Most Liked Content

This is what I had for Lunch Today.

Shami Kebab Patties, with Wholemeal Rotis.

WHAT DID YOU HAVE ? DO TELL

hello to all,

i am going to share recipe of fried chicken kebab/chicken kadi(as it called here in CG) as it is
a great starter ,try it & enjoy,  all comments are welcome.

Ingredients:
Chicken(boneless cubes) -1/2  kg, bamboo or metal skewers-5 nos(6” long),
all purpose flour(maida)- 2 tbsp, chilly powder- 1/2 tbsp,
paprika(kashimiri chilly powder)-1/2 tbsp, garam masala powder- 1 tsp, ginger-garlic paste- 1 tbsp,
red food color-1/8 tsp, coriander powder- 1/2 tsp, cumin powder- 1/2 tsp, lemon juice- 1/2 tsp,
salt- 2 tsp, oil for deep frying.
procedure:

• Mix all ingredients  very well  & add chicken pieces in it, coat well

& keep for marination 1-4 hrs.

• When ready, put chicken pieces on skewers.
• Heat oil, deep fry chicken pieces, remove, garnish with onion & lemon wedges

& serve along with mint chutney.
Infos:

• Use enough oil so that chicken pieces get submerged in oil while frying, it

ensures uniform cooking.

• Just when chicken pieces are put in hot oil, keep gas stove at high, it helps searing

of chicken(retaining of moisture to keep it soft& juicy), then after equal searing
reduce gas stove for further cooking.

Lokopakara: For the Benefit of the People by Chavundaraya II (1025 A.D.)

Lokopakara - Part One:
The early medieval period in south India witnessed the emergence and development of regional kingdoms, regional cultures, and languages. Kings and temples were decisive shapers of regional cultures and Hinduism experienced a comeback. By the seventh century A.D. much of the Deccan plateau (central part of India that includes inland sections of the states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka) was under the rule Chalukyas of Badami. Their descendants, the Western Chalukyas,sometimes referred as the Kalyani Chalukyas after their regal capital at Kalyani (present Basavakalyan in Karnataka), ruled most of the western Deccan between the 10th through the 12th centuries A.D.

Kannada (language of the state of Karnataka in south India) literature enjoyed generous royal support and patronage during the reign of western Chalukya kings. Encyclopedic compilations based on earlier works were composed both in Sanskrit and regional languages. Lokopakara: for the benefit of the People, was composed in 1025 AD in the Kannada language by Chavundaraya II. He was among the many scholars and poets patronized by King Jayasimha II (1015-1042 AD). He was also the Sarvadhikari (chief of operations of the kingdom) under King Jayasimha II.

Written in poetry form Lokopakara is a treasure trove of vanishing local knowledge on various subjects. Lokopakara contain twelve chapters, each devoted to a totally different and unrelated subject including astrology, vrikshayurveda - ayurveda for plants and trees, science of cooking, horticulture, medicine, omens, perfumes, religion, treatments for snake bites, veterinary sciences, water resources and water divining. Details on many of the topics in the book were collected from earlier Sanskrit works such as Brihat Samhita of Varanhamihira, Charaka Samhita, and Brahat Jataka.

The eighth chapter in this work is dedicated to Supa Sastra- the science of cooking. The author being a follower of Jainism and a devout vegetarian, the Supa sastra segment contains only references to vegetarian ingredients and dishes prevalent in Karnataka during the eleventh century. In discussing ingredients Lokopakara includes root vegetables, onion and garlic although the author’s religion Jainism abstains from these ingredients. Recipes mention ingredients and cooking methods to be used, but any measurements or cooking times are seldom mentioned. Understanding of the benefits of using various leaves, berries, and roots of medicinal plants and herbs in everyday cooking as descried in Lokopakara reveals the depth of scientific knowledge prevalent in India some ten centuries ago.

Supa Sastra - Science of cooking
Chavundaraya opens his chapter on supa sastra with the following statement "Our ancestors have said that food is life. Accordingly, I hereby expound the science of cooking for the people".





Rice
Rice continues to be the staple food of the people of the south; and the very first recipe in Supa sastra is for cooking rice. He instructs that rice should be washed three times before boiling in excess water and when it is cooked, the excess water should be drained. This was the prevalent method of cooking rice in old days and it is still used by many home cooks in south India. Besides rice, grains such as wheat and barley were used in various dishes.

Huli
Cooked rice was served with huli (soups or broths), yogurt and various vegetable and leaf dishes. Huli was prepared with mung dal (split and hulled mung beans), urad dal (split and hulled black gram) or chana dal (split and hulled Indian brown chick peas). They are first cooked in water until they reach the consistency of gruel. Cardamom, cumin, coriander, black pepper and mustard seeds are ground into a puree and stirred into the cooked dal. This mixture is later flavored with souring agents such as tamarind and lemon juice and garnished with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafetida and curry leaves fried in small quantity of ghee or oil. Variations and adaptations of the above recipe are still popular all over south India.



Vegetables, Shoots, Roots, and Flowers
A wide variety of vegetables, leaves, roots, shoots, sprouts and spices were used in this cuisine. In addition to tropical vegetables such as pumpkin, ash gourd (winter melon), okra, and tubers such as suran (elephant foot yam), and radishes, various fragrant and medicinal roots, shoots and leaves were also used in certain recipes. These include sprouts of field beans, bamboo shoots, pipal tree shoots, castor shoots, tamarind shoots, amaranth roots, lotus roots, Sessile joyweed (Alternanthera sessilis - dwarf copperleaf) roots, leaves of Cupped coral-berry tree (breynia retusa), leaves of coffee Senna (Cassia occidentalis), tender leaves of bael fruits; and flowers of red hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis), pumpkin, banana plant, and palasha tree (Butea monosperma). The inner part of the stem of the banana plant was also used.

Spices
Raw and dry ginger, turmeric, garlic, cumin seed, mustard, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, saffron, cardamom, asafetida, camphor and coriander were the spices used. A spice mixture called trijataka which included powders of saffron, bark and leaves of cloves, and cardamom were used in certain preparations. Chili peppers, major spice component in modern south Indian cuisine, is noticeably absent in all recipes; Chilies arrived in India only with the Portuguese.

Cookware

Pots and pans used for cooking were mainly earthenware. Chavundaraya also mentions wooden and metal pots. Earthenware pots were used for preparing payasa (pudding), and storing milk and yogurt.

