Ghee and green curry

One of the definite items in the monthly order I send to my grocer is a bottle of ghee, (nei in Tamil) or what is called clarified butter . 

Most Indian sweets are made with ghee and like sweets , ghee is more of a reflection of love. The more the affection, bigger is the size of the serving accessory used! Grandmothers are adept at picking the biggest size of spoons with a "To hell with your weight loss regime" outlook! Ha ha ...The more the ghee, the richer is the food.

My mother used to collect cream formed on the top layer of curd in a vessel in the fridge. Once a good amount was collected, she would whip it up to extract the butter and then melt it on a stove to extract the ghee. During this process, the kind of aroma that would fill the home - i have no words to describe - The one that would make you close your eyes, take in the smell and let out a delighted sigh with a gleam in your eyes. 

Every day we would add a bit of ghee to our rice before mixing it with the curry or the vegetable. A small serving of rice , a spoon of ghee and boiled yellow lentils is absolute comfort food. This one in a mashed version is the first solid food for the babies in most of our households.

Ghee is mainly added for flavour and is also said to have some health benefits like building strength in bones and providing the required calcium. In today's sedentary lifestyle , it can lead to build up of cholesterol though, if taken without moderation of quantity.

 

My dad had this habit while eating chapathis(flat bread made of wheat) . No matter how many tasty side dishes emerged from my mother's kitchen, he would reserve one last chapathi for his favorite accompaniment - sugar mixed with ghee! 

Food from other lands:

As a family we love Thai food and our favorite is Thai Green Curry  . My daughter especially is a big fan like me! With the coconut and spices it has a good amount of similarity with our traditional food. Staying in South Asia , we do get to taste the authentic versions. I have attempted making things like tom yum soup and green curry at home too and the results were not bad. I have read articles that pounding the spices in a mortar and pestle yields the best taste. A mix of shallots and vegetables cooked with coconut 

milk and blended with lemon grass and kafir lime leaves and lemon rind and other spices - woah!! I am typing this after a heavy dinner but the thought itself is mouth watering ! 

Food for thought:

What I have for G is more of a phrase than a quote in Tamil

Gundu chattiyil guthirai ottuvathu

Gundu chatti - fat  pot 

Guthirai - horse 

Ottuvathu - ride 

It literally translates to riding a horse inside a fat round pot - tough to visualize and does not make complete sense, i know! 

What it means is doing the same repetitive things in a restrictive or comfort space with no real progress or scope for growth . 

It can be applied to one s career or growth in a particular field.