Curry Leaves chutney (Karuvepallai Thuvaiyal)

The problem with ordering curry leaves online is that you have more leaves than you know what to do with. Meenakshi Ammal came to my rescue with "Cook and See" (Samaithu Paar), the go-to recipe book for all Tamil kitchens.

I made Karuveppalai Thuvaiyal, a thick coarsely ground chutney of curry leaves, tamarind, red chillies, urad dal, mustard and asafoetida. Curry leaves pack a wallop in terms of nutrition. They contain calcium, phosphorous, irons and vitamins (C, A, B, E). But the damn thing can be bitter, so Meenakshi Ammal advises using tender leaves and enough spices to offset it. The asafoetida, tamarind and mustard give it a kick, the red chillies and salt give it bite. I didn't have tender leaves, so I cheated and added a teeny bit of sugar. Shhhhh. No one will know! 

- 4 big handfuls of leaves (only one handful is on the plate in the photo) 

-Marble sized tamarind 8 red chillies 

- 2 teaspoons urad dal 

- 3/4 teaspoon mustard 

- Hing (asafoetida to taste) 

 Wash leaves. Fry chillies, mustard and lentils in oil. Grind with tamarind, salt, hing. 

Pro tip: grind masalas coarsely and then add the leaves to grinder. This one works best if ground by hand on a stone, the old fashioned way. The mixer doesn't quite help with the sort of coarse consistency you want. I ended up doubling the urad dal because I wanted more of that lentil feel. I also added sugar like I said, and a twist of lime because I thought the tamarind was not tamarindy enough. 

If you'd like to learn how to make a range of pickles, preserves and chutneys, we have workshops in Mumbai, Bangalore  and Chennai.

Traditional granaries for storage of rice - West Bengal

When you travel in rural Bengal, you will come across traditional rice granaries. After the harvest, rice is stored in these structures.

The granaries are of different sizes, but typically they stand between 10-20 feet tall from base to roof. They are built on raised platforms; a sensible way to protect them from flooding during the rain.

There are multiple rice crops during the year. It is the local practice to plant different varieties of rice. So a prosperous household with large holdings may have multiple granaries, or may store only 1 crop in the granary and the others in jute or synthetic gunny bags. I photographed these granaries in a Santhal village. These are typically small holdings, with not much surplus available for sale in the markets. The granaries are in the inner-courtyards, where the cooking is also done. You can see in the photo below, the grinding stone and the big wok.

These granaries are made with paddy straw, which is the by-product of the rice growing process. Once the rice is harvested and threshed, there is plenty of paddy available. Paddy straw is twisted into rope, and then used to build the walls of the granary. Rope making is traditionally the job of women, although these days there are machines to make these ropes.

Here is a closer look at the rope weave:

The inner walls of the structure are treated with clay and cowdung; this keeps away insects. The structure is then lined inside with more paddy.

The thatched roof is also made of paddy straw, which is available in plenty after the harvest. Many layers are used, in order to prevent rainwater from entering the structure. Those who can afford it also buy plastic tarpaulins as cover. The family invests money every couple of years in repairing, plastering and maintaining the granary.

After the harvest, the rice is sun-dried for preservation; and then it is put into the granary. Usually neem leaves are mixed along with the rice, to keep insects away. This photo below shows the open area used by one family for sun-drying their crop. Their paddy has also been neatly stacked away, for feeding cattle.

Sun-drying is a very important part of the preservation and storage process

These traditional methods of storage have stood the test of time and continue to be used even in modern era. We have much to gain from understanding and appreciating these sustainable methods of harvest storage. Of course, in spite of the precautions taken, the rice is under threat from infestation as well as rodents. Farmers monitor the stored grains; they remove insects and destroy infested grain from time to time. 

