Soulful Creations

I did not realize there were this many different cuisines in India- the RCI event amazes me, the regions the hosts come with! So when Priya announced Kongunadu as this month's theme I knew there was something to be learned there. Kongunadu comes from kongu meaning nectar (honey) and the region's history dates back to the 8th century AD. You can read all about it here , here or even Priya's blog. After going through a minor episode of "dad is sick back home", I made this dish for dinner the night of Sarawati puja/Ayudha puja/ the ninth day of navratri and trust me even in simplicity this dish rose to the occasion (believe me this was the only thing I made- did not even make a payasam/sweet dish for the puja).  I must thank Ramki of One page cookbooks for this recipe. Ingredients 1 cup rice 1 cup tuvar dal 1 cup coconut milk Pulp extracted from lemon sized ball of tamarind 2 cups chopped vegetables, I used green tuvar (frozen, need not chop), cauliflow...

This challenge brought back a flood of memories, memories of McRennet or any bakery that would serve tasty vegetable puffs. I loved those and since my mom knew this she would always come home with a handful of these for an evening snack whenever she could. The bliss of biting into a warm puff pastry filled with spicy vegetable mixture is something inexplicable, you should taste it yourself to know the feeling! So when this month we were asked to tackle puff pastry as a part of the Daring Baker's Challenge, I unwittingly thought- how cool is that, I could make  my own puffs! Little did I realize that my first attempt at this challenege would result in a horrific half-baked dough in a pool of molten butter, yikes!!! "How am I ever going to have a go at it again?" I muttered to myself and for the next 30min or so could not shake myself out of this horror story. But thankfully with some talking from the WISE GUY and my own sobriety being brought back by a big bowl of icecre...

Check this article in NYtimes , நம்ம ஊரு தான் பா பெஷ்ட், தினமும் காய் வாங்கி சமைக்கணும். But I guess even in India the trend is changing, even my mom now buys veggies in bulk and stores it in the fridge!

When Jai and Bee of the famed Jugalbandi announced Heirloom as this month's theme for monthly mingle , I was excited. Well not because we have recipes that have been passed down generations in our family but because we have a tradition that involves food and that is close to all our hearts. On the days when it rained in Chennai (that used be one of the many excuses), my ma or grandma would make some lovely வெங்காய வேத்தகுழம்பு and some spicy உறுலைகிழங்கு கறி (Onion vetthakuzhambu with spicy dry potato curry). The kuzhambu would then be mixed with rice and heavenly smelling நல்லெண்ணை (Sesame oil) in a big bowl. We would gather around the bowl (did not use a dining table back then) extending our hands with pleasure. My grandma (or ma) would keep the small ball of rice in our palms and top it with some of the spicy curry. I remember how hard it was to make my sister and I eat any food (we were really poor eaters) but this trick of feeding us worked every time! What is interestin...