappa, cut into small size and pressure cook it with just e...
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Orange-Lime Mousse
2007-04-17 09:32:00
We had a small get-together this Saturday at our home with two of our close friends. It was one of those relaxing weekends we have with cocktails and our chitchat session where we lose track of time till someone cares to look at the clock.  This time I made Lamb Biriyani from Malabar spices, Strawberry Margarita and  for dessert Orange -Lime Mousse from Martha Stewart living. Cocktail Blended Strawberry Margarita: Our friends wanted to taste blended Strawberry Margarita so we mixed the same. The recipe is here. Main Dish Lamb Biriyani: Main dish was Lamb Biriyani I tried from Shaheen’s Malabar spices with Salad, Pappadam and Pickle. It was a hit. All of us loved it. Thanks Shaheen . I always wanted to try traditional Malabar Biriyani and I am glad I did. I substituted Lamb for Mutton and added Saffron for that yellowish color. Dessert Orange-Lime Mousse: I tried this dessert from Martha Stewart Living magazine, edition May 2004 - page 136. The magazine is owned by Marth...
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Happy Vishu
2007-04-15 11:11:00
Today is Vish u, Malayalam New year. Wishing all my Malayali readers Vishuaashamsakal. Read about Vishu rituals and feast here,  here and here. This is the Vishu kani I prepared for my family. (Vishukani at my home) Vishukani is an auspicious sight which is decorated the previous night. On the day of Vishu, the eldest member of the family or lady of the house sees this sight and then brings all the youngsters of the family blindfolded to show the kani. It is believed that seeing this kani (sight) on Vishu brings good luck and prosperity. Vishu is also called as the harvest festival or welcoming the spring. (Close up of Vishu Kani) In the month of April many states in India celebrate New Year based on their calender. Punjabis celebrate Baisakhi, Bihu in Assam, Navreh in Kashmir, Puthandu in Tamilnadu, Naba Barsha in Bengal. TAGS: Kerala, Kerala festivals, Vishu, Vishu Kani,
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L is for Lady’s finger Masala
2007-04-14 00:53:00
Old Macdonald had a farm E-I-E-I-O And on his farm he had Okras E-I-E-I-O Here a Okra there a Okra Everywhere a Okra Okra This was the situation in my house this past week. I got lots of fresh Okra and then it was Okra pachadi, Okra in Sambhar and Okra in everything. Okra or Lady ’s finger or Bhindi or Vendaykka, you call it by any name but it still is queen of vegetables. Now enough of Okra praising and let me move to my recipe. This is a recipe for Lady’s finger masala adapted from Indian chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s website. I have made minor changes but major part of it is faithful to the chef’s recipe. I was going to post this as Okra masala and then I remembered that Nupur’s letter of the week is L so I cheated and changed the recipe name to Lady’s finger masala. (My entry to Nupur’s A-Z Vegetable event) Ingredients: Lady’s finger/Okra - 500 gms Onion - 2 large (sliced) Red chillies - 3 (broken into two) Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon...
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Sambhar - Green blog project
2007-04-13 03:11:00
I stumbled upon the Green Blog Project (GBP) while browsing through Mandira’s Ahaar and I immediately wanted to contribute to it. But the last date was just 2 days away and all I had in my garden was lots of flowering plants which I can’t use in my cooking and then herbs. Most of my other plants are in germinating stage or too small to use it for cooking. So my final option was herbs. Two of my herbs Mint and Rosemary are turning out to be a jungle and after distributing to my neighbors and friends I am planning to chop off a large part of it and may be dry it. Basil is pretty decent and stays in its place:). GBP was initiated by Ginger and Mango to encourage fellow bloggers to grow something in their yard or patio and use that in cooking. This is my entry to it. Rosemary “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance.” —– (Hamlet to Ophelia)–William Shakespeare. (Rosemary shrub in my garden) Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)  is an a...