Adyar Food Walk - Filter Coffee

In large parts of south India, the best part of the day is the early morning cup of filter coffee :) 

It is drunk in a 'tumbler and davarah'. The tumbler is the glass, and the davarah the bottom container. An important part of the process is pouring the coffee back and forth, between the tumbler and davarah. This helps to mix the sugar, milk and coffee decoction; while also cooling it to the right temperature. More importantly, it aerates the coffee to produce froth, without introducing any additional water into it (Western-style espresso machines use a steam wand to produce froth). 

Coffee is not native to India. It came from Yemen, smuggled into south India by a Sufi mystic named Baba Budan. He planted them in the Chandragiri hills of Karnataka (in the Chikmaglur district). The hills have since then been renamed in his honour.

The southern Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamilnadu account for most of the coffee grown. Coffee is usually inter-cropped with pepper, cardamom, banana, arecanut, orange and vanilla. 

Koorkai: the Winter Soul Food of Kerala

- By Shobna Iyer

Full name, koorka kazhungu, quite a mouthful, yes? Nickname, koorkai.

The koorkai is a tuber that begins life like others of its ilk, underground. Once dug up, it is quite common to find them appearing as near-perfect rounds which would explain its latin name P. Rotundifolius.

The 'P' may as well stay silent since its presence does little to highlight the shape. It's also called the Chinese Potato though its origin was in West Africa, now figure that cross-many-borders puzzle.

The time consuming part about making koorka is the peeling, a legal shortcut involves putting the uncooked tubers into a jute bag and jostling it until the peels oblige and you know, slip off. If you cook the koorka, this method is illegal. That is simply because the peel comes off easily once pressure cooked. Why would anyone choose the former method? Well, it tastes way better. Deep fried, like chips.

The common koorkai is best in fried form, you know, first fry up the mustard seeds, a dash of white lentil, a few red chillies and turmeric powder to a respectable quantity of oil. It's winter food, fried is good winter food. To this, add the pre-boiled, peeled and cubed tuber to this. Some may cut it long, some add it whole (which involves selecting similarly sized roundelles just to add to the time consumed), to each their own.

As with all highly recommended fried tubers, this is best had hot with rice and spicy rasam. Or plain.

Near perfect rounds, called spheres in polite circles
We'll call the hairs tangents
Geometry session can be had
As you eat, there shouldn't be hairy tangents though
They draw away from the food at hand (pun, anyone?)


The worthwhile outcome
What I like is the greasy no-holds-barred name, mezhuku (oil) varati (tossed till it shrivels to a fraction) 

New Market Walk: Food and Shopping in Hogg Saheb's Bazaar

Here's the latest addition to our bouquet; a new tour in Calcutta designed exclusively for eating and shopping!

The tour takes you through the lanes of New Market, one of the most popular bazaars in Calcutta. 

 Built in 1874 as a posh “Whites Only" shopping complex, New Market today spills chaotically over to the adjoining streets, selling everything under the sun.

You can sample delicacies from the most iconic bakeries in the city (among other things).

And shop to your heart's content. 

Find out more about the tour on our website. 

See more photos of the tour on our Facebook page.

Food Walk through Adyar

We're very excited to announce our latest food tour in Chennai - Food Walk through Adyar :)

Walk with us through the quiet (and sometimes not so quiet!) bylanes of this neighbourhood.

Sample some traditional South Indian delicacies at iconic, local establishments.

Check our facebook album for more!

Ceramic jars at the Goa Chitra Museum, Benaulim

- by Aishwarya Javalgekar

Ceramic Jars at Goa Chitra Museum

If you go to the Goa Chitra Museum in Benaulim, Goa, you'll see these beautiful ceramic jars, in a uniform white and brown design. These elegant jars were traditionally used in Goan households to store cooking oil.

Goan cuisine is a blend of different culinary traditions; Hindu, Mughal and Portuguese. These diverse traditions are brought together by local ingredients such as vegetables, oils and spices, that given the cuisine its sumptious flavour.

The most important oil used in this cuisine is coconut oil.

Coconut oil is extracted from copra, dried pieces of coconut. The oil, which is usually a clear liquid, turns into a creamy white solid in cold weather. Most of the dishes in Goan and South Indian cuisine rely on coconut oil for their authentic flavour.

