Thankfully that Indian borage plant, that was generously shared by my husband's cousin is happily growing. We have made so much chutney and rasam with these leaves.I have some more leaves to make new recipes. Since it is winter, the leaf growth will be slow. So I am salvaging some of the excess leaves to make a thokku and keep for a few days so the plant can be left alone to be its best. So here is omavalli thokku. What is a thokku? Thokku is a borderline between pickle and chutney. It is spi...| Mildly Indian
Scene 1 At school pocket money used to be just a few rupees..that the best deal you can get from your parents. Typically it is spent on the wrapper free candy from the jars that lined the store near the school and then a quick dash to catch the school bus back home before it leaves. The trading happens once we are on the bus. There is a variety of candy sandd then there are pickled gooseberry, slices of juicy pineapple or the tiniest of packs of naranga achar. The achar always was the top b...| Mildly Indian
A simple lemon pickle where the lemon is in perfect harmony with salt and a few birds eye chillies have always been the house favorite of all pickles throughout my life. While having the lemon pickle with 'kanji ' (Congee) and 'payar thoran,' very often I have heard my dad talk about the pickle with 'odichukutthi naranga' made by my grandmother. I couldn't much relate to it coz I hardly ever figured out till recently it was citron. Citron or wild lemon Citrus medica, odichukkutyhi naran...| Mildly Indian
Every visit amma keeps some treasures for us. This visit she had a bharani (jar) of crisp tender mangoes in brine. Through my jet-lagged eyes too I was happily eyeing them and she knows me so well that she opened the jar, selected a crisp one and placed it with lunch on my plate. The first bite into the tender mangoes I knew it was mums love. Before leaving amma explained the process of making this maanga uppilitathu that I am sharing with you. How to select tender mangoes for uppilitathu? ...| Mildly Indian