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Fish fry
2007-04-09 22:31:00
Since fish is an essential part of daily diet for most Keralites, fish fry finds a reputable position in the lunch menu along with Fish curry. Everyone uses their imagination to marinade fish but end result is always mouth watering..slurp!! This is my recipe for an easy fish fry to go with hot rice. In this recipe I used Red Snapper but you can use any fish. Ingredients: Red Snapper fish - 15 pieces (desired size) Ginger-garlic paste- 1 teaspoon Shallots - 2-3 Chilli powder - 1 1/2teaspoon Coriander powder - 1 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder - a pinch Lime juice - 3 teaspoon Salt - to taste Oil - for frying Preparation: Make a paste of shallots and then mix together all ingredients. Heat oil in a pan and fry the fishes till both sides turn golden brown. TAGS: Kerala recipes, Fish fry, Kerala fish fry, Red Snapper,

Happy Easter and Weekend brunch
2007-04-07 10:36:00
(My daughter’s handpainted eggs and ferrero roche chocolates for friends visiting here) One crepe and so many sides. Dosa is one dish which can be had at any time of the day accompanied by almost anything. Dosa and Chicken curry for brunch! what a better way to get all the energy and filling:) for our weekend project. Dosa: I often make dosas from scratch by soaking raw rice and lentils but these days I have found an easy way to make the same scrumptious dosas with instant dosa flour available in most Indian stores. For batter: Take the desired dosa flour, add enough water to form the batter. If the temperature outside is low then add few fenugreek seeds to fasten fermentation. For crepe: Before making dosas, add salt as desired to the batter and mix well. Place a ladle full of batter onto the pan and move to make spirals. When one side is cooked, turn it over. Chicken curry: This is again an easy recipe to save weekend cooking time:). Ingredients: Whole chicken - 1 (sm...
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Screwdriver cocktail
2007-04-06 20:14:00
I mixed this cocktail to go with my spicy Batata harra. It’s a no hassle-easy to fix drink. Ingredients: Vodka - 1 oz Orange juice (chilled) - 4 oz Lemon juice - 1 teaspoon Preparation: Pour all ingredients into cocktail shaker and shake it for 5 seconds. Fill the bottom of the glass with ice. Pour the cocktail into the glass. Decorate with Lime or Orange slice. Origin of Screw driver cocktail: Around early 50s some American men working in Iran’s oil factory mixed together Vodka and Orange juice and used a screwdriver to stir the drink thus the name :). TAGS: Screwdriver cocktail, Cocktail ,
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Batata Harra - MM Event
2007-04-05 23:24:00
My entry for Meeta’s Monthly Mingle event —————&mdash ;—————- Lebanese cuisine includes a variety of fresh vegetarian recipes, soups and salads with appetizing herbs and spices. Bata ta Harra is one of the most common Lebanese dishes. It makes a side dish or an appetizer. Doesn’t the name ring a bell? Yes, it is our very own Potato which is also called Batata in certain parts of India. Lebanese food is mostly baked, grilled or sauteed in Olive oil. —————&mdash ;—————- Ingredients: Potatoes - 3 (peeled and  julienned) Onion - 2 table spoon (finely chopped) Garlic - 1 teaspoon (minced) Red Pepper - 1 or 2 Green chillies - 2-3 (cut finely) Cilantro or Fresh Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup (finely chopped) Coriander powder - 3 pinches Pepper - 2 pinches Salt - To taste Olive oil - for saute (3 table spoon) Oil - Any vegetable oil for frying Lime juice - 1/2 teaspoon ...
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K for Kunjulli Mutta curry: A-Z Indian Vegetable event
2007-04-03 11:05:00
My entry for Nupur’s A-Z for India n Vegetable s event Kunjulli is Malayalam for Shallots and Mutta is Egg. This is a very easy Egg curry recipe with flavor of shallots and bread forming the curry base. —————&mdash ;—————&ndas h; Kunjulli or Shallot is the unsung hero of many of the scrumptious Kerala dishes. The fact that it shares it’s second part with most popular Onion (Onions are called Ulli in Malayalam) makes it’s position trivial. Shallots are small onions with a mild and mixed flavor of Onion and Garlic. Shallots comes in three different sizes - small, medium and big. The smaller the size, most flavorful it is. Those who dislike strong smell of garlics should try shallots instead. —————&mdash ;—————&mdas h;—- Ingredients: Kunjulli (Shallots) – 2 cups Eggs – 6 Red chillies- 4 Chilli powder- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder- 1 table sp...
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Spring in my garden
2007-04-03 00:46:00
Flowers have started blooming, seeds are sprouting, bees are buzzing (I don’t mean my friend Bee )….what more reason do I need to welcome spring, my favorite of all seasons. For past two weeks whenever I thought that spring has finally arrived, the next day temperature dropped and it rained. I have nothing against rains. I do enjoy garam chai and samosas during the season but enough. It is time to spring with the spring. (Tulips in my garden) TAGS: Tulips, Spring , Thoughts,
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Strawberry Margarita - Blended
2007-04-01 11:44:00
We decided to make our Saturday evening a cocktail and movie night. We have with us so many Hindi DVDs which our friend got from Canada and recommended to us but we never seem to find time. Sometimes we start watching a movie and it stretches for a week that by the time we finish it we totally forget the beginning. Tonight we vowed to watch a movie from start to end and decided to go for a Stra wberry Margarita. What better way to sit through a movie? Get sloshed!:)) We decided on blended Margarita with fresh strawberries. Ingredients: Fresh Strawberries – 10-12 Tequila - 6 ounce Triple sec- 2 ounce Lime juice – 1/4 ounce Ice – 2 cups Preparation: Add all the ingredients and blend well in a blender. Before serving, chill the glass. Smear the glass rim with lime and coat it with salt (optional). Pour the blended Strawberry Margarita and decorate with a fresh Strawberry. Tip: The salt part is optional here because some might not prefer the sweet strawberry taste with salt. Fo...
