Vadai and Vallavan

 My father enjoyed good food and family outings to restaurants were almost a weekly occurance. During our vacation trips, he used to insist that we should start our day with a heavy breakfast so that we would have sufficient energy for roaming around. Thanks to his frequent travels as part of his sales profession, he was like a database of the popular food joints of every town or city.  Our breakfast would invariably start off with a plate of Idly-Vada.

One should see the hustle and bustle in a South Indian restaurant during breakfast hours! At the entrance would be the cashier's desk and mounted on the wall behind would typically be a deity's picture with a small oil lamp and a burning incense letting out a wonderful fragrance. Waiters would be scurrying around carrying trays laden with hot idly, crunchy vada, crispy dosas or fluffy puris.  The wonderful aromas from all the food would waft in the air. A stereo system may be on, playing some music( not the soft fine dining type, get-the-day-started peppy ones). Some waiters may be going around refilling the chutney and sambar containers. On some tables, people would be pouring the coffee back and forth between the tumbler and the metal saucer in an attempt to cool it down.  Mixed into all this would be the cacaphony of fifteen tables having animated conversations not to mention the occasional running of the tinier lot! Writing about it brings about so much nostalgia!

Vadai (in Tamil its Vadai but its referenced to as Vada in some places) Ground lentils deep fried , resulting in a crispy snack. The vada served during breakfast is made with urad dal and made with a hole in the centre. It sort of resembles a donut in appearance. Suda suda(hot hot) kara kara(crispy crispy) vadai on a rainy evening! Bliss, indeed!

Vadai when dunked in sambar or curd has a unique taste of its own and is served as a separate menu item.

 Gosh!! I am writing this close to bed time and now I am craving for a vada, ha ha. 

Food from other lands:

I am a big fan of salads. The colors and crunchiness and the freshness of the ingredients combine to make it a very refreshing meal. Speaking of salads,  vinaigrette comes to mind. I love experimenting with salads and salad dressings. Be it simple lemon , salt pepper or a complicated ground and pounded mixture. 

Do you like salads ? What is your favorite dressing? 

Food for thought;

Todays quote:

Vallavanukku pullum aayutham.

Aayutham - weapon (tool in this context )

Vallavan- Smart / talented person 

Pullum - even a blade of grass 

This translates to - For a smart person even a blade of grass serves as a tool.

Basically if we set our mind on something, smartness lies in figuring out how to maximize the use of the resources at hand and thinking out of the box!  Something or the other could be put to use if we put our creativity into it !

Oops, I made it sound like a corporate motivational message on LinkedIn , didnt I ? Ha ha 

Upma and a quote from Kannadasan

Upma (oopma - the u is like the u in put not the one in cut) is a commonly seen item in South Indian kitchens and we make it almost every week for breakfast or dinner.

It is a fast to cook dish that takes like 15 minutes or so overall to prepare.  The basic ingredient would be some broken grain like semolina or coarsely ground rice or broken wheat. We could use millet varieties or wheat products like vermicelli.

Sautee lentils, curry leaves , green chillies , ginger add in roasted broken grains and water and it cooks in a jiffy. Whether we add the water first or the grain first is a matter of preference.

I normally add vegetables like carrot, potatoes, cauliflower, beans and peas to my upma.

I have heard of it being described as bland and boring especially in youth circles. Some subtle details like amount of water, quality of grains used, what goes into the garnishing, what is served as accompaniment decide the taste factor of this dish. It can be anywhere between a very bland porridge like substance to an aromatic, colorful , soul-stirring scrumtious meal. Its upto the cook to move it towards the latter.

Besides,

The taste one enjoys what eating depends upon ones measurement on the hunger scale!  Don't you think so ? 

Food for thought:

Kannadasan was one of the most famous lyricists of Tamil cine industry.  His works were prominent in the movies of the black and white era in the 1950s and 60s. Kavignar(poet) Kannadasan has penned many verses with profound meanings. The below are from a movie song released in the year 1960.

Unakkum keezhe ullavar kodi

Ninaithu parthu nimmadhi naadu

The above are one of my most favorite lyrics from him.

Unakkum keezhe - even beneath you

Ullavar - who are there

Kodi - crore ( millions)

Ninaithu - think

Nimmadhi - peace

Naadu - seek

No man on earth is devoid of problems and everyone of us has some hardship or the other to face or endure. The lines say , there are always millions at a situation worse than yours. Think of them and be at peace! 

Thuvayal Thokku Tofu

 Thuvayal and Thokku are two items that can be just mixed with rice and eaten or used as a side dish for other recipes.

A thokku is like a pickle but not exactly the same. Basically grated , minced or ground vegetables are sauteed in sesame oil with some red chilly powder or paste for the spice and salt to taste. This is left to cook for some time till it reaches a nice spread sort of consistency. Thokku can be preserved in the fridge for over a week.

