Spicy stuffed brinjal fry/Eggplant masala/Aberguine fry

Stuffed tiny eggplant fry

Brinjal/Eggplant/Aberguine is a purple skinned vegetable least favoured at home. All I like about it, is its colour! My mother rarely cooked brinjals. I remember throwing out brinjal pieces from sambar once and feeding a crow, sadly I have not seen the crow again! Come on, when a food is purple, it is probably poisonous! So, now you know my negativity towards brinjals.

My occasional exploits with this vegetable were disgusting because brinjal changes into a dull colour when cooked and looks unappealing. Recently, when I saw these tiny rounded brinjals, I gathered courage and bought them with the intention of cooking them like Asha’s brinjal fry. I developed an interest in these purple babies after reading her post. But somewhere I got a brain wave and the plan of action changed.

I remembered there was one instance I tasted stuffed brinjal fry at a friend’s house and considered it palatable. I thought it would be good to try that, as I wanted to take one step at a time to explore brinjals. To my complete surprise this stuffed brinjal fry was welcomed with an enthusiasm I did not really expect. So I decided to post it here.

Ingredients

• 10 -15 small rounded Indian Brinjals
• 1/4 cup sesame oil

Stuffing

• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp channa dhal (chick pea)
• 1 tbsp urad dhal
• 8-10 peanuts

Roast all the above ingredients and powder, then mix it with

• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp pepper powder
• 1/4 tsp asofoetida powder
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• salt

1. Wash Brinjals and slit them into four without removing the stalk and the green calyx.
2. Mix all the stuffing ingredients.
3. Wet the inside of a brinjal and fill it with the stuffing. Repeat it with all the brinjals.
4. Heat sesame oil in a pan and add all the stuffed brinjals.
5. Sprinkle some water and cover the pan with its lid allowing brinjals to cook on medium heat.
6. Turn the vegetable to cook on all sides sprinkling water to moisten it.
7. Brinjals change colour, soften and shrivel on cooking.
8. Serve it with hot rice and curry as an additional side dish.

Soft and mushy inside, with the spices to enhance the taste – it was outstanding! The stalk stays as a handle to hold it while cooking and eating. After cooking this I have changed my opinion about this humble vegetable. I will try Asha’s recipe soon. Brinjal is getting a new lease of life in my kitchen! Go Brinjal, go!

Carrot cake for Mothers’ day!

Happy Mother’s Day!

My children gave me this orchid for Mothers’ day. I immediately blasted, “Why did you buy it? It is so expensive. I don’t know how to care for it and I don’t like the colour.”

My son’s expression changed instantly.

His sister accused him, “I told you to get a coral cactus. Let’s return it and get what mom likes!”

I could guess that they had a discussion and a fight on the way. I have read some time back that our kids are with us approximately for 18 summers. So I realised that it is important to enjoy every minute I have with them. I am a mean mother looking a gift horse in the mouth!

I tried to smooth out the situation, “Wait, I think it is okay. “I will keep it”.

It is not the appearance or the value of the gift that is important. It is the thought that counts.  I peeled the wrapper and placed the plant on my hallway table. I took pictures and found out how to care for orchids. I thanked them by kissing them. This plant is really close to my heart now!

I baked a carrot cake to make the day memorable. I got this video recipe for Best Carrot Cake here which was very interesting, simple and clear. The quantity of this cake was very appealing too, as eating cakes in moderation is my latest resolution. This recipe is without butter and eggs, making it healthier. Of course, I made some modifications and adapted the recipe to use some ingredients at home.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups grated carrot
• 1 cup mixed nuts ( almond, pistachio, walnut)

1. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and brown sugar in a bowl.
2. Mix cinnamon powder and nutmeg into the bowl with a wire whisk.
3. Then add carrot, oil, vanilla essence to moisten the dry ingredients.
4. Add toasted nuts and mix gently.
5. Spray a loaf pan with vegetable oil and transfer the cake mixture to it.
6. Preheat oven to 375° F and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
7. When baked remove the pan and set it to cool.

Lemon glaze

• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

1. Heat the sugar in a small pan and add lemon juice and dissolve the sugar.
2. Poke holes on the cake with a toothpick.
3. Pour the glaze on the cake when still hot in the loaf pan.
4. Let it seep into the cake. This adds a lemony flavour.

When cake cools use any frosting to cover the top. I used store bought frosting. It can also be used without frosting or plated with carrot orange juice as seen in the original recipe.

Cut the cake into slices and serve.

