Wanderberry Tales

For about a year, back in 2012, I stayed at house in Bangalore where we were forbidden to cook anything non vegetarian because of religious sentiments. It was fine to order out - those were our instructions handed out to us.   And it was one Sunday night, when one of our roomies was back from her grandmother's place that all hell broke loose. She brought back with her a casserole of crab roast. Crab is not something that we find commonly at restaurants and if they do have it on the menu - the messy eating does not make it a favorite to be ordered. So you know exactly the scene!! A bunch of sea food lovers being long deprived of crab pounced at the sight. Crunch, munch, chomp! That was the scene for the next half an hour. The scenario hasn't changed much now either - so we have photographs here directly from the Kadai because we needed to dig in soon. And for my solace, of course to show you the consistency the masala coating before you turn off the flame. Here is ...

The fun part of staying in a place like Dubai is the possible avenues for trying out different cuisines and if you have a foodie in you the rest is history. I had a hidden foodie in me and marriage brought out the foodie. The reason being - I got married to a person who loves food, eats anything on his plate, who never wastes food and if he does trust me the food is beyond edible. Name any food program on television and he has watched it and if not, he will make sure he watches it . That got me addicted as well  - Food Network is the most popular channel at our place now:) So let us just say we bonded over food and food shows!! Shibin used to get these flat breads for breakfast from Spinneys - sometimes with zaatar topping, sometimes with cheese or else a combination of both. It is only recently I learnt the name and I had the desire to make it myself. On the first try I got it a little crispier and the second time round I managed to get the texture right.  I have...

I do have the habit of omitting certain words or sentences when I read up on something. Be it book, article or a recipe, which is probably why I finish reading quite fast. Pick up a book and if it really interests me - I could finish it in under a day but then, there is a catch to it - in my hurry to reach the fag bottom of the book - I miss names of certain characters, places and trust me at times even events that unfold. As the book progresses, if a reference is made to the part I unknowingly omitted (God forbid that happen), I am at total loss.  Now, my husband knows why I finish reading books in half the time he takes! I wouldn't say this is a great habit of mine because as the saying goes Half knowledge is dangerous . I have got into my own trouble with this. That set aside, when it comes to reading recipes I have had my good days and bad days. Good ones are when despite not following the recipe word by word - I end up with a recipe I created and the taste delights and...

Often happiness comes in small packets and learning to live in these small packets makes the complex system called life all the more meaningful. Not that I live to dot as per the philosophy I just quoted above but I do try and do want to. The same is applies to food as well - its not just elaborate buffet meals that satisfy your souls, it could be quick fixes like the recipe for today that brightens the soul. I do not mean to dampen the spirits - I know buffets can be more than soul satisfying for the foodie in us but a serene evening in the company of simple food can just do as well when hunger pangs are not too ardent. Another beginners recipe - Kala Chana Sundal with minimum ingredients and that can be snack in itself or a side dish. Hoping on to the recipe. Ingredients (Serves - 2) Black Chickpea - 1 cup boiled Onion - 1 medium finely chopped Coconut grated - 3 tbsp heaped Coriander leaves - chopped Chilly powder - 1 tsp Oil Salt to taste Method Soak ...

Talk of comfort food for Malayalis from that part of Kerala I belong to - Rice and moru curry will top the list. It is quick and brings out the Malayalee'ness'( I am sure no word exists as such in us but I just found it cute). We generally call it moru curry and only recently did I realise that pulissery is also the very same.  A quick win for any lunch is making moru curry without any vegetables added. To bring out the dimensions, we do add cucumber, mango, pineapple or pumpkin. Similarly, you also have a choice of making it with the addition of coconut. The recipe I have put up is without coconut because we like it this way and generally most of the sadhya items do have coconut flavor, so why not keep it away from moru curry? For the people who have not heard about this curry - it is nothing but tempered yogurt based curry. So here is your recipe -  Ingredients (serves - 6 on an average) Yogurt - 2 cups Water - 1 cup + addittional for cooking th...

Time is flying by quite fast. Feels like it was yesterday that we celebrated the last Onam. Onam brings with it a lot of cheer and freshness. The pookalam and the traditional attire is a delight to the eye  and the soul satisfying sadya for your palettes. Both of us are bought up outside Kerala and are not used to varied flavors of payasam or pradhaman. The safe bet has always been the semiya payasam, ari payasam, paripu payasam and palada pradhaman. And this year, it was time to try out something we hadn't tried earlier. While sticking onto the traditional recipe, we have incorporated ari/rice as well ghee fried nenthra pazham chunks as well into the nenthra pazham ari pradhaman that we tried out. Wishing you all a blessed Onam season. Meanwhile here is our recipe. Ingredients (Serves - 6) Nenthra Pazham/Kerala banana - 3 medium Jaggery - 100gm Coconut Milk - thick extract - 1 cup Coconut Milk - medium extract - 2 cups Water - 1 cup Cardamom powder - 1...