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Fish Curry with coconut
2007-04-01 01:21:00
Coconut fish curry is an indispensable part of lunch in almost all Kerala Nair households. It was not for our family though. The place we were in didn’t have sea fish and my mom only prefers sea fish for all her recipes. So mom would stock up her freezer whenever sea fish was available. Then it was fish curry and fish fry for lunch and dinner till it got over. Hope my mom is not reading this :)):)). Ideally I would like Mackeral or King Fish for my fish curry but whatever available is fine with me as long as it tastes good. This is my mom’s recipe for an easy fish curry using coconut. I used Red snapper fish. Ingredients: Red snapper – 10-12 pieces (clean and cut) Fresh Coconut – 1 cup Shallots – 6 Ginger root- ½ teaspoon Green chillies- 4 Turmeric powder – 1 table spoon Fenugreek seeds – 8 Chilli powder – ½ table spoon Curry leaves – 1 sprig Kudampuli – 5 Medium Tomato – ½ (chopped) Salt to taste Oil - 1 tablespoon Preparation: Grind fresh coconut, f...
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Stuffed and baked Tomatoes - JFI event
2007-03-31 00:18:00
This is a recipe for a low fat, low calorie stuffed and baked tomato. A quick one too if you already have some of the ingredients precooked. Important points: You can use as many tomatoes as you wish. But then you will need more stuffing. I used 3 tomatoes so the stuffing quantity just fills up those 3. Those who don’t prefer the smell of Mint can substitute it with Cilantro. Since this is a low fat recipe I used Tofu. You can substitute it with Paneer too. Ingredients: • Tomato es - 3 • Tofu - 10 pieces • Cooked Rice – 2 table spoon • Medium Onion – ½ (finely chopped) • Turmeric powder – 1 pinch • Chilli powder – ½ teaspoon • Garam masala- ½ teaspoon • Zero fat-Zero calories Butter • Oil – 2 table spoon • Salt- To taste • Mint leaves 2-4 Directions for stuffing: Add a pinch of turmeric to Tofu. Then fry it in 1 table spoon oil. Cool and mash it. In a frying pan heat oil and add finely chopped Onions. Saute it. Add Chilli powder and Garam masala a...
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Kudampuli - Kerala Tamarind
2007-03-30 07:24:00
Kudampuli is a dark greenish-brown colour fruit rind familiar to almost all Keralites. It is mainly used in Fish curries to provide sour taste to the curry. Some background: My Aunt in Kerala has a Gambooge tree and that is the only one I have seen in my life. The tree gave fruits in summer, the time we used to visit them. Most afternoons all cousins would play under that big tree plucking the fruit and even chewing the leaves of the tree which tasted sour. The fruit resembles a small pumpkin. It is pale yellowish in colour. It has a gummy seed inside which tastes sweet and sour. We skin the fruit, keep it aside and eat the fruit. At tea time all of us would get reprimanded for spoiling our teeth because the seeds leave a yellowish tinge on the teeth:)):)). Aaah! Nostalgia………….This time when I visit Kerala I am going to take some pictures of the tree. How is Kudampuli prepared? Kudampuli is achieved by continuously drying the fruit of Gambooge tree. As explained earlier the ...
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Spice you like it
2007-03-30 00:52:00
We Keralites love our spices. Spic es are an integral part of our cuisine. Have you ever had a day when you stepped into the kitchen to cook one of your favourite traditional Kerala recipe from scratch and found that the one spice you needed is over. How do you explain your state of mind at that time? Hyperventilating, Astonished, Fainted………? Ok..Ok I know I am exaggerating:)):)). The purpose of this post was not to audit your spice rack. The one spice I love and never had a chance to try it in one of my recipes is Green Pepper. Since childhood the pepper trees have fascinated me with its tiny berry like flowers because I never saw one in the places I grew up. So whenever I visited Kerala I used to absolutely love visiting lands where those trees grew. The spicebox on Peppertrail has an interesting info on Green peppers along with photograph. My mom would sometimes add few berries of this fresh green pepper in chamanthi (ground dried coconut paste with chillies). The aroma from...
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