Apart from coconut oil, sesame, gingelli, groundnut and sunflower oils are also frequently used in Goan food. Other oils used are castor oil, cashew oil, cotton seed oil, neem oil, clove oil and eucalyptus oil.

I can almost picturize the jars, slick with oil, kept in an old Goan kitchen. Can you?

The colourful bazaars of Udaipur

If you start walking past the Jagdish Temple, into the little lanes, you will come across a wealth of colour: Udaipur's market for fresh vegetables.

Here's a glimpse of the market, from Steve and Wendy Johnston who visited this week.

Many of the stalls are run by women. Right now the market is full of fresh winter veggies.

Indian gooseberry (amla), waiting to be pickled

Chukandar (beetroot); both the tuber as well as the greens are used in Rajasthani curry recipes

There is a community of basket makers in Udaipur, who supply these bamboo baskets

The namkeen shops sell very popular savouries

And the sweet shops are especially enticing!

More namkeen (savoury snacks) and sweets

And what's a bazaar without a couple of cows!!

If you'd like to explore the market, check out the Ghat and Bazaar Walk on the Udaipur Magic website: http://udaipurmagic.net/udaipur-bazaar-ghatwalk.html

Puffed rice seller, Bangalore

- By Deepa Krishnan

Spicy puffed rice is one of the delights of Bangalore. I was starving at the end of our Vidhana Soudha Walk yesterday, but had no time for a meal. I thought this was the perfect snack to tide me over.

The puffed rice (puri) is spicy. It is called churumuri puri or khara kadele puri. It is sold in paper cones at Rs 10 for a cone. The vendor uses the glowing coals to keep the rice crisp even in the soggy monsoon season. If it rains, he's got an emergency solution - a blue pastic wrap (see photo below).

I reckon he sells about 30-50 of these in a day, so his daily income is around Rs 300 to 500. After expenses (raw material, travel, food), I think he probably earns Rs 200 to Rs 300 a day. I don't think he works every day. Weather, illness, family responsibilities, festivals and other social requirements probably cut into his work time and impact his earning capacity. I would have liked to stop and ask about his family, and where they live, what they are doing, etc. But I was late for a flight, so I dashed off. 

The churmuri was delicious. In many parts of Karnataka it is also served along with other garnishes, like finely chopped tomatoes, onions, green mango, coriander etc.

Tapioca Chips- Junk food of Kerala

- Trisha George 

While most people know about Kerala's famous banana chips, not many have heard of its country cousin - tapioca chips. Tapioca, or 'kappa' (in Malayalam; pronounced 'cup-pa') is also called 'cassava'. The tapioca plant is popularly grown in the tropics for its edible, tuberous root. Tapioca chips are usually deep-fried and then seasoned with spicy red chilli powder.

Image taken from this video explaining how to make the chips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v16Kz5PlsM

Although the chips are rightly grouped as junk food, there are many healthy ways of eating tapioca. It's prepared as a vegetable on its own, cooked with rice, and with fish curry. Sometimes it forms the whole meal and sometimes an appetizer. It isn't uncommon to just eat boiled kappa plain either.

Kappa, with a chicken dish, and white 'patri', a thin and soft roti-like pancake made of rice

If the starchy tuber is too bland, one can dip it in any available gravy. For those of us, who don't have access to Mallu cooks and cooking skills, mass produced chips are the best way to get a taste of this vegetable. Once considered to be a poor man's meal, as a substitute for rice, its position has risen along with demand. However, production in Kerala is still dwindling. The state's high labour wage rate, combined with inevitable rodent attacks do not make this a profitable crop. Let's hope tourist interest comes as aid to the Tapioca plant!