Culinary techniques, methods of preservation of food, detoxification of ingredients, and means of removing bitterness from various ingredients discussed in Lokopakara will follow in the next segment.

NB- I had initially felt that since this is a review of an Auckland restaurant, it had no place on this website. However, after recently having an illuminating conversation with site owner Mr.Hinduja who felt there were no contra-indications to putting up this review here, that earlier decision was rescinded.. Also, since I am world-class in rationalizing, i concluded that this review can be filed under "An Indian tastes NZ's best" (in the category of cuisine) I will continue my quest for an outstanding meal (preferably at least 6 to 7 course affairs rather than shorter versions) in this country,and hope to document that elite hunger and search in these columns in the future. The below-detailed 9 course meal I had, compares favourably with Caperberry,Bangalore's 12 course i enjoyed earlier this year, and is also on par with an excellent 8 course meal savoured in Wellington's Martin Bosley's last November. French Cafe can very well lay claim to being NZ's most respected restaurant in the last half a dozen years. At the meal's end,I met and congratulated the Chef Simon Wright who smiled and kindly agreed to have a photo taken with him.The following review has also been published elsewhere under the same author's 'code-name'. It was intentionally made shorter at the time of composition because of pressure from regional readers, but that still hasn't appeased its perusers. Anyway...

Restaurant Review : French Cafe, Auckland. Rating- 4 stars (Excellent)

Consummating a wait of close to two years to experience this institution of Auckland fine-dining ,I finally stepped into it with a truckload of expectations tempered by a wry sense of sobriety. Wooden lattices covering the restaurant's street-facing walls and doors gave an almost Japanese aesthetic and minimalism. The neighbouring bar and cocktail-lounge's facade was more ceremonious. Once settled at my table, I hoped for excellence if nothing else and let the show begin. A complimentary amuse bouche had the concentrated vegetal flavour of pumpkin soup topped off by the woody essence of hazelnut foam. Beside it, Goat's Cheese balls had a rich creamy body ripening inside a crisp shell. The discipline in their cooking held out hope for anticipated higher pleasures in the offing. On being asked to recommend a satiny white wine with low acidity, my hostess selected a Marc Brediff Vouray 2010 which I accepted- 'twas a decent example of the expected elixir. Stewart Island Oyster,presented with a host of refulgent associates,was consumed in one rainbow mouthful that created splashing waves of fresh,succulent and crisp bites.In its aftermath,the marine undertug of the oyster left a lingering mark.In a black plate, a classy rendition of tuna sashimi was lightly seasoned,thereby conferring a welcome zest to its silken flesh. This was complemeted with thin slices of calamari,crunchy vegetal cuts,,creamy side-'licks' and the rich sharpness of a sushi-rice sorbet -it was a cousin of the composition eaten just before - an elegant, swirling waltz of surf and refreshing turf.

French Cafe's ambience is only par for the course. This place is not interested in blowing you away with opulence. Comfy black chairs without arm-rests ,standard-issue table-top decor, and black carpets afford basic elegance. A large abstract painting -akin to the the pattern of red wine voluptuously swirling into a clear viscous medium adorns a wall of the inner dining area where I was seated. This location has a sleekly compact view of the chefs in action. Freebies like bread shells provided bang for hidden buck only after being anointed with smoked salted butter. Crayfish Canelloni further enriched with bechamel sauce was good but not outrageously so, and its leek-based accoutrement did not sing. Tenors then shifted to a higher better level with Langoustine risotto that was boldly al dente,and given softer persuasions by pairing it with a shell-fish foam finely redolent of its intended essence. The troika on the plate was completed by mustard ice-cream- a restrained but keen creation that brought compatible sharpness when mixed into the other two. It was a refined example of how to make dessert slip back into the savoury courses.

Service, though polite and accomodative, was a mixed bag. Sure,they'll explain all the dish's components to you before each course, new cutlery is placed on a petite block of wood each time a new course starts, and every member of the staff I spoke to, including the maitre'd, had commendable knowledge of the dish's constituents. But empty plates took time to be cleared off, feedback is rarely,if ever,asked and my glass of diminishing water initially took one hour to be re-filled. Anyway,'twas inspiring to see the French-looking head chef at the kitchen's forefront busily constructing and composing for almost the entire length of my 210 minute meal, while purposely avoiding any confluence of gaze with his customers. His snappy supervision revealed its class in the eating. A balantine of quail was exquisitely docile,wrapped as it was in a smoky coat of bacon and crowned by truffled butter.Parked beside it was a gear-smoothening innovation of "Croissant puree" which was lushly creamy and lightly infused with oven-baked aromas.Seared duck was superbly cooked with a crisp exterior. The gentlest parts of it were sashimi-like in their satiny softness.When simultaneously sampled with bok choy, luxuriously buttery kumara puree and sweet mandarin sauce, it continued to synthesize harmonious symphonies.

A 9 course meal here stretches across 3 and a 1/2 hours- apart from lavishing every facet of your attention on how the restaurant around you functions, you also have time to contemplate life's fullness. One can also note finer details of service, like the hostess changing a tablecloth by slipping in the new one against the receding one in such a way that the table's bare surface is never exposed.However,this long span also accentuates the odd moment of disappointment. Roasted goats cheese tart, served over beetroot onion fig and a pastry disc enclosed by circles of red-wine-balsalmic was the only dish that did not deliver cohesive pleasure. Champagne granita avec frills stood in as my requested replacement for a buttermilk dessert- 'twas a decked-up palate-cleanser rather than a handsome dessert.I was disappointed by the kitchen's reluctance to go-for-broke on that course. The end of this NZ$145 Chef's 9 course tasting menu worth its tariff was signalled by Textures of Chocolate - a pond of choco mousse amply studded with crunchy chocs'n'nuts and a couple of orange slices that overall packed invigorating vibrancy while the eponymous ice-cream's chilled clouds provided bracing contrast. As the night drew to a close (there will be several future visits), Chef Simon Wright agreed to my request for a quick meeting and was very kind as I congratulated and praised the man profusely. After all, it is not daily that I get to taste the cuisine of a meticulous craftsman,an expert artist.