Thuvayal and small onion (shallot) thokku

Thuvayal is sort of a coarse chutney. Its made by roasting lentils and red chillies and ground with some other ingredient like curry leaves or mint or corriander leaves or coconut. My mother in law makes excellent thuvayals and a whole variety of them including ones with brinjals( thats what we call eggplants in India) . You can even make thuvayals with the peels or other parts of some vegetables which we might otherwise throw away! The inner filling of snake gourd  for instance (snake gourd is a vegetable. Have you heard of it? )

Hot rice, coconut thuvayal with tomato raita on the side was a favorite combination for me and my brother. Its easy to cook and great to eat.

Food from other lands:

Tofu . After over a decade of stay here in Singapore, tofu has become a part of our weekly diet . It is manufactured using soy beans and is a key constituent of vegetarian Chinese food. It couldve scrambled like eggs , fried  , added to soup. I have also heard that silken tofu is a good replacement for eggs in some of the baking recipes.

Food for thought:

Todays quote is from Thirukkural, one of the most renowned works in Tamil literature comprising 1,330 short couplets, or kurals. Each kural is of seven words and many of them convey important life lessons. The text is close to 2000 years old. Thirukkural quotes are taught to children in schools and used in oratorical contexts too.

Theeyinar sutta pun ullaarum aarathey naavinar sutta vadu.

Thee - fire

Pun - wound

Sutta - burn 

Naavu - tongue 

Aaru - heal

The wound or the burn caused by fire will heal and fade, but the hurt caused by the tongue or harsh words will never heal ( or last forever).

We must exercise restraint of speech as the hurt of words runs pretty deep and is indelible !

Sambar poem and soup

 Sambar is the South Indian curry cooked with tamarind and lentils. Typically we have it with rice. But its also the main side dish served with our other dishes like idly , dosa etc. By the way many people incorrectly pronounce it as Sam-bur ...its saam-baar !

Today for a change i decided to do poetry and my poem is on the Sambar!

The mustards cackle like they picked up a fight;

The cumin seeds join with gusto and equal might;

Breaking into a sweat are the onions sliced thin ;

Shrivelling curry leaves emit the aroma from within;

Into the pot, the red and green chillies make their way;

The tomatoes and tamarind have the final say;

Bravely marches the spice powder with the turmeric and the salt!

Finally mashed lentils do their act of exalt;

Sambar , sambar in the pot ! 

Slice of heaven when steaming hot!

Food from other lands:

Soups! I  am a big fan of soups and love making them too. Good old tomato soup, brocolli soup, corn soup, minestrone soup, mushroom soup, noodle soup and the list goes on. Soups are an integral part of the local food cuisine in South East Asia.

I don't like canned soup though. The smell of preservatives is too strong and i guess its not a healthy choice.  Initially I was of the belief that soup is just an appetizer thats served along with the main course. Later realization dawned that a rich soup by itself constitute a whole meal. 

Whats your favorite soup ?

Food for thought:

The Tamil (my mothertongue) saying for today is also from ancient works of literature!

Seivana thirundha sei!

Seivana - Whatever you do

Thirundha - in the best manner or perfect way

Sei - Do 

I think thats self explanatory. Whatever you do, do it with perfection!

Rasam Risotto and Rosti

I have mentioned earlier in some posts about typical South Indian three course meal, with the base as rice but different accompaniments.

The second in that is a mouthwatering watery food item called rasam or saathumadhu as its called at my home. 

Rasam is prepared by boiling tamarind water with a mix of spices including pepper, cumin and corriander seeds. Its usually had with rice but we could take it on its own like a soup.

A cup of hot rasam with some white rice is sort of comfort food that can bring about a lot of nostalgia to many of us. There are different varieties of rasam too. We could add tomatoes, garlic, lemon juice or even pineapples to bring about a different flavor. 

At home we make rasam in a vessel made of tin specifically made for that purpose called eeya sombu(seen in the pic). A unique quality of eeya sombu ( tin pot) is that when placed on the stove with water inside it would withstand the heat . But if you leave it on without the water it (the vessel) would start to melt. I have done that once in fact! I left it without water on the stove and forgot about it and later what i saw on the stove were pieces of metal melting away and something resembling abstract art in the place of the pot! Leave it with the water and nothing happens!

But the vessel is supposed to impart authentic taste to the rasam and i will vouch for that! 

Risotto :

Risotto is an Italian rice recipe where rice is cooked to a creamy consistency. I vaguely recall tasting it once. Or am i am confusing it with a potato rosti which is a Swiss potato dish ?? I wonder.  No i have eaten risotto but not sure when or where. My favorite Italian food is still pasta with a creamy white sauce!