Le Plaisir - A haven for foodies in Pune

- By Aishwarya Javalgekar

Tucked away in a small galli near Fergusson College, Pune, is a haven for the not-so-health-conscious foodies. A petite bistro with European cuisine, Le Plaisir has won the hearts of many localites. “I named it (the restaurant) ‘Le Plaisir’ because that is what I want to do here. I want to give people pleasure through food.” says Siddharth Mahadik, owner and head-chef of Le Plaisir.

This cozy little place, with just enough room for 6 tables, is always bustling with life. Sometimes you might have to wait for 5-10 minutes before you get a free table, but the food is worth the wait. Once you are comfortably seated, you can head over to the counter and give your order. The food takes hardly ten minutes to arrive – scrumptious and piping hot. With the first bite, you transcend to a world of culinary bliss.

Priding itself in being a patisserie, Le Plaisir has some of the best desserts in town. From flavoured macaroon to a variety of cheesecakes and pastries, it has something to soothe every sweet tooth.

Le Plaisir has a unique system of customer review. Customers can write their feedback on small colourful cards, which are then stuck to the wall. Some of the cards sing praises of the food, while others suggesr which dishes to try. Words like amazing and orgasmic can be seen on almost every card.

Siddharth has no plans for commercializing this bistro. "I will expand, but I want to retain the coziness and warmth of Le Plaisir."

Update: Looks like the expansion is finally happening! They're moving to a larger place at Prabhat Road, opposite Kelkar Hospital in June 2015.

Our Chennai food tour featured in World Travel Guide!

Hooray! Our Chennai Home Cooking tour got featured in the World Travel Guide!

http://www.worldtravelguide.net/chennai-madras/tours-excursions

The World Travel Guide is published by Columbus Travel Media Ltd., a UK based specialist company which has been in the business of providing travel information for over 30 years. Their online travel website is more than 15 years old, covering all continents.

The guide is published in four languages - English, German, Spanish and French.

Here is the tour that they reviewed: http://chennaimagic.com/cooking-chennai-tour.html

A Recipe for Sanketi Chutni-Pudi

The Sanketis are a small community of Brahmins who supposedly migrated from Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu as well as from Trichur district of Kerala, to finally settle in the Mysore province of Karnataka (today they reside in Bangalore, Mysore, Chikmaglur, Hassan and Shimoga). They speak Kannada-infused Tamil in a sweet sing-song style. Since Sanketi names sound more or less like Tamilian or Kannadiga names, you cannot find this community unless you happen to ask someone. They are hidden.

The ingredients for chutni-pudi

This community was reputed for its intellectuals in the traditional vedic learning and produced many experts in Carnatic music, Sanskrit language, etc. Naturally some of them ended up as advisors to the Mysore rulers including Tipu and the Wodeyars. Other Sanketis cultivated arecanut, coconut, betelnut, and banana. More recently, they have taken to English education, with many of them migrating abroad to work as scientists, doctors, researchers etc.

Sanketis are keen eaters  and are said to be fond of competitive eating at weddings! There are folk tales of a favourite character called "Hotte-Baka" who is known for his appetite. 

Here is a recipe for a Sanketi version of that Karnataka favourite, chutni-pudi. Chutni-pudi can be eaten with dosa, idli etc, but also goes fantastically with akki-roti.

Ingredients:

• Kadala bele (chana dal or Bengal gram split and skinned) - 1 cup
• Uddina bele (urad dal or black gram) - 1/2 cup
• Togari bele (tuvar dal or pigeon pea splits and skinned) - 1/2 cup
• Ona menasinakai (dry red chillies) - 6-7
• Ingu (hing or asafoetida) - a small bit
• Kari bevu (kadi patta or curry leaves) - one handful
• Hunase (imli or tamarind) - marble size
• Ellu (sesame) - 1 teaspoon
• Copra - as much as you like
• Oil - 2 tablespoons

With the kadhai (cooking pot) on a low flame, dry roast the kadala bele.
When it is a little roasted, add uddina bele.
After a minute or so, add togari bele.
Now roast all 3 beles together, until you get the nice roasted smell. Keep flame low and be patient, do not over-roast.
Next step, take oil in kadhai, roast the other ingredients except copra (red chillies, curry leaves, tamarind, asafoetida, sesame).
You need to scrape or cut the coconut into smaller bits and fry it in the end for a very little time, just to get the rawness out.
After this, powder all the ingredients, and add salt to taste.
Can use more chillies if you like it spicy.