Untold Tales of Verghese Kurien

By

Sharad Bailur

Dr Verghese Kurien, my boss at the National Dairy Development Board, was not a modest man. He had much to be immodest about. A great raconteur, his stories of how it all happened were leavened with a faint self-deprecation that came across as though he was pulling the listener's leg. Only later it would turn out that he was all the time telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I found this, to my cost, when three events occurred. First the visit of the Chairman of the Pakistan Dairy Board and then that of the Agriculture Minister of Kyrghyzstan and lastly of Mr. HD Deve Gowda in his capacity as Prime Minister. Kurien talked about his friendship with the Royal Family of the Netherlands and with Queen Beatrix,  who had presented him with a chess set made of ebony and ivory, in particular, with authority and affection. He was not name-dropping. That was just how it had been. From Jawaharlal Nehru down through the pages of history, both Indian and foreign, the world leaders whom he had met, or more importantly who had come to Anand to meet him, was legion.

When Verghese Kurien finished up with an Engineering degree from Madras he was picked up by Tata Steel to be one their Probationay Officers. Word soon leaked out that a Director on the Board of the Tatas, John Mathai (later to be Finance Minister of India) was Kurien’s uncle. Kurien had won his way through to the job strictly on merit, but this new development made things awkward because overnight a new deference had sprung up around him. He talked with his uncle who tried to dissuade him from resigning. But resign he did.

Around the same time the Government of India announced scholarships for students wishing to take up courses in Dairy Engineering in the United States. Kurien applied for the scholarship on the strength of his Engineering background and got it. When he landed in the US he realised he had an opportunity in a loophole that the Government of India had missed. The loophole was that the Government of India had no control over what he actually studied. They had given the money to the University that had offered him a seat. He could do what he wanted with it – so long as he returned to India armed with his new education. Kurien, who had applied to the University of Pittsburg, asked to have his subjects changed from Dairy Engineering to Metallurgy and Nuclear Science. His ambition was to become India’s first atomic bomb maker. He got his degree in both and returned to India. At that point if he had asked to meet Jawaharlal Nehru (who was quietly mulling over how to make atom bombs for India in any case, and was in touch with Home Bhabha), he would have been there far ahead of Anil Kakodkar or R. Chidambaram.

In the event, it turned out Kurien had signed a bond to serve at any facility named by the Government on his return from the US. The bond was enforced and Kurien was sent to work at the Government Creamery in Anand, where he sat cooling his heels doing virtually nothing except watching the cobwebs grow on the ancient machinery that was lying in its godown.

Across the road he observed the controlled chaos of a dairy co-operative headed by a gentleman called Tribhuvandas Patel that had a battle on its hands with the then big dairy in Anand – Polsons. Polsons was an invented, appropriately “imported” name acquired by a Parsi genteman who ran a milk products unit in Anand. They had a tinning facility and turned out butter in tins. I recall poking my head between my father’s arms as he opened a tin of Polsons only to have it squirt right into my eye. Polsons had a deal with the Milk Commissioner of Bombay that he would supply milk to Bombay – and that it would be a monopoly.  Kurien would go across and talk to the Cooperative officials and it turned out they had a tough time selling their milk in Bombay because of the restriction by the Milk Commissioner there. They were compelled to sell to Polsons who would then sell it to Bombay. Worse nobody at the Cooperative knew English. Would Kurien please go to Bombay on their behalf and talk to the Commissioner? Kurien obliged and got the monopoly clause rescinded on the condition that he could demonstrate that the milk sent by the cooperative would not spoil on the journey from Anand to Mumbai by train. So two cans packed in ice blocks and gunny sacked were transported to Bombay by the 11.30 pm Gujarat Mail from  Anand to be presented to the Commissioner. The train reaches Bombay at 5.30 am (even today) and the cans were shown and tested before his august presence at 6 am at his office at Goregaon. Challenge surmounted, the flow of milk to Bombay started.

But then cows and buffaloes are not always obliging animals. The flow of milk ebbs in summer and picks up once the rains start and stays through the winter to taper off toward the onset of the next summer. And there lay a problem that the Polsons decided they could exploit. Polsons who had a New Zealander for their Manager went to Bombay to tell the Commissioner that he should only accept a fixed total quantity of milk throughout the year – after all people don’t drink more milk in winter and less in summer! That meant that the milk from the cooperative that ebbed and flowed would be faced with a problem it could not control. Its milk would go waste in winter and be inadequate in summer. No reasoning would move the commissioner. The cooperative, and their representative Kurien, came back disappointed. What Kurien did on his journey back is not known but by the time he was back in Anand, he had a plan.

He opened up the godown of the Government Creamery and pulled out the old butter churner and milk powdering equipment. It had seen better days, much better days – during the First World War in Mesopotamia! It needed very careful handling and repairing. By the time he had finished with it, it was in working condition even if haltingly. He offered it to the Cooperative provided they could get the permission of the Government of India to use the old machinery. Kurien was sent to Delhi to persuade the people in the Ministry of Food and Agricuture. Some persuading later, he returned armed with the permission. Butter making started and for the first time butter from the Kaira District Milk Producers’ Cooperative Limited (KDMPCL) was sold in Bombay. Not too many people touched it, even with a bargepole sterilised or otherwise; they were still enamoured by the “imported” Polson name, as was my own father. But at least the overflow of milk problem had been dealt with – for the time being.

Unfortunately success often leads to bigger problems and the Cooperative was getting the first taste of growing pains. Since members sold milk to their coop at a price no less than the market price, the output started to pick up. The Milk Commissioner remonstrated. Kurien said, “We cannot put stoppers on the udders of my cows!” and the problem continued. That was when Tribhubandas had a new idea. Why not import an entire new dairy from Holland? Question: Who would set it up? Of course there was Kurien. But he was no dairy engineer! So what next? Kurien had a tentative possibility that would require him to go to Bombay. There he bumped into an old friend from his Pittsburg days: H. M Dalaya. Dalaya was at a loose end in India having lost all his lands and property to the throes of Partition. And he was a qualified Dairy Engineer from Pittsburg. Would he be willing to come to Anand to have a look? The machinery had arrived. Dalaya agreed.

Between Dalaya and Kurien and a bit of local turner/fitter help they erected the dairy that would thenceforth turn out butter.  The coop decided it would have to have a new name. Between Dalaya and Kurien they came up with AMUL meaning Anand Milk Union Limited. It also stood for “Priceless”. And it was from these rather disparate threads that the true story of the success of Amul, and of Dr. Kurien started. Polsons withered away and died a natural death. A bust of its owner still adorns the library of the National Dairy Development Board presented to it by his son.

