Traditions.... some mine and some borrowed!!!

Vishu... Wishing One and All Lots of Prosperity, Happiness and Good Health this Vishu...

"Putthaandu" -- Tamil New year is celebrated on the first day of the month Chithirai (mid April to Mid May).  In Kerala and and amongst Palaghat Tamilians, it is celebrated as Vishu.  This festival symbolizes equality as in, the day and the night having equal number of hours in duration, it being the day of Spring equinox!!   It is also believed to bring in a lot of luck, prosperity and hopefulness for a bright year ahead.  Some of the rituals associated with this is Vishu kaanal and kaineetam (showed as in the picture above).
I come from a family whose lineage goes back to the Cauvery river banks in Tanjavoor and the land of Sanga Tamizh ... Madurai.  And then how do I observe a typical Kerala custom?? 

Well... I grew up in Mysore with my parents having  a wide variety of friends from all over with a large influence of Palaghat Brahmins.  This sect of Brahmins moved from Tanjore to Palghat couple centuries ago in search of new job prospects and livelihood.  They prospered and grew in clan size in Palaghat, a part of Kerala, and imbibed a little of the culture of the state and retaining some of their native state in turn coming up with a new culture... the Palaghat culture and their own unique mode of cooking.... the Palaghat Chamayal which is to die for!!!  I absolutely love it and is now part of my comfort food repertoire  today!!!  I can make a very meanly yummy Vathakozhambu (from Tanjore) and a lip smacking Malagootal (from Palaghat)!!  I need a new blog post to honor both dishes, so shall save that for another day!!! 

Back to Vishu....

My mother as I said, had a lot of Palaghat Tamil friends, and one of whom I hold dear to me is Radha mami!!  I would love to go to her house, very well kept, mami was always into some form of art or the other, be it Ikebana, sewing dresses for her girls and me (yes!), gardening with a passion, growing crotons, cacti and gerberas and cooking the yummiest Palaghat chamayal of which I love her Pooshinikkai, Parangikkai Kozhambu which I coined as "Radha Mami Kozhambu"!!  When I met her after very many years at my brother's wedding, I introduced her to my hubby as, "K.. please meet her, she is Radha mami.... remember the kozhambu I make and we love so much.... well... it is courtesy her"!!  I am suddenly missing her so much.... maybe will call her and chat with her.... soon!!!

Well... what can I say, we all grew up as a family.... My parents would go on a date, and I would spend my evenings with her family with my brother, and on one such occasion, I saw mami getting ready to keep the "KANI", in her pooja room, and explained to me how, the next morning, mama, her husband would get the girls, their eyes covered, and see the spread of Vegetables, fruits, jewelry, money in different denominators, and nava danyam and of course the seasonal yellow flower (Konna poo.. Cassia fistula) and how they would get a rupee coin for good luck and they would end up enjoying a sadya ( a 7 course feast served on a plantain leaf), ending with milk pudding.... the king of all desserts... Paal Payasam!! 

I was always in awe, and would come home and would beg my mom to do the same.... and my mom, would try and explain, that this was not part of our custom and would give me her version of paal payasam and manga patchadi (A sweet and savoy dish made of Mangoes, jiggery and a little spice... to die for again)!!

I would be very crest fallen, but made a mental note to try and replicate Radha mami's vishu traditions after I set up my own home and believe it or not, this was my 17th Vishu Kani and I tirelessly and very joyously do it, year after year!!!  I had a few constraints... my lovely abode is up for sale ( Don't worry, I am moving to a nice one very soon), yet, I kept my kani on my dresser, in front of that huge mirror, graced by my family deity and Radha mami's Guruvayoorappan (Krishna from Kerala!). 

I can't let go of the traditions I grew up with my mom, so made her TamilVirundu (feast!!), making both my moms happy!!!!  I do this religiously every year and my children think this is how it is done .. Vishu kaanal, kaineetum and my Tamil Virindu!!! 

From right:  Semiya payasam, Pineapple Patchadi, Paruppu Vadai, Applam, Urulakizhangu kari, Thakkali Paruppu Rasam, Aviyal, KodaiMalagai Sambaar, Saadam, Paruppu and Nei!!! 