Ta-da! Mix with oil/ghee and enjoy with idlis, dosas and akki-rotis.

Bilal Ice Cream at Moazzam Jahi Market

Moazzam Jahi market is a lovely stone building constructed in 1935. It's known all over Hyderabad as the location of several famous ice cream parlours and their delicious fare.

Of special interest is Bilal Ice Cream Parlour - possibly the most delightful and most interesting ice cream parlour in all of India! Situated inside the market, Bilal is an airy space with elegant arches and high ceilings. The historical mood is deepened and enriched by the black and white photographs, pictures of erstwhile rulers, and elaborate chandeliers that decorate the parlour.

The imposing stone building could have proven to be a very sombre setting for an ice cream parlor - but that has been solved by painting the walls and ceilings in a cheerful red-and-white.

The elegant arches and old chandeliers of Bilal Ice Cream Parlour

The walls are adorned with portraits of rulers from a bygone era, 
and above these are a collection of old black and white 
photographs of Hyderabad

The high ceilings rather remind me of Istanbul's Grand Bazaar :)

An exterior view of Moazzam Jahi market. 
You can see the big sign for Bilal Dairy Farm
 and a smaller one that says 'Bilal Ice Cream'

The ice cream parlours in this market serve fresh handmade ice creams. Some of the other well-known parlours in the area are Gafoor, Famous, etc. These are no fuss places with haphazardly placed chairs under a tented structure. These are older joints (Famous will be 60 in a couple of years) while Bilal is relatively new. These parlours are where locals recover from the heat with an ice cream during the day. In the evenings, they are completely packed with families and friends, and close only after 12.

Flavours range from seasonal fruits like mango and chikoo to some uniquely flavours like pista and paan (betel nut). In summer, Bilal offers blessed relief from the heat... I was already contemplating which ice-cream to order next as I ate my first one!

There are some very cool names on this list... wonder what "Swinger" is?

Happiness

Banana leaf plates, Chennai

If you’ve ever googled South Indian meals, chances are you’ve come across a photo of the standard ‘banana leaf meal’ laden with rice, curries and a number of other colourful dishes.

Banana leaves are used as plates all over South India, especially in rural areas. They are available in plenty; because in literally every village household which has a compound, you'll find a couple of banana trees growing.

These leaves are a hygienic and convenient option. One just has to sprinkle some water and wipe the leaf - there is no fear of unclean utensils. Banana leaves are always used at religious ceremonies, such as the wedding meal in the photo above. As you can see, for this kind of feast, you need a large plate! The size of the leaf and its ability to hold so many dishes is very useful!

Here's another photo, from the Sowcarpet area market in Chennai. You can see how the long leaves are converted to plates by expertly slicing them.

The unused edges are converted into smaller plates, typically used for "tiffin" items. Here's another shop in the same market, selling leaf plates:

Banana leaves are the preferred wrapping case for carrying food while travelling. Tamarind rice, curd rice, idlis, vadas, dosas, chutney - everything is packed in banana leaves and carried on train and bus journeys. These leaves keep the food from spoiling; they are easy to throw away, and light to carry.

Unfortunately, these ‘green’ plates are fast disappearing from homes and restaurants, and being replaced by metal and plastic.

Osmania Biscuits at Nimrah Cafe and Bakery, Charminar, Hyderabad

- by Deepa Krishnan

At the Nimrah Cafe and Bakery, there is always a crowd. Located right next to the iconic Charminar, this cafe has both locals and tourists filling it. The signboards are in English, Urdu and Telugu.

Every half an hour, fresh trays of biscuits and other baked goodies are brought to the counter-tops, still warm from the oven. The photo below has 2 trays of Hyderabad's famous Osmania biscuits.