By the time Kurien started to work for Amul, the total output of milk per year for the whole of India was estimated at a woeful 7 million tonnes. Woeful, because, as it turns out, India is the only non-white milk drinking nation in the world. We drink an enormous amount of milk and use it in products. The demand was enormous. The supply was microscopic by comparison. There lay the problem and there lay the opportunity.

Amul then decided to make baby food. Who were the experts? Ask them. Nestle. So Kurien was sent out to Switzerland to meet with Nestle to seek a collaboration to make baby milk powder. He was brusquely turned away with the remark: “The air in India is so badly contaminated with microbes, it is not possible to make baby food in India.” When he returned empty handed, he was asked if he and his colleagues could make baby food without collaboration. They agreed to give it a try. And they succeeded. Amul baby food rapidly gained a foothold in the market place. It was then that Nestle took notice and their Chairman came over to visit Amul. He was shown around the dairy with elaborate courtesy and then offered lunch. It was then that he apologised. He then sought Amul’s help in marketing Nestle products. Amul turned down the request after consideration. They wanted to make their own.

As late as 1969/70 baby food was to be had in Bombay only if you were prepared to commit murder for it. That soon changed because in 1964 Lal Bahadur Shastri had taken a hand.  He visited Anand and stayed the night with a local farmer discussing the problems of the farmers of Gujarat with them. Next morning he told Kurien he wanted him to replicate the Amul  and later the GCMMF pattern on an all India basis. Saying is one thing doing is another. For six months nothing happened because there was no money forthcoming from the Government of India. But Dr. Kurien and his colleagues read the papers and magazines. They were watching with care the mountain of butter and milk powder that was growing uncontrolled in the European Union. They went to the Government to seek permission to persuade the EU to gift the milk and powder to India since they, in any case, had no where to sell it. The EU obliged and the saga of the National Dairy Development Board and Operation Flood that eventually has been responsible for increasing the output of milk from a bare 7 million tonnes per annum to 140 million tonnes plus today started. That makes India the world’s biggest producer of milk with the US being the next biggest, producing around 75 million tonnes.

One of Dr Kurien’s off the cuff remarks continues to resound in my memory: “There are always opportunities floating by. Grab them – all of them. You can drop them later if they don’t turn out well.” Yes, Sir! And you will live in our memory and in the memory of all those who had the great good fortune to work under you.

Today I made some Indian spiced shrimp and Garlic Cilantro Raita to dip! 

 

and also some Besan Shrimp Pancakes (not sure what these are actually called, as I just tossed a bunch of stuff together.  I told Piyush they reminded me of flattened Bengali Pakoras). 

 

 

Recipes will be posted soon.

My version of Dal
Mung dal with Onion+ Raw Mango pakodas

We were in Amritsar last week and the light our lucky culinary guiding star led us to dinner at Ista.

There were six of us with widely varying tastes, most a bit hesitant to try Ista as the plan had been to  focus our undivided gastronomic attention on street food/dhabas.
But we were a very happy bunch at the end of the meal; this was the best meal we had in Amritsar!!  Read on to find out the greasy spoon inside scoop on Ista, Amritsar

Dhaba food in Amritsar is delicious in large part due to unabashed usage of ghee. We were served a traditional vegetarian Punjabi meal at Ista; it is a tough task to emulate dhaba food without drowning it in ghee and spices. But Chef Suman Chakrabarty delighted us with his version of home style khana.

First up were sweet and savoury lassis  (without the mandatory malai and served in sane 200ml portions).
The sweet lassi was mildly flavoured with cardamom and soothing.
The savoury lassi got my vote - could taste anardana, jeera, kala namak among the flavours. Zingy and refreshing, it really hit the spot.

Appetizers were served next. Aloo akhrot ki Tikki , Michi paneer Tikka, Tandoori Gobhi and tandoori Mushrooms. They were served with a pudina dhai chutney and an onion kachumbar salad.
Regular aloo tikki with walnuts, tender, not greasy and mildly spiced. These were acclaimed as favorites by all at our table
Chef Suman informed us that he used "kuta hua" mirch for the tikka; that give it some texture and bursts of heat. It would have been even better if the paneer was salted to balance the mirchi.
The tandoori gobhi was coated with mustard paste and well done. The mushrooms were average.


Kulche chole is an iconic ritual in this town and one we were not looking forward to - Why?
We had Chole ( always with baking soda) at almost every meal for 3 days and did not look forward to another bowl.
Despite the apprehension, this Chole (definitely no soda)  knocked our socks off. It is among the best I have ever eaten (including my own). Anardana and lemon juice  are used for acidity and a house made 12 spice chole masala aids in the magic. Maybe Chef Chakraborty will be generous and part with the recipe?

The Kulcha was limp, rubbery and the sole disappointment in an otherwise excellent meal.

Rice was then served with Pakodi Kadhi and Aloo Wadiyan. These were perfectly executed but I was so enamored by the Chole that I did not do justice to them.


The desserts were fantastic with one of us wishing that they had been served at the start of the meal
Jalebi rabdi (of course fried in ghee), Gulab jamun ( yes,yes, ghee) and a frothy fruit cream capped a memorable dinner

Oh and how can I not include that my 18 month old toddler loved his khichdi and smacked his lips in delight - Chef, take a bow!!

P.S. My perceptions about the food were not swayed by the generosity of Ista in hosting us.

Restaurant & Catering Cuisine Challenge Grand finale 2012 today marked the end of Restaurant & Catering Show 2012 at World Trade Center with a grand fervour. This professional cuisine contest was organised by Hospitality First with technical support from the Western India Culinary Association. Indigo won the contest followed by first runner up from The Leela’s & second runner up from Indigo Deli. The contest was evaluated by a panel of eminent food critics/chefs from the industry which included Master Chef Fame Ajay Chopra, Ex Area Chef of ITC Hotels Gev Desai, Ex Corporate Chef Seetharam Shetty- Sky Gourmet, Executive Chef Vikas Seth from Dish Hospitality.
Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi

Recipes from Lokopakara

September 22, 2012

Lokopakara is a treasure trove of ancient recipes. Chavundaraya does not specify exact amounts of ingredients in any of the recipes. While he was particular about the detailed procedures, he has not included obvious ingredients such as salt in every single recipe. Probably he wanted the cooks to exercise their own judgment based on individual tastes and preferences. Ingenious methods of preparing fruit juices, flavored yogurts, and healthy vegetable dishes were all popular in Karnataka even during the eleventh century.