My Children beautifully get to have a slice of both here and there!!!! 
My MIL, who is from Tirunalveli, also looks forward to hearing from me if I have kept kani or not.... for a person who has never seen one, when she visited me one spring, observed it with me, and the next spring when I was in Chennai, for my BIL's wedding, she very excitedly, like a child asked me to keep it.  She has downsized her home and now is unable to keep kani, but definitely makes it a point to make sure I have kept up with my traditions....which got me thinking, how beautifully, memories get transpired to tradition and gets spread to all those whom I hold close,  near and dear to me!!!  I had to pen this piece and send it into the cosmos, who knows.... very soon, it could be a tradition at yours!!!!  Wishing you and yours the best this whole year and for many more wonderful years to follow.....
 


Vishu... Wishing One and All Lots of Prosperity, Happiness and Good Health this Vishu...

Chai -- My fave!!

My absolute favorite beverage under this gorgeous blue sky would be Chai.... Black tea brewed with milk and blend of spices!  
I could drink this anytime of the day, be it morning or night.  I am blessed with the ability to enjoy Chai and then go right to bed.... it un-glues me, relaxes me and is almost close to meditation for me!!  But, I must say, I love, absolutely loooooooove the way I brew my chai, light bodied, with a hint of sweetness and a healthy pinch of cardamom!  It might not be the traditional way to brew at all, but I get the same effect as the Chai latte you get at coffee shops or should I say "tea-shops"!!  
This is how....

Add 2 tbsp of milk (any variety, I go for the 1%, plain cow's milk) into a cup.  Add a tea bag, and fill up the cup with room temp water from the faucet.  Nuke this in the microwave for a few seconds shy of 2 minutes on high.  Your brew should froth over in the cup, shut off the microwave and repeat this twice more with intervals of 1 minute.  You will get this beautiful brown colored brew with a milky foam on top!  Remove the cup from the microwave and stir in  your sweetener as in a tsp of sugar, cane or raw; honey, agave nectar or artificial sweetener and a healthy pinch of store bought ground cardamom.  Enjoy the sweetened, perfumed Chai served with "biscuits" as the British call the cookies here.  I personally love spiced cookies, as in here in the picture, home made pumpkin spiced cookie, or carrot cake or any savory snack of Indian Origin or like just now, plain!!  

Fish Fry --- My Son's Fave!!!!

My Son, who is 10 now is always exploring with different palates and he has ONE exotic Palate :)!!   Totally after yours truly :)!!
Come Sunday night, he always has a menu ready for me for the upcoming week! I religiously buy the required  groceries and indulge him!!   This week, my hubby dear (who hates fish!) has been travelling and he was ecstatic to choose fish over one of the weekdays...especially Friday, so he can enjoy without being stressed about being rushed to finish his dinner and get on with other activities/go to bed early etc.  This morning, on his way to school,  he very sweetly asked my preference, keeping my schedule in mind, asked what fish:   preparation will be easy on me, will be not too spicy (heat wise), but yet have a good dimension to it and so on!  I must say, I have some foodie on hand!  I told him not to worry and would whip up something easy on me and great on his palate!!  
So this is what I came up with... no biggie recipe to it, I simply opened my spice cabinet and doused a variety of spice powders on the plain looking tilapia, drizzled some lemon and oil, and viola....  I had a son-pleasing entree!  Here's formalizing my recipe and giving it some structure...
Ingredients:
2 large fillets of Tilapia (fresh please... I have a fetish for fresh fish... I buy it only on the day of!)
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp canola oil and 1/4 cup more to fry
2 tsp each of Coriander powder, Cayenne pepper powder and Garam Masala Powder (if you must, some Indian Curry powder)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
1/4 cup Bisquick pancake mix (my secret to a perfect crust)
How to Proceed:

• Mix all the ingredients except the fish and the Bisquick mix in a glass bowl, and place the fillets in it and rub the marinade in it and marinate it for 20 minutes tops! Don't over marinate it as the lemon juice tends to cook it!
• In a platter, spread the Bisquick flour, and dredge the fish generously on both sides. 
• Meanwhile, heat up a saute pan, add 1 tbsp oil.  Once the oil is heated, gently slide the fish in and cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until the thickest part is cooked through.  Gently, test it with a fork, and if the flesh is white and flaky, it is done!!!!!
• Do not over cook it, will get rubbery.
• Flip it and cook on the other side for 3 minutes, drizzle 1 tbsp. oil before you flip. 
• Once, both sides are cooked and browned to perfection, transfer it to a platter, and enjoy it garnished with a generous drizzle of lemon juice, lemon wedges and sprigs of cilantro!!!    Bon Apitito!!  

Some pictures of the fish being marinated and fried and plated!!