Rice comes in so many varieties. People have preferences to the texture and stickiness or graininess and that differs from region to region. TamilNadu and Kerala are neighboring rice eating states but the rice we eat have a stark difference. There is raw rice, parboiled rice, brown rice, red rice , jasmine Thai rice and even black rice!

Food for thought:

Rowthiram (anger) pazhagu (practice)

This is a famous quote from Tamil poet Subramania Bharathi. It literally translates to Familiarize with Anger! No, This is not opposing the principles of anger management or asking one to be driven by that emotion. 

What is to be inferred is when we see injustice or wrong occurences around , do not be indifferent. Be sensitive to them , be angry about them and brave enough to question or challenge.

Quesadilla and quiet mornings

 I first tasted Mexican food during my stay in the US way back in 2005. I took an instant liking to the chewy texture of the tortillas and everything made with them like burritos and quesadillas. I have fond memories of our team visits to places like Chipotle for lunch. I used to stare at the giant tortilla presses and the way they operated with wide eyed amazement!

After the initial mentions of the word as ka-say-dil-la , I have come to know that the l s in Quesadilla are silent . Have you ever wondered what is the use of these silent letters in English? Like why do we need a b in doubt ? 

I also love making tomato salsa and guacamole at home and enjoying a packet of tortilla chips dipped into them. At the movies, a pack of Nachos with cheese would be my preferred choice.

Another thing that comes to mind when i think of Mexico are the colorful sombreros. I dont own one but they look colorful and beautiful in photos.

If any of you have suggestions for vegetarian fillings for a quesadilla i would love to hear!  

Have you tried Mexican food before ? What is your favorite ? 

Food for thought:

I dont have any Tamil sayings for Q. Today I thought I will post a picture of my favorite cozy spot at home. We got the rocking chair when i was pregnant with my daughter 8 years ago!

I love sitting there especially in Quiet mornings when the first rays of the rising sun fall on my face.

I found a few quotes  when i searched Google on quiet and silence  and the following seemed impactful!

The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear - Rumi

Saying nothing sometimes says the most - Emily Dickinson

Silence is true wisdom's best reply - Euripedes

Pongal and Pizza

Pongal :

Pongal is a dish made by cooking rice with lentils (moong dal) , mashing it up , flavoring it with ghee.

There are both salt and sweet versions the latter made using jaggery and the former garnished with generous amounts of cumin and black pepper.

The Tamizh word Pongu means to overflow or boil over. 

Pongal is more than a food item. Every year around 13th to 16th January we celebrate a festival called Pongal.  It is an important festival for Tamilians at the beginning of the Tamil month Thai( pronounced like thye). It marks the onset of the harvest season for agriculture. We express our thanks to the sun, the rains and all the forces of nature including cows and livestock for blessing us with abundance.  In rural areas , pongal is cooked outdoors in earthern pots and when the rice boils and the water spills over its greeted with shouts of "Pongalo Pongal".  In urban homes we do it on our gas stoves in metal pots but the spirit of expressing gratitude for the fulfilment of our basic needs remains. 

It is actually  spread over three days - Bhogi when we clean up our homes and discard all unwanted things; Pongal the main day when the dish is made and feasting with family happens; Mattu Pongal when we offer our gratitude to the cattle... in village sides we can see cows all decorated and beautiful!

There is a joke thats popular in Tamil circles. Whats the difference between Pongal and Diwali (another one of our festivals)? You can eat Pongal on Diwali day but you cannot eat Diwali on Pongal day. 

This was a rangoli i made for Pongal( patterns drawn on floor with color powder)

Food from overseas :

Pasta and Pizza: My school going kids love pizza and pasta and it seems to be the case with most other children.  In recent decades pizza chains have made their way and established  their presence in almost every other country. 

I do believe that authentic Italian food will have a lot more to offer than what the world calls Italian (my son hates pineapples on his pizza, says its the same with Italians).

I do harp about it being unhealthy with all the cheese and calories. But there is nothing like opening a pizza package delivered minutes ago. The aroma is mesmerising, i must admit. 

During a recent visit to an Italian restaurant, the chef there mentioned that the right way to eat a pizza is with your hands. Do not use a fork or spoon.

We eat our rice with our hands and so thats a piece of pizza for us ! Ha ha 

Food for thought: 

There is a Tamil movie song written about Pongal festival in praise of our rivers. In it there are lines that go: 

Namma sorgam enbathu mannil ullathu, vaanil illayadi;Namma inbam enbathu kannil ullathu kanavil illayadi 

Sorgam - heaven

Mann - earth or land

kann- eyes

namma - our

Ullathu- is there

vaan - sky

The heavens are here on earth and not up in the skies. Our happiness lies in our eyes and not in our dreams.