Omission of rice in the recipe for idli, the south Indian breakfast staple, is quite noticeable. This is one of the dishes that evolved over the centuries. According to K.T.Achaya the very first time idli is mentioned in 920 AD in the Vaddaradhane of Sivakotiacharya, a Kannada work. It was considered one of the eighteen dishes a lady should serve her guests. Chavundaraya’s recipe for idli also does not include rice. He also does not mention if it was fried or steam cooked. The earlier idlis were made with urad dal, spices and yogurt water. A century later another Sanskrit work describes iddarika made with similar batter as a fried dish.

The dal batter is combined with yogurt and spices to lengthen the shelf life of idli.At the Varadharaja Perumal Temple (built in 1053 AD) in Tamil Nadu giant idlis, weighing close to two or three pounds, made with two types of dals and flavored with various spices are prepared as offering. These idlis are said to last several days even without refrigeration.

By the fifteenth century, rice was in use in the preparation of idli and it was steam cooked. Since ancient times, maritime trade existed between South Indian kingdoms and Southeast Asia. With the settlement of Indian traders by the sixth century ad, Southeast Asia underwent a gradual period of Indianization. Peacefully and gradually, the Hindu religion spread throughout the archipelago. These Hindu kingdoms had religious, cultural, trade, and diplomatic relations with South India. K.T. Achaya writes that it is believed that from the eighth through the twelfth century ad, some of the Indonesian Hindu kings often visited India in search of suitable brides. A contingent of cooks accompanied them, and they are believed to have introduced fermentation techniques to south Indian cuisine.Once rice was incorporated in the batter, spicing was eliminated and the batter was steam cooked. In spite of modifications in ingredients and cooking method, idli seems to have retained its name.

Variations and adaptations of several of these recipes are still popular all over south India. An interesting recipe that has evolved over the years is of sikharini; it is very similar to shrikhand.   The recipe for sajjappa is another that has remained with minor changes.

The final garnish of spices and curry leaves fried in a little oil or ghee is an ancient technique that has survived over the centuries with minor alteration; mainly the inclusion of red chili pepper to the spice mix came after the sixteenth century.  The techniques of using yogurt, salt and jaggery to preserve food have survied and are still used in many parts of India. In Kerala ripe plantains, ripe jackfruit and ripe mangoes are all preserved by cooking them with jaggery and ghee. They remain fresh for months without refrigeration. Similarly unripe mango pieces are dried with a mix of spices, salt and jaggery. Immature tiny mangoes are preserved in brine as well as in a spice mix of mustard seeds, red chili peppers and salt. These methods are also used in preserving vegetables and fruits that arrived in India through trade routes. Green chili peppers are preserved by piercing holes in them and soaking in salted yogurt and drying in the sun.

Rice
Rice continues to be the staple food of the people of the south; and the very first recipe in Supa sastra is for cooking rice. He instructs that rice should be washed three times before boiling in excess water and when it is cooked, the excess water was drained. This was the prevalent method of cooking rice in those days. This a method still used by many home cooks in south India. Cooked rice was served with huli (soups or broths), yogurt and various vegetable dishes.

Dishes prepared with dals

Idli
Soak and wash split black gram (urad dal). Grind into a thick batter along with the clear liquid at the top of yogurt. Stir in asafetida, cumin seeds, coriander and black pepper. Idli prepared from this batter would be very delicious.

Huli
Huli was prepared with mung dal (split and hulled mung beans), urad dal (split and hulled black gram) or chana dal (split and hulled Indian brown chick peas). They are first cooked in water until they reach the consistency of gruel. Cardamom, cumin, coriander, black pepper and mustard seeds are ground into a paste and stirred into the cooked dal. This mixture is later flavored with souring agents such as tamarind and lemon juice and garnished with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafetida and curry leaves fried in small quantity of ghee or oil.

Grind cinnamon, cumin, mustard, black pepper, cardamom, and coriander seeds along with water. Boil any type of dal until it reaches the consistency of gruel. Stir in the ground spice mix to the gruel and stir well. Cook and garnish with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafetida, and curry leaves fried in small quantity of ghee or oil.  It will make a delicious soup.

Vegetable, leaf and fruit Preparations
A wide variety of vegetables and leaves were used in this cuisine. Raw fruits like plantains and jackfruit, tubers and roots such as suran (elephant foot yam), lotus root, bamboo shoots and radishes, flowers of pumpkin and plantain, varieties of leaves and beans were cooked either  individually or two or three of them together, along with spices or by seasoning with spices fried in oil or ghee. Instructions for preparing various leaves and shoots as vegetable dishes are as follows.

Leaves of bitter melon, tamarind shoots, castor shoots and flowers of Palasha tree (butea monosperma, commonly called Flame of the Forest) are cooked separately in lime water. Then they are washed in cold water and any vegetable dish may be prepared with them.

Mix the cut pieces of the roots of Sessile joyweed (alternanthera sessilis also called dwarf copperleaf) and lime with the tender core of edible banana plant and cook this mixture properly. Add required spices and it will be a soft and tasty palya (cooked vegetable dish).

Soak the shoots of pipal tree (ficus religiosa) in buttermilk. Add tender leaves of bael fruits (aegle marmelos) and salt. Add water, milk, Indian gooseberry, and mango and cook. The final product will be a soft and savory dish.

Wash the leaves or sprouts of field beans in water mixed with turmeric powder. Cook them along with roots of amaranth. Grind in a stone mortar and add required spices and salt. It will be a delicious chutney.

Grind small cut pieces of leaves of cupped coral-berry tree (breynia retusa) with salt and lime juice. Grind red hibiscus (hibiscus rosa-sinensis) flowers in buttermilk. Mix them together. It will be a light coral colored savory dish.    

Soak crushed thorn apple (datura stramonium) in lime water for one day. The next day wash it in water. Boil the washed crushed thorn apple along with leaves of jequirity (abrus precatorius), Indian white oleander and Indian lotus plant and lime water. Roast the boiled thorn apple with ghee. Any recipe made from this would be very delicious.

Barley
In addition to the staple rice both barley and wheat were popular grains in this cuisine. To prepare a nutritious dish, barley is soaked in milk and dried in the sun. Dried barley is then dry roasted and made into fine flour using a stone mortar. Spice powder made with saffron, cinnamon, cinnamon leaves, and cardamom is mixed with this flour. It is then mixed with sugar and ghee to make a tasty and nutritious dish.