We ordered Irani chai and Osmania biscuits; and they also gave us a Khopra Biscuit (the larger one in the photo below, it has coconut in it). The Osmania biscuit was delicious - crumbly, flaky, sugary and salty, all at once. Too much sugar, of course, but hey, I wasn't complaining. The tea was also milky-sweet.

The biscuit is named after the seventh Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, who died in 1967. Apparently he was very fond of them, and ordered them from Vicaji's Hotel (which was popular at that time). He would send his car to Vicaji's to fetch the biscuits.

Vicaji's Hotel doesnt exist any more. The original Vicaji refers to Vicaji Meherji (1781–1853), a Parsi from Thana, who along with his brother Pestonji Meherji, moved to Hyderabad in early 1800's. One of their mansions - called Pestonji ki Kothi - was converted to Vicaji's Hotel by Naorozji Bapuji Vicaji, a descendant of Vicaji Meherji. Vicaji’s Hotel was the numero uno of Hyderabad hotels in the 1940s and 1950s. It was sold in the 1950's to a Punjabi businessman who called it the Three Aces Hotel and Bar. In the 1980s, the mansion was demolished and Hyderabad lost a slice of its history.

But the Osmania biscuit has survived unscathed, and continues to be enjoyed by all Hyderabadis.

Women's restaurant initiative in Kerala

Photo credit: The Hindu
http://www.hindu.com

Kudumbasree (meaning family prosperity) is a Kerala state government initiative to improve women’s economic self-sufficiency through self-help groups. The program is supported by the Central Government, local bodies and NABARD (National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development).

Under this program, poor women with little access to education and medical care are trained and aided in finding avenues for earning. They learn better methods of agriculture, floriculture and as a means to diversify, restaurant management, cooking, handicraft making and pottery. Information on money management, women’s rights and payment entitlements is shared so women are able to make informed demands and decisions.

The impact: Women who earlier worried about sending their kids to school due to the expenses now find themselves better-equipped to educate their kids.

Tribal women have been able to ban the brewing and consumption of arrack (local liquor), the bane of family life. They control prices of provisions and vegetables by hiring jeeps to bring goods in bulk and sell them to members at the cheapest possible price. Earlier, families that were dependent on low-quality provisions doled out to them in limited quantity are able to purchase good quality items on their own strength.

The program also works on highlighting new areas where the women may focus attention to boost income. Thekkady and Alleppey are seeing an increase in tourism. Hotels, resorts and restaurants need quality vegetables in supply. Women are learning to grow new foods that are high on demand. Prices are better regulated since they are not working as isolated producers but as a large entity.

Sometimes, earning is insufficient to meet emergencies or social requirements. Each member deposits a small amount (Rs 10) and can avail a loan to get by the immediate need.

In the male-dominated tribal communities, the success of women’s self-help is particularly interesting.

Part of the success is the organisation structure at a grassroot level. At each district, Kudumbasree has a Community Development Society (CDS) which operates with the help of volunteers from the health and education sector, infrastructure and income generation. Apart from them, there is a representative from the finance department, a secretary and a president. Responsibility is shared as office bearers are regularly rotated to keep out vested interests. The role of Panchayat (community head) is limited so the women are free to present crucial issues like water, power or housing, earning (otherwise sidelined under a male-dominated structure).

Seeing the success of this movement, the state has introduced similar models to include more people (not only women) in the move to eradicate poverty.

Lentil Hunter with Chef Michael Smith

My friend Amit Vaccharajani helped produce this film set in Ahmedabad, for a Canadian TV show called Lentil Hunter.

Chef Michael Smith travels to Ahmedabad as part of his worldwide journey, hunting for lentil based recipes.

You can click this link, select Ahmedabad on the map, and enjoy this wonderful introduction to all the ways in which Gujarat celebrates dal. http://www.lentils.ca/lentilhunter/

Have fun :) :) The visuals are great.