Appam and istew/ Rice crepes with stew/Plain hoppers

Appam

Kerala wakes up to rice cooked in different forms. Appam is one of Kerala’s favourite breakfast dishes. These are paper thin crepes with a lacy edge and spongy centers cooked in a curved pan. Appam is an easy to digest morning energizer. It is served mostly with potato or meat stew.

Making appam is a very tricky affair as it has to be done with precision. The 3 important aspects of appam making are its fermenting, control of heat while cooking and texture. In the beginning, I have encountered several problems like improper fermenting, appams sticking to the pan when I used the traditional appachatty (Not anymore! All hail the nonstick pans!) hard texture and white appams with no browning (my husband hates them for some reason).

The following is my recipe for homemade appams

Ingredients

• 2 cups raw rice
• 1/2 cup cooked rice
• 1 cup grated coconut
• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• water for grinding

1. Soak raw rice in the morning and grind it in the evening adding grated coconut and cooked rice. Grind these to a smooth paste.
2. Take 1/4 glass of warm water and add sugar and mix well.
3. Add yeast to the warm water and allow it to activate. It will foam and rise to the top of the glass.
4. Pour this into the ground rice paste and mix it adding water to make it a batter of pouring consistency.
5. Allow it to ferment overnight in a warm place.
6. When it is frothy and fluffy, it is ready. Add salt and mix gently.
7. Heat an appachatty or a non stick pan on medium heat and pour a big ladle of batter in the center.
8. Lift the pan from the stove and rotate it so as to make the batter move around as a thin coating inside the pan. Let the excess batter settle in the center.
9. Cover the pan with its lid and cook till the edge browns.
10. Remove the cooked appam by easing out with a wooden spatula. A perfect appam  should hold its bowl like shape after it is removed from the pan.
11. Serve it hot with potato stew.

Potato Istew/stew

Ingredients

• 3 medium potatoes
• 2 green chillies
• 1 large onion
• a small piece ginger
• curry leaves
• salt
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/2 cup thick coconut milk

1. Boil the potatoes and cube them. ( Sometimes I steam the cubes or microwave on high for 4 minutes adding enough water.)
2. Divide peeled onion into two halves and slice them length wise.
3. Slit the green chillies lengthwise and chop ginger.
4. Heat coconut oil and add sliced onions, chillies, ginger and curry leaves and fry until onion softens.
5. Add the cooked potato cubes and mash them a little with the back of the ladle.
6. Add coconut milk and salt and mix well.
7. Allow every thing to boil after adding enough water.
8. Garnish with fresh curry leaves.

The boiling stew spreads a very inviting aroma from the kitchen and there arises no need to call everyone to the table.  This stew is dedicated to Aruna as I mentioned that I would post my version of Istew. Here you go!

Appams can also be served with egg curry or kadala curry (Black chick pea curry) or coconut chutney. My family prefers Appam soaked in fresh milk with a sprinkle of sugar. At least one appam should be presented in this fashion to make it dessert-like.

I love Kallappams that are fermented using toddy, which is a local alcoholic brew got from coconut trees. But I have to wait till I get to my village to taste it.

Multigrain breakfast squares/Cereal bars

Breakfast squares!

When we go travelling, I am the hungry bear looking for food all the while. I cannot eat a lot at a time and need food very often in small portions. If I ask my husband to go to a rest area, invariably, it would be after a couple of hours when he feels hungry. So I stopped depending on the him and started carrying my picnic basket wherever I go. When I went shopping last weekend, I packed some of these and water, he did not ask me if I was going to camp there. He knows I will be a demon when hungry!

These squares packed in individual snack bags would be very handy for such trips. It is kid friendly as there is no need to worry about the ingredients. I have adapted this recipe  from www.wholeliving.com and added some more ingredients including roasted quinoa. Yeah, if one has a big bag of quinoa, she tends to invent ways to use it. It is not a big deal if you cut out some grains but the total volume should be approximately the same, so as to match with the wet ingredients. If you wish, mix the dry ingredients and store it in an air tight bottle to bake later.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup wheat flour
• 1/2 cup roasted wheat bran
• 1 cup roasted coarsely ground quinoa
• 1 cup oats
• 1/4 cup rice flakes(aval)
• 1 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped mixed nuts (walnut, cashew and pistachio)
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped dry fruits (cranberries and raisins)
• 2 tbsp chocolate chips (optional)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup apple butter
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Place the quinoa in a sieve and rinse under running water. Drain it on a towel and roast it on medium heat. Cool it and grind it coarsely with the flax seeds.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients.
3. Combine peanut butter, honey, apple butter, egg and vanilla extract. (Apple sauce could be a substitute for apple butter.)
4. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix gently. It will resemble a crumbly mixture. (It should cling to each other loosely but not as a tight lump.)
5. Transfer this to a greased baking pan and even the top, patting gently with the fingers.
6. Bake at 350º F for 20 minutes or until the sides brown.
7. Cool it in the pan for 3o minutes.
8. It leaves the sides, so ease it, place it on a board and cut it into squares or bars.