Another barley recipe calls for soaking cleaned barley in hot milk and grind it into a paste. It is then shaped into small balls and fried in ghee. It is called ghrta pureta.

Wheat
Wheat flour or all-purpose flour is mixed with water to make a dough and it is used make various dishes.

Soak the dough in a mixture of hot milk and ghee. Powder cardamom, cinnamon, saffron cinnamon leaves and sugar and mix with tender coconut water. Add this spiced water to the dough and knead. Place it in an urn and seal the urn with thick mud coating. Place the closed urn in the middle of hot embers in a wood burning stove. When it is fully cooked, take out. This dish is called Khandaghrta pura in the Kannada language.

Prepare a mix of grated coconut, dates and sugar. Roll out small circles of the wheat dough and place a small ball of this mix in the middle. Close it well and fry in ghee. It is called sajjappa in Kannada and Tamil. This sweet dish made in the same manner even today.

Sweets made with rice flour
Add yogurt culture to boiled milk and allow it to ferment. Add hot ghee to it and stir well. Then stir in hand pounded brown rice flour to it and cook until it has dough like consistency. Using a hand press make fine thin noodles with this dough. Make sugar syrup and stir in milk and the noodles. Shape it into small balls.

Another way of making this sweet dish is to add juice of jujube fruits or tamarind roots to the above dough and make thin fine noodles by pressing the dough through a hand press. Make sugar syrup and stir in milk and the noodles. Shape it into small balls.

Make dough with rice flour, fermented milk, and ghee as in the recipe above. Roll out into thin flat breads and cook them on a griddle. Pound them and make a fine powder. Mix finely chopped dates or grapes or jujube fruit pulp to this powder. Add required quantity of sugar syrup and knead into a dough. Add powder of saffron, cinnamon, cinnamon leaves and edible camphor to this mix and knead again. Shape the dough into small balls. It is called khanda ladduge.

Yogurt, flavored yogurt and Cheese
Smear the inside of an urn with juice of Indian gooseberry (phyllanthus emblica) or pulp of wood apple. Pour boiled milk into the urn and set aside. After fermentation it will become thick yogurt.

Fill the hollow of a bamboo pole with boiled milk and seal it tightly. Bury it in the ground for three days. The yogurt formed in the bamboo pole will be thick and in the shape of a bamboo.

Smear the inside of a clay pot with mango juice. Add hot milk to the pot. When it ferments, the yogurt will have the fragrance of mango.

Smear the inside of a pot with ground paste of the roots of chitraka (plumbago zeylanica) and add boiled milk to it. When the milk is fermented it will have the fragrance of champak flowers (magnolia champaca).

Add Indian lotus powder or saffron to boiled milk and allow it to ferment. The yogurt made this way would be savory with a taste of mango.

Combine powders of black pepper, cumin, dry ginger, and sugar and mix it with citron juice. Add this mixture to yogurt and strain. Add powdered mix of asafetida, clove, cinnamon and ironwood flowers or buds to the strained juice.  Mix with jaggery to cleanse. It will be delicious buttermilk.

Combine powders of cinnamon, dry ginger, black pepper, rock salt, sugarcane jaggery, nutmeg, white turmeric (curcuma zedoaria), and ironwood flowers and mix with yogurt. Purify this with honey, sugarcane juice, yellow myrobalan (terminalia chebula). Stir in edible camphor. This is called sikharini.

Smear a hot frying pan with roots of amaranth plant or the leaves of marsh barbel (hygrophila auriculata) and cook buffalo milk in the pan. The soft cheese made this way is called haluvuga.

Reduce buffalo milk to half the quantity by boiling it. Stir in powders of Indian mallow (abutilon indicum) or country mallow (sida cordifolia). Add ghee, sugar, and powders of cinnamon, cinnamon leaves, and cardamom to this hot liquid and mix well. The milk will coagulate. Make balls with coagulated milk.

Fruit Juices
To extract the juice of jackfruit, combine jackfruit pods, edible camphor, sesame oil and shoots of Jambul (eugenia jambolana) and keep it in sunlight.

To extract juice of rose apple fruits smear them with sugarcane juice and keep it in sunlight.

Grind together tamarind flowers, root of chitraka (plumbago zeylanica) black pepper, tender banana, and tender leaves of Bermuda grass or rose apple leaves. Mix with pulp of ripe bananas and keep it in sunlight.

Samarang rose apple (myrtus samarangense) exudes with juice when kept in sunlight after smearing it with a mixture of borax, edible camphor, thorn apple seeds (datura stramonium) and common jasmine leaves.

Cold Drinks
Several cold drinks prepared with fruits such as jujube, myrobalan, pomegranate, tamarind and citron are recommended to quench thirst. Firs the juices are extracted and boiled separately. Sugar or jaggery is stirred in and the juices are strained into separate containers. They are purified with white agar (a natural vegetable gelatin) nut grass (cyperus rotundus) and camphor. A spice mix of black pepper, iron wood, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom powders are stirred in before serving.

A wicked weekend treat: Enjoyyyy!

In Search Of
The Perfect Pani-Puri

Delight does indeed come in small packages: a small spherical puri filled with boiled moong and chana, mashed potato, date-tamarind chutney, and spicily seasoned water which goes down well only with the pani-puri. Pop it in the mouth and this fiery globule ensures an almost hellish gastronomical bliss, even as you gasp for more, tongue a-tingle, mouth a-flame!

There’s hardly anything such as the `perfect pani-puri’! Concoctions change to suit the taste, and the bhaiyya is accordingly instructed: teekha kum; meetha bilkul nahin, batata jyada; batata kum, moong dalo, chana nahin, the permutations go on combining. Those with small mouths insist the puris be sized accordingly, to fit in. A sharp tongue does not always betoken a big mouth after all! It’s not always easy, fitting the puri into the mouth, but then we do tend to bite off more than we can chew, don’t we?

Concoctions vary, as does the seasoning … the Kailash Parbat, for instance, gives bundis instead of moong or chana in the pani-puri. Gurukripa is noted for the exquisite delicacy of the different kinds of puris --- the wheat-flour puris, and the rice-flour puris, which melt in the mouth. The bhaiyyas at Babulnath and Elco Arcade have their own trade secrets and alas, the Puranmal Delhiwala at Linking Road is now lost to us for ever. But where God closes one outlet, he opens another, and the Punjab Sweet House at Pali is a welcome discovery.