Caramel Apple Bundtsssss

My day was filled with good food, good company and lots of laughs!!  
I went to a friend's house for lunch and the spread was well.... quite spread out at the large island... I went rather late, with these darling little bundts... so this dish stood out, I suspect even otherwise, it would have, lush, spongy, soft, and with warm flavors of apples and cinnamon coupled with caramel.... now who wouldn't like that!!!!!  It flew off the plate into little tummies and well... mine too!!  You will have to wait for the recipe.. will write that later... tomorrow.... I promise!!  For now... I am hitting my luxurious pillow, dreaming of this little pillows of yumminess zzzzzzzzz......

Banana Almond Bread --- Egg-less!

Banana Bread.... My absolute favorite!!  The first time I had was on a picnic which my mother put together with the neighboring sisters from the next door convent!   A little about my mother....My mother, just like I am today, had friends from different pockets of the society and in a wide range of age groups.  She would be singing Indian shlokas and bhajans with ladies (mamis) much older than her, would have kitty parties or potlucks with women of her age group, play hopscotch or ball with my friends.... I could go on.... So, she was friends with these sisters from the convent and they would love her to bits and in turn us!!!  But she had some restrictions.... she would not go near eggs or meat of any kind.  She was constantly in pursuit of recipes that contained no eggs.  This is one such bread recipe from her repertoire with no eggs and would taste just like the cook's from the convent!  And I make this on those days, that I don't eat eggs for religious reasons or when my fridge simply has none in them :)
A few Simple Ingredients and results:  yummilicious banana almond bread and a house smelling of vanilla and bananas and bread!!  

Ingredients:
2 ripe Bananas
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup milk (1% is fiiiiiine)
1/4 cup Canola Oil
6 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla essence
1/2 tsp baking soda
A tiny pinch salt
1/2 cup sliced almond flakes
Method:
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Mash the bananas with a fork and whisk it together with the oil until creamy ....

Add the milk and the vanilla and stir well with the sugar with a fork or a wooden ladle ....

Add all the dry ingredients one by one in a heap... the whole wheat flour, baking soda and salt.  

fluff the dry ingredients first and then mix into the wet mixture until well blended...

Pour the batter into prepared pans.  I only had a mini loaf pan and 2 large souffle cups.  the batter is that forgiving ;).

Sprinkle the sliced almonds on top on a single layer.  Bake for 45-50 minutes (for the mini loaves) or for 1 hour for regular loaf pan o 25 minutes for the souffle cups.  

What comes out of the oven is a fluffy, full bodied, and flavorful "Banana Almond Bread"!!  Try it and let me know.....

Breakfast Brilliance ..... Bread Uppma!!

Bread Uppma -- Breakfast Brilliance!


My friend P brought up a dish to discuss (should start a forum soon...) on FB and it was bread Uppma!   It is a simple stir-fry of everyday bread, some spices and flavor-ants and viola.... you have a satisfying dish in your hands for breakfast, a light lunch or a sumptuous snack!!

I make it like my mom does, marinate it in a mixture of yogurt-salt-turmeric and then stir fry!
Here are the ingredients and steps to prepare it....

Marinade:  

1.  6 slices of everyday sandwich bread cut up into 1"cubes, with crust.

2.  1/4 cup of thick yogurt, whisked

3.  1/2 tsp. of turmeric powder

4.  Salt to taste.

Stir Fry:

1.  1 small onion, chopped

2.  1 medium Serrano chili, chopped

3.  2 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped and an additional sprig for garnish

4.  2 tbsp. oil (canola please!)

5.  1/2 tsp. each mustard seeds and cumin seeds

6.  Curry Leaves (optional)

7.  1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper powder

8.   1 tsp. lemon juice (if you need additional twang and tang!)

9.  Salt to taste.

Method:  

• Mix all the ingredients in a glass bowl, gently and set aside for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile... heat a saute pan, add the oil (reserve 1 tsp.), let it heat up and then add the mustard and the cumin seeds, as they splutter, add the curry leaves if you have them.  Once they all sparkle in the oil, add the onion.  Saute the onion until it is deep brown in color.  
• Add the marinated bread mixture, the cayenne pepper powder and salt.  Stir-fry it until it comes together as a pudding.  sprinkle some water to get the mixture going, but make sure to keep the pieces of bread chunky.  
• Sprinkle on the chopped coriander leaves, lemon juice for the kicked up tang and the additional tsp. of oil for the glisten.  
• Transfer it to a bowl, garnish it with a sprig of coriander and enjoy it as is or with some store bought mint-coriander chutney!!  As it was spring break for my kids, I served a special treat... a crispy waffle scone stuffed till the top with custom made strawberry blonde ice cream!!!