It crumbled a bit when I tried to cut it. Should have used parchment paper! …next time!

Perfect for an early breakfast with a cup of coffee. Pack this to school or office for an almost guilt free snack.

Break some squares into chunks and toss them on scoops of vanilla ice cream to add some crunchy texture to the dessert. Carry this around and you will never be hungry again!

Quinoa kichidi/Mixed hot pongal/Venpongal with quinoa

Quinoa Pongal

Venpongal reminds me of my high school days when I was in National Cadet Corp (N.C.C). While serving pongal at home, I mentioned to my family that it was my breakfast during my army training days. They had a hearty laugh and warned, ‘Please don’t joke when we are eating!’ As I’m not the bravest of my gender, they have such good confidence in me, handling arms and ammunition and defending the country. But I am totally capable of doing that as I have received the basic military training.

Okay, back to high school…just before regular classes start, after the N.C.C parade and instructions from 7.30 am to 9.00am, breakfast would be served for the hungry cadets. It was invariably Venpongal and Idly brought from the famous restaurant, Annapoorna. Did I mention, I lived in Coimbatore? Okay, I was born, raised and attended school there.

This pongal would be wrapped in a green banana leaf accompanied by thick coconut chutney in a small shred of the same leaf. Venpongal will be soaking in oil and ghee with a garnish of cashew nuts. The smell of the pongal mingling with the subtle flavour of banana leaf is absolutely striking. My mouth is watering as I type this. Definitely, there were some cadets attending the training just for the breakfast. (Hey, don’t look at me!)

After regularly dishing out the same old pongal for many years, I wanted to change it by adding one new ingredient to make it more desirable and cut out the repetition. Quinoa is the fave grain/seed of the season, so I added a measure of it to this pongal.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup white quinoa
• 1/2 cup raw rice
• 1/2 cup mung dhal
• 3 1/3 cup water
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp whole black pepper
• few curry leaves
• a small piece ginger
• 1/4 tsp hing
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6-7 cashew nuts
• 1 tbsp ghee

1. Heat oil and fry cashew nuts and then add crushed cumin, black pepper, chopped ginger, curry leaves and hing to the oil and reduce the heat.
2. Soon after the cumin crackles and ginger is fried, add mung dhal and quinoa to the same oil and fry for a few minutes.
3. Add rice and water to it.
4. Mix everything well and add salt according to taste.
5. Cook until everything is soft and sticky. (I used the pressure cooker and allowed it to cook until 4 whistles. When it cools open the lid of the cooker.)
6. After it is cooked, pour 1 tbsp ghee and mix well.
7. Serve it with coconut chutney.

Quinoa pongal turned out to be quite satisfactory with a hint of quinoa flavour and texture. I served it with a chutney made of onion, dry red chillies and coconut.

Cake Decoration Basics – Lesson 4

Grand finale!

There is this inspirational cake adorning a board on the wall when I walk into our cake decoration class. It is made of foam and decorated with butter cream icing, gum paste and fondant and stuck to the notice board along with the course information. I wonder, if I could ever decorate a cake like that!

The last lesson gave me a chance to try. It was like an ultimate challenge to decorate a cake using some techniques we learned. The course completion certificates were on the table ready to be given out to us and we had a point to prove. So we started our cake decoration with a twinkle in our eyes as the instructor was always around to assist us.

Before venturing into the final task, we learned to make ribbon  roses and Wilton roses. This has to be made on a flower pin by slowly rolling it between the thumb and index finger while piping the petals. Transferring theses flowers to the cake was a challenge as they were crafted with very soft icing and got smashed while landing on the cake. Handling them gently with care was absolutely necessary.

Here are some of the cake creations by the participants in my class. (I got their permission to post them here.)

And lastly my cake.

I really enjoyed the course because it made me relax, think and at the same time learn some new skills. Inspired by this class and being very curious to know how to make flowers in a sturdy medium, I joined Course 3, the gum paste and fondant decoration course.

