Comfort food

Kaalan, also known as kurukk kaalan

As I finish making kaalan, my maiden attempt.. can't help writing a few words.. Those who know me, know I can't cook to save my life.. well, the lockdown has forced me to venture into that territory as well :)

Every home has a signature dish, a classic.. ours is Amma's kaalan.. for me, there's no one else who can make this better than her.. I refuse to even taste anyone else's kaalan.. I could be biased.. but I prefer kaalan to taste the way she makes it.. I even hold all the 'sadya' kaalans to disdain, till date..

I guess it is more to do with the memories associated with it.. there was a time when Amma was working in a different city and this is a dish which would stay fresh for a long time, if refrigerated.. she would be home once in a fortnight and make kaalan.. steamed rice, kaalan, some curd and a pappadam.. bliss! My comfort food :)

The smooth creamy texture, the sourness from the curd, the punch of the peppercorns and the flavour of the cumin-coconut-chilli paste.. aahaahaaa! Tried my hand at it, it turned out decent and I stand by my words..

My Amma makes the best kaalan in the world.. hehe..

#nostalgia #cookingathome #keralafood

Lockdown

Of miniature cupboards and jumbo butterflies..

Of small talks and lots of time..

Of tiny hands and vivid ideas..

Of talkative dinner tables and simple fare..

Of Ramayana, Mahabharata and Frozen, Madagascar..

Of work from home and work at home..

Of role reversal and comfortable silences..

A lockdown.. of miniature cupboards and jumbo butterflies.. :)

#randomrhymes #origami #lockdown #redminote7proindia #kiddo @ Tripunittura

Vishu 2020

The case of the duck

So kiddo and me are setting the kani for today morning.. she is as enthusiastic as a 4 year old would be.. and dropping and spilling things, much to my dismay..

So she asks me - Amma, why do we keep vellarakka, bananas, mangoes and not any other fruits and vegetables..(I had a few other things, but they didn't look photo-worthy, yeah I am pretentious, that way)

Anyhow, so I come with a brilliant (partly fact) explanation, usually all yellow, golden things are kept as kani.. so when you see them first thing in the morning.. in the vilakku light, you see everything as a lovely yellow, golden hue.. and that is meant to show prosperity for the year to come.. then I tell her.. see the konna-poovu, that's yellow, and she pitches in.. yes our vilakku and ashtamangalyam set is golden.. and on and on we go..

So, we are almost done, the stage.. err.. the kani is set.. and she brings this random toy of hers.. a yellow plastic duck.. and says.. so we can keep this yellow duck also for the yellow, golden light, eh?

Wishing all of you a very Happy yellow Vishu!

#kiddo #boltibandh #vishukani #kiddokathas

My constant

Seconds later, the canvas changes..

Minutes tick, and you don't go away

On days like these, you have been there..

For months like these, you did not sway

All these years, you have stayed put..

In times like these, you have been my constant

My constant..

#randomrhymes

#eveningsky

#lockdown #redminote7proindia

#kerala #bearwithme

Reflections

Boundaries, merging..

Boundaries, separating..

Reflections, boundless..

Reflections, boxed..

Minds, confused..

Minds, calm..

#randomrhymes #redminote7proindia #sunnyafternoon #bearwithme

rains

She's trying to spot an earthworm(not in pic) I had pointed out.. it's a wiggly waggly worm apparently (courtesy Peppa Pig)..

The earthworm brought back memories of the monsoons of childhood.. 

We used to lift up old rocks and stones to check if there are any earthworms underneath.. @splashartgirl , @chinmayshah.. I don't know if u remember doing that.. also make squelchy sounds in the wet mud with our feet... And try to make the boats stay afloat on the slope in front of the building gate..

