The most familiar morning alarm in a south Indian household is the whistling of the pressure cooker. Soft pulpy cooked dal or fluffy short grain rice cooked to perfection is a matter of a few whistles for most Indian mums. Most of the days, my household is no different. I have adapted to the silent pressure cooker and a rice box. One of the best recipes putting to use this pulpy cooked tur dal is the Rasam. This is an essential soup in the everyday menu of a South Indian household. Mixed with...| Mildly Indian
The banana leaf sadhya made for Onam, Vishu or any of the Kerala festivals has an array of side dishes that are served on the top half of the leaf. Some of these we have posted earlier Aviyal Thoran Pachadi Kichadi Erisherry Mango pickle However, the mildest, creamy yet simple olan is missed if it is not on the leaf. Have you made it? What is olan? Olan is a slow cooked stew made with gourds cooked in coconut milk. It is a mild creamy curry that predominantly uses ashgourd and pumpkins. Depen...| Mildly Indian
There is no festival in Kerala that should pass by without having a good go at the Kerala sadhya. The elaborate banana leaf meal with 10-12 dishes (sometime 24) is all vegetarian affair. The locally grown vegetables with coconut-based masala cook up the vegetable sides. Fruit and rice-based, long-simmered desserts are added to the meal at the end. This delicious meal served on the fragrance of the fresh banana leaf is the best part of Vishu and Onam. Working mum and sadhya. Sadhya is a time-...| 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