Lentil curry/ Horse gram curry/ Kollu kadaiyal

Horse gram dhal curry for better grades!( just kidding!)

My daughter was getting ready for her exam scheduled at 1.00 p.m. and I had to pack her lunch. She doesn’t like anything that involves her fingers getting messy while eating in the class. I had made horse gram curry and I was in a dilemma. She mentioned that she could buy her lunch but I mixed rice with the right amount of  curry, added some ghee (clarified butter), transferred it to a lunch box and stuck a spoon in it. She looked at it and decided to go with it. She was already nervous and a bit preoccupied.

When she left the house I hugged her, told her to relax and do well. My son who was watching the whole episode added, if you are an optimist, look up pray and write; if you are a pessimist, look down close your eyes and write; if you are an opportunist, open your eyes look sideways and write well. I gave him a high five as we like to tease her but told her not to listen to him, wishing her good luck. When she came back, she said that the food was good and the exam was okay!

Horse gram cannot boost ones memory but it is a robust winter food. Although it is a lesser used lentil, it has medicinal qualities according to Ayurveda, which is an alternative, natural medicine. This lentil is slightly flattened and comes in different shades of brown. It is mainly used as a cattle feed and hence the name. Maybe we could gain some horsepower by eating it! Being a rich source of protein, I dare say, it is an under utilised power house of energy!

Horse gram curry

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 cup horse gram
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 2-3 green chillies
• few curry leaves
• salt
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• fresh cream or ghee to garnish
• I tomato chopped

1. Pressure cook horse gram after soaking it for few hours. It becomes quite soft on cooking. When pressed between thumb and index finger the lentil  should crush easily.
2. In a heavy bottom pan heat oil and crackle mustard seeds and few curry leaves. (The oil has to be very hot and mustard crackling on contact gives out a striking aroma which improves the taste.)
3. Add chopped onions, garlic, green chillies and fry till tender.
4. Then add the cooked lentil to the pan and mix everything well.
5. Add turmeric powder and tomato pieces and boil.
6. Remove from the stove and blend with a hand blender to crush the beans further.
7. Garnish with fresh cream or ghee.
8. Serve hot with cooked rice or flat breads.

Kollu kadaiyal is the name of this dish in Tamil Nadu. Horse gram is also used in preparing dry chutney powder, rasam (soup) and its sprouts can be added to salads. Horse gram plainly cooked has a unique taste of its own to distinguish itself from other beans. My husband is an ardent admirer of this curry.

Cake decoration basics – Lesson 3

Cupcake decoration

The third lesson was on decorating cupcakes with buttercream icing. If cupcake is the name of the game, I can play all day! It always brings a big smile as the kid inside me yearns for the ‘yum’ in the cups. If I have one last wish to make, I would definitely order a cupcake and savour every bit!

Well, when I baked some for the class, they did not rise over the top of the paper cups, which dampened my enthusiasm. However, they were light and fluffy and I was told to trim off the excess paper, if necessary, to carry on with the decoration.

A quick cupcake recipe

• 1½ cup all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup softened butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix all the dry ingredients. Add the milk, butter, eggs and vanilla and beat on medium for a minute and spoon them into the cups. Bake them for 15-18 minutes at 375° F.

In the class, before decorating our cupcakes we practiced some design techniques.

Drop flower – Using tip 2D, touch the surface and squeeze to make a flower, then pull away.

Swirled flower – Turn your hand 1/4 turn so the back of the hand is away from you and holding the icing bag with the same tip, lightly touch the surface. Squeeze the icing and bring your hand to normal position, then stop and lift away. This gives a swirled flower. Place a dot for the flower center.

Rosette – With tip 18 squeeze icing to form a star. Then raise tip slightly and pipe a line on top of the star in a tight circle. Pull tip away in the circular motion so the tail merges with the shape.

Shell – Use tip 21  squeeze above the surface and let the icing fan out. Slowly relax pressure and pull the bag towards you to form a point. To make a shell border start the second shell below the first leaving a small gap. The fanned end should cover the end of the first shell.

Pompom flowers – Use tips 12, 16, and 18. With tip 12 create a flattened dot center. Make a cluster of pull out stars in the center with tip 16. Pipe a row of pull out stars at the bottom using tip 18 and then another row inside to complete the flower.

Leaves – Use tip 352 to make leaves with green colour. With the pointed tip touching the surface, squeeze out icing to build the base, relax and pull away to form the end.