The Bombay pani-puri is a dish apart, but Delhi has its own version, the inimitable gol-guppa. The differences between the pani-puri and the gol-guppa are a shade more subtle than the differences between an average Bombayite and Delhiite, but exist nonetheless. Like Delhi, the gol-guppa has a brazen appeal, and a trip to Delhi would be incomplete without a visit to Nathu’s sweet and chaat shop in Bengali Market.

These delights for the palate do not unduly prejudice the purse. Unless of course, you’ve ordered special chaat from Lucknow, with the entire troupe of puri-makers flown over, and the pani made from the purest bottled Bisleri, the yuppie answer to Ganga jal.
Or you’re even more adventurous! Eschewing the homely chana and chutney, you like your puri filled with choice Smirnoff. This after all, is the golden age of all things fusion --- I mean, just look at all the confusion around! As Houseman himself would perhaps have paraphrased, Vodka does more than Sir Vidia can, to justify man’s ways to Man … (God’s ways are now beyond justification!)]


Let’s cast confusion aside, however, and stick to the conventional. Nothing like the pani-puri in its pristine unadulterated form. It’s THE unification of diversities, demonstrating the reconciliation of opposites into a deliciously harmonious whole! The puri fluffed just so, evenly browned, without a hole or a chink in it; the chana and the moong, slightly sprouted, parboiled; the potato, well boiled and mashed or tiny-cubed; the sweet chutney with just the right amounts of gur, dates, tamarind and chilly powder and above all, the pani! The secret of the perfect pani-puri lies in just the right seasoning of the water. It’s the pani that makes the puri, not the other way around.
Ready-made masalas are available a-plenty, but it pays the effort to make one’s own. Crush together some green chilies, coriander-leaves and mint, lots of mint; dunk the paste in the water; add some rock salt (that’s what gives the extra flavour, I swear!), amchur powder, freshly ground black pepper, coarsely-crushed cumin seeds, chaat masala; then add ice cubes and lots of sprigs of fresh mint (the mint adds not only the chutzpah, but also, we fondly hope, digestive properties!); stir well and allow the water to stand at least for four-five hours.

And then imbibe and indulge. Sitting on the balcony, in the shade of the fish-tail palm, as the evening shadows lengthen, taking up the puri, tapping a tiny hole in that perfect sphere with a tentative fingernail, spooning in the chana and the moong, then some potato, then gently- oh-so-gently, the sweet chutney, and then finally, at long last, filling to the brim the puri with the spicily seasoned pani … it restores one’s equilibrium, this measuring out the pani in careful teaspoonfuls into the puri, as life and the world go by!

****

After a long time we had a Gourmetindia dining friends meet at Raunak and Poulami Kundu's home to feast on Bengali home food.

Started off with
Chana Palong er Bora – Shallow Fried Dumplings of Cottage Cheese and Spinach.


2nd course was a   Bhetki Paturi – Chunks of Bhetki fillet marinated in mustard sauce and steamed in plantain leaves. Piquant and delicious, dont know how I missed taking a photo.  

Whilst were yakking away, Poulami was busy making  Radhaballabhi (stuffed puris) in the kitchen.



Dhoka Dalna- Lentil Dumplings and Potatoes simmering away in Yoghurt gravy



As you can see now with the liquid reduced, served with stuffed puris.



Bengali pulao- mildly sweet Gobindhbhog rice with dry fruits, Kosha Mangsho/Mutton Gravy and Paanch phoron Chicken. The latter was made for one of the ladies who preffered Chicken over mutton.


This was followed by the unique 'Plastic Chutney made with raw papaya and raisins/kishmish.


and for dessert we had Dudh Puli - dumplings in sweetened milk


Came back home with the strains of Rabindra sangeet in my mind.
Thank you Raunak and Poulami for a wonderful meal that cant be had in restaurants.

New experiment!  Coconut and Cardamom Chicken Curry

 

 

It turned out really good!  Even Piyush--as picky as he is--enjoyed it!

Baingan ka Bharta

 

December 18, 2012

Manasollasa, just like Lokopakara, is a treasure trove of ancient recipes. While he was particular about the detailed procedures, Somesvara does not specify exact amounts of ingredients in any of his recipes. He has not included obvious ingredients such as salt in every single recipe. Probably he wanted the cooks to exercise their own judgment based on individual tastes and preferences.

 

One major difference between Manasollasa and Lokopakara is that the author Somesvara, belonging to ruling Kshatriya class, was not a vegetarian. There are various recipes that use meat and seafood in this annabhoga chapter. Following are the recipes for dishes made with rice, wheat, pulses, milk and sugar. Meat dishes, salads, drinks and puddings to follow in the next segment.

Rice
The main staple of South India being rice; he starts the chapter on Annabhoga with descriptions of eight varieties of rice, followed by descriptions of cleaning and cooking rice. He instructs that rice should be washed several times before boiling in excess water. This cleaned rice should be cooked in either a copper or earthenware vessel with three times the quantity of water over a slow fire. The pot should be covered with a lid or a piece of cloth. When steam comes out, the lid should be removed and the pot stirred. When the grains are a bit hard in the middle, milk or ghee was added and removed from the fire and the excess water should be drained. This was the prevalent method of cooking rice in those days, a method still used by many home cooks in south India. He adds that rice thus cooked is fit to be eaten by the king.

Wheat
Although Karnataka is in the south, people consumed almost equal amounts of rice, wheat and ragi (finger millet). Somesvara directs that wheat should be washed well, dried in the sun, and ground into soft flour. Manasollasa describes a variety of wheat based preparations.

Golamu
Take Take the dough with wheat flour, milk, ghee, sugar and powders of cardamom and black pepper. Knead the dough well and shape into small balls. Cook them in ghee.

Soups with Pulses
While cooking various pulses either as whole or split and husked, they should be put into water to remove the dust and then washed in several changes of water. When preparing supa (soups) pulses should be ground into pieces to remove the husk. Then using a winnowing fan remove all the husk and wash the de-husked and split pulses. For making soups these cleaned pulses should be slow cooked in water. While cooking, water should be added again and again and stirred. After the pulses are well cooked asafoetida water and turmeric should be added. Salt, according to taste, should be added always at the end. "Pleasant smell, color, smoothness, good taste, and lightness are all added to the soup by cooking thus" says Somesvara. When cooking whole pulses wash them several times and cook with equal amount of water on slow fire. Neither asafoetida water nor turmeric should be stirred in at the beginning. After it is well cooked add asafoetida water, salt and garnish with ginger. 