Monsoons also meant garam garam kaanda bhajiyas.. monsoons meant waterfalls from the bedroom window.. before Cypress n Redwoods came up.. monsoons meant anti-rust paint on bicycles

Monsoons meant raincoats and umbrellas and an extra plastic cover in the school bag to keep the wet stuff away from the books.. monsoon meant no socks to school.. n putting your feet in a relatively clean puddle and washing off all the mud...

Monsoons meant local trains getting cancelled.. it meant surreptitiously made movie plans.. when bunking work .. monsoons meant Marine drive and the rain hitting you.. when looking at the sea.. garam garam butta.. and umbrellas becoming dish antennae.. @preejahoskeri, @avanigandhi & Nisha..

Hardly any photos of these memories.. still can be relived again and again.. :)

Wishing kiddo also makes monsoon memories and is able to look back at them..when she grows older..

#kiddo #random #monsoon #nostalgia

Ganpati

Dipping the soft spongy pav in the spicy gravy.. I take a mouthful.. the heat hits me alongwith the crunch of the farsaan.. a bit of sourness of the squeezed lemon juice, and the bite of the raw onions.. Misal pav! Haaye.. the memories.. like songs.. some dishes take you back on a trip.. a trip down memory lane..

The first time I fell in love with misal pav would be when I tasted Amantran, Thane's fiery version.. the first floor eatery near Thane railway station.. it was Ganesh Chaturthi.. 

Many of my friends had "Dedh Divsaachya Ganapati" at home.. when Ganpati's idol is installed at your home and the visarjan is after one and a half days.. Ganesh Chaturthi day would be a holiday and it was spent in visiting all these homes where Ganpati Bappa would be waiting with his smiling face.. and one more reason for the gang to meet and have fun :)

So one such Ganesh Chaturthi day, after completing the Thane/ Dombivli round of darshans.. hunger pangs hit us (irrespective of the fact that we had gorged on prasad at each place).. don't remember who suggested.. Amantran chalte hai.. and the rest is history..

Happy Atham and Ganesh Chaturthi! :)

Gratitude

Some days remind me of how lucky I am to see the sun set in all its glory.. maybe not all.. some of its glory :)

Yesterday evening in the midst of a maddening day.. an orange tinge on the walls in front of me, beckoned me..

A slowly spreading blush.. as if to say.. come, take a break, rest a bit..

I got up and looked out and this is what I saw.. a beautiful sky..

Thanks to technology, I don't need to rely on words alone to describe the view..

 "Work from home" has brought such small pleasures which make me happy.. some moments of solitude, a few minutes of reflection which I used to crave earlier..

#gratitudepost #sunset #nofilters #metime #orangesky #workfromhome

Reminiscences of a childhood...

A recent visit took me back to my summer holidays.. summer holidays meant playing in the sun, eating juicy mangoes and sticky jackfruit.. it meant learning to identify birds from their sounds and to identify plants..

You got your share of "puchcham" (scorn) because you were city-bred and were ignorant..

It meant lights out at 8:30 pm, temples in the morning, updating your Malayalam slang with the help of your cousins and the latest Malayalam movies..

After you got older, it wasn't so much fun.. the mud and the frogs got to you.. the early nights were annoying.. the sprawling old house accumulated dust and spiders and what not.. the affectionate neighbours seemed nosy.. the puchcham shifted.. you were the one scorning..

Now.. none of it matters.. what you want is your child to have a childhood which has its share of the warm sun, the green pond, the "ola" puppet, the coconut shells..The flowers and the leaves.. and some of the conveniences which a city life offers.. and he/ she learns to appreciate all of them.. and be CONTENT.. isn't that what matters more than happiness?

The seat under the tree

Come, have a seat..

Don't miss a beat..

The stories we could share..

Don't think of them as threadbare..

Listen to the leaves rustle..

Stay calm, don't hustle..

Here, time is standstill..

Breathe in, to your heart's fill..

Maybe it will help you..

Write a line or two..

Of how you had peace..

Under the shade of trees.

#randomrhymes #redminote7pro #kerala