Move in and out as you squeeze to make a ruffled leaf.

Slowly raise vertically to build and end the leaf to create a stand up leaf.

Shaggy mums – Use tip 233 which has many small holes to form shaggy petals. Pipe one circle of petals and another inside and fill the center with more shaggy petals. Most participants didn’t like the outcome. I thought it was cool though! It could be used to make grassy backgrounds, decorate Halloween cupcakes or to create Muppets from Sesame Street.

Icing a cupcake – Fill an icing bag with medium consistency icing and with 1M tip squeeze the icing starting from the outer end and move around the edge to cover the entire cupcake and finish in the center.

Some cupcakes I tried icing while participating in the class.

I will surly make more of them and invite a large crowd to enjoy. A cupcake shared with a friend is a bliss indeed!

Ugali and stew/Cornmeal porridge with collard greens stew and mutton stew

Uhuru Kenyatta was inaugurated as the fourth president of Kenya this month on 9th. My hearty congratulations Mr President! Amidst all the controversies surrounding his presidency, I think, he will be a very efficient leader as he is a shrewd businessman and a seasoned politician. I am personally very happy that I have met him and shook hands with him in Kenya, some years back.

Uhuru Kenyatta

Photo from http://en.wikipedia.org/Uhuru_Kenyatta

One summer when we went to the coast, I fell in love with Mombasa, the coastal town because it has pristine white sandy beaches with a warm weather and a lot of seaside activities. We went with a family friend who has an exquisite taste for fine things. He suggested that we should stay in a real good hotel and chose Voyager Beach resort. Voyager is a ship-themed resort with anchors, decks, sails and ship wheels decorating inside and outside the hotel. The lobby is like the interior of a dhow with gunny bags, ropes and mast like structures. The ambiance, food and the entire experience captured our hearts and is etched as an everlasting memory. I was awed, thrilled and impressed as it was my first time in a themed hotel on the beautiful Nyali beach. Pictures here .

After our ride in a glass bottom boat to see the rich sea life on the coral reefs underwater, we returned to the hotel, took a shower and headed for an early dinner one evening. At the restaurant, the host greeted us personally and shook hands with us. My life in Kenya had just started and I did not know the geography or history of the country. Soon after the host left, our friend explained that he was the owner of the hotel and the son of the great freedom fighter, the first president of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta. My jaw dropped and I looked behind to have another glimpse of him. That was my brief interaction with the present president and it is no wonder I feel so proud!

When we live in a country for more than 10 years it becomes a major part of our life, culture and thought process. It occupies a large section of our mind and development. It also remains as a significant past you can relate to. When I lived in Kenya, I did not just breathe the air and eat the food but I changed my life style, dressed in the bright outfits and merged with the surroundings. I drove on those roads, closely depended on the people, watched the gorgeous wild life and was affected by the political conditions.

While living in Nairobi, specially on weekends, I didn’t want to get in the kitchen and have fun. We often go on short drives outside the city to  Thika, Juja or Limuru just to unwind. Food was at the road side restaurants served inside the makuti huts (hut with thatched roof like a gazebo) in the garden. The smell of meat roasting, leisurely workers and relaxed customers welcome you and all hurry and stress in the mind settles down. You get into their pace and will be reminded of the slogan, `There is no hurry in Africa!’

We were introduced to the East African food on such trips. One has to enjoy the food to appreciate it as it is an acquired taste. There are no spices, no chillies and very little salt and we get close to the flavour of the vegetables, grains or meat. It is an experience! I learned it after many taste trips and now I can even eat leafy salads without whining about it being bitter or bland.

I am the only vegetarian in the family and I used to order a main of Ugali with Sukuma wiki stew, some fresh juice and sit back and enjoy the birds chirping and the butterflies fluttering by. Whereas, the other members enjoy special cuts of various animals barbecued or stewed, with a dash of sides. The side dishes would be french fries called chips by Kenyans (British influence) and salad. Our son would be playing, invariably with the cat that roams the garden, until food arrives. It was an abode of pure bliss! Okay, let me drag myself out of that  beautiful landscape now!

I talk about Kenya with a passion because my mind is still there, basking in the sunshine. Our family loves to go back there one day, but you may think why we left the country in the first place. Security is a major issue and I do not blame anyone for it. It is, I guess, due to the big divide between the rich and the poor.