He also gives directions for cooking pulses with meat: Bits of flesh or fat or liver of sheep should be added to pulses when it is almost cooked; and then season with powdered black pepper. He instructs to add powder of ginger after removing the cooking pot from the fire. Then it should be mixed with a variety of fragrant rice called gandhasai or any type of millet before serving.

Snacks with Pulses
Purika 
Hulled and split Indian chick peas are ground along with water into a soft dough like consistency. Salt, sugar, black pepper, cardamom and asafoetida are added to this and shaped into balls. They are then spread using the hands and cooked. This is called purika.

 

Vestika and Dosaka
Crushed Indian chickpeas are mixed with cumin, asafoetida, ginger, salt, and turmeric and made into a thick mixture. Make small balls from this mix and cook in a pan. This is called vestika. When more water is added to the above mixture and the batter is spread on a hot pan along with oil. This is called dosaka. Dosaka can also be made with pulses such as urad dal, red beans and dried green peas.

 

Katakarna
Chickpeas are powdered and mixed with salt, water, ghee and powder of hyacinth bean (also called Indian bean), Lablab purpureus. This mix when deep fried in hot oil is katakarna.

Vatika
Split urad dal is soaked in water and washed with plenty of water till the skin is removed. Then it is removed from water and ground into a smooth batter. Keep it in a vessel for a full day till it ferments. Then the batter is kept in a cloth and tied and a hole is made in the cloth. This will let the batter slowly drip down. Keep the cloth bundle above heated oil and let the batter slowly fall into the oil. Deep fry and remove from oil. When it is cooled season it with a mixture black pepper powder, asafoetida fried in ghee and cumin powder. This is called vatika.

Vatikas are also served after soaking them in liquids. Dip the vatikas in water mixed with powdered black pepper and cardamom and take it out. Another method is to soak them in water drained from cooked rice or in yogurt sprinkled with black pepper, salt, ginger, cumin, dried ginger and coriander and cooked until it is thick. Soak vatikas in this yogurt mixture, take them out and season with asafoetida and black pepper powders before serving. This recipe appears to be a predecessor to today’s dahi vada.

Iddarika
The same urad batter is spread into lumps and cooked to make tender white idarikas. Omission of rice in the recipes for idli, the south Indian breakfast staple, is quite noticeable. Idli is one of the dishes that evolved over the centuries. According to K.T.Achaya the very first time idli is mentioned in 920 AD in the Vaddaradhane of Sivakotiacharya, a Kannada work. It was considered one of the eighteen dishes a lady should serve her guests. The recipe for idli in Lokopakara also does not include rice. Both Manasollasa and Lokopakara also do not mention if it was fried or steam cooked.

Gharika
The same urad dal batter is shaped into round cakes with five or seven holes and cooked in hot oil till they are golden brown in color. Gharikas made without holes are soaked in sugar syrup to make sweet gharikas. This recipe appears to be a predecessor to today’s jangiri/south Indian jilebi. 

Sweet dishes
Although the methods of preparation are described, no name is mentioned for some of these sweets.   

 

Add buttermilk to slightly warm milk and then the whole separated milk is poured into a cloth, tided and hung so that all the water drips down. And the residue of fresh cheese remains in the cloth. Mix it with rice flour and made into a dough. Shape into small balls and cook in ghee and soaked in sugar syrup. A copper vessel should be used to make the sugar syrup. When the syrup is half done, add some butter milk and any dirt in the sugar will float up. Remove this and filter the syrup through a piece of cloth again and again. When such cleaned syrup is cooked it is called peya. It looks like honey. This syrup should be used to soak the fried balls. Garnish with powdered cardamom. This is easily digested and very tasty. This recipe appears to be a predecessor to today’s gulab jamun, although no name is mentioned.

Purified sugar is added to milk and cooked until it thickens. Mix powders of saffron, green camphor, cardamom and dried ginger to this and knead it like dough. Make small pieces of the dough into different shapes. It is called varshalaka. This recipe appears to be a predecessor to today’s paalkova.

 

Variations and adaptations of several of these recipes are still popular all over south India.  

Resources

Achaya, K.T. Indian Food: A Historical Companion. Oxford University Press 1994
Arundhati, P. Royal Life in Manasollasa. Sundeep Prakashan, Delhi 1994
Chattopadhyaya, D.P. (general editor) History of Science, Philosophy and Culture in Indian Civilization Volume V, Part I History of Agriculture in India up to c.1200 A.D. (edited by Lallanji Gopal and V.C. Srivastava) Center for Studies in civilizations, New Delhi 2008
Joshi, Mahadev N.and Hebbai B.S. Manasollasa and Ayurveda. Sharade Pulishing House Delhi 2004

Okay ladies and gentlemen, don't get your expectations too high - the packets my dear Dad purchased for me from Bangalore are named "Aaachi chicken masala". Someday, and that day won't be far, I hope to cook and present truly fancy dishes but right now I'm plotting my next restaurant meal of elite quality

Recently our friend shared  these sweet treats, Baklava from  Zalatimo sweets shop in Jerusalem. Locally we get little larger size baklava, these were very tiny...filled with only pistachios. It was great joy to taste baklava from original zalatimo sweet shop. which exists since 1860.

 

 

 

 

 

Today made those extra crispy sweet potato bhajias again, Good Indian treat for ThanksGiving. Little over year ago I made regular bhajias using self raising corn meal, after few trials on different occasions now I have prefect recipe. It is liked by my local friends...few have already tried and served them for parties. I have pictorial ready, I will post soon.

Ingredients : Sweet potato, Potato, green chilies, cilantro, ginger, self raising white corn meal.





Other day tried Bhajia Chat.

Australian Mango Season has just got underway, and below is my First Victim.

Fascinating...I especially like the methods of rice preservation and the ancient idlis without rice.
Have eaten the idlis at the Varadaraja perumal temple and they were delicious (as all temple offerings are)  plus they do last 3 or 4 days in hot and humid Chennai!!

Am going to try rice cooked in basil water and storing payasam in an earthen pot immersed in water. Maybe the taste will improve...

A wonderful effort Ammini; thank you for hunting down these treasures which desperately need to be preserved and passed on and for sharing them with us!!