Ugali

Corn meal made from the sturdy dried maize is the staple food for the Kenyans as they make a main dish called Ugali, a porridge that is almost like a stiff dough. It is similar to the Italian Polenta or the Indian Kali. It is usually eaten with a stew made with meat or Suguma wiki (collard) greens. They roll small quantity of Ugali in the hand and form it into a cup between fingers and scoop the stew with it.

We make it at home when memories of the past start haunting us and the taste buds long for the simple pleasure.

Ugali

Preparation

Ugali is made by boiling water and adding white corn meal little at a time. It lumps easily, so stirring and adding a little, like making uppuma is the best way to go. The water should be like 2 times more than the flour and it will absorb the water as it cooks. I add a little bit of salt to this porridge when the water is boiling.

Stew – Collard greens stew and Mutton stew

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1 pod garlic
• 1 green chilli
•  1/2 tsp salt
• 1 bunch collard greens or 1/2 kilo mutton
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

1. Chop onions, garlic and tomatoes.
2. Heat oil and sauté onion, garlic and then add tomatoes.
3. Chop collard greens into smaller pieces and add to the pan and cook for a while.
4. For the meat stew, instead of greens add cleaned mutton pieces and allow it to cook till tender.
5. Add salt and boil well.

This food looks simple but it is the yummiest! In the early days, I learned to cook Ugali from my house help who was taught this skill when she was a young girl. When prepared on a charcoal stove it tastes out of this world. Garlic and chillies in the stew are my addition to make it more fascinating.

Green peas masala/Peas curry

Green Peas Curry

Green peas masala was a remarkable start to a day when we were travelling in Kerala, along time back. On a wet morning, my husband and I were in a bus after an overnight train trip.  At the crack of dawn, light mingling with the darkness created a reddish hue and a veil of mist was still hanging in the air. Sitting in a speeding bus with the smell of petrol mixed with rain drops, I felt an uneasy, stomach churning sensation. Soon after the rain dwindled, I opened the window letting the rough wind in, which started slapping my face and roguishly tearing the loose hair from their roots. Slowly, the brighter shafts of sunlight erased the gloom with its silver torch. The ride became agreeable with some melodious songs floating from the stereo in the bus, adding a melancholic sweetness to the trip.

We passed through little villages and junctions, tiled houses on tree lined narrow roads, shops and markets, getting ready for the day’s business. The scenes outside kept changing like the display in a digital picture frame. It also eased that knot in my stomach, for I was going to accept a new job far away from home. I could watch a lot of people. People waiting at the bus stops, men at the tea shops leisurely sipping their beverages, people on their veranda reading newspaper, milk man, boys running around aimlessly, children waving, farmers on their bullock cart, women sweeping their front yards…and many more. Peeping into their lives for a split second provided a short pleasure.

Then there were rubber plantations, fruit trees loaded with bananas, coconuts, mangoes and jack fruits, howling trains, fleeting traffic, some domestic fowls inspecting the yards, alert little birds sitting on milestones, belching cattle and lazy dogs under sprawling trees. Visuals kept changing every minute to create a kaleidoscope of images.

The bus dropped us at a small town and we had almost 30 minutes wait time to board the next bus. So we went to the nearest country style, small family owned shop to grab a quick breakfast. We chose Porotta and green peas masala. I was sure, the food would be from the previous night but, when I went to wash my hands, I peeked into the small kitchen where the family was cooking. Steam issuing from the wood burning stove and a flurry of other activities so early in the morning announced that the preparation was fresh. I happily settled down for my breakfast. The colour and taste of the food was remarkable that it still remains green in my mind.

I had no clue how they made that green peas masala but I loved it. I tried to replicate it at home in my style with the same visual appeal but of course, not similar, for I did not have the slightest idea about the ingredients they used. After several cooking instances, the taste was modified according to the critiques and what I make now is this curry, obviously, totally different from the original. Although I passed that town many times, it is strange that I did not have another chance to taste the curry due to some odd reasons.

Ingredients

• 1 cup shelled or frozen green peas
• 1 medium sized onion
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 red tomato

To grind

• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup coconut grated
• 1 bunch coriander/cilantro leaves
• 2  or 3 green chillies ( serrano pepper)

1. Heat oil and crackle cumin seeds.
2. Fry finely chopped onion until it becomes transparent.
3. Grind fennel seeds, garlic, green chillies, grated coconut and coriander leaves to a paste.
4. Add the ground green paste immediately into the pan before it changes colour, saute it and add some water.
5. Wash green peas and add to the gravy.
6. Cook the peas until soft and add salt.
7. To retain the green colour, do not cover the pan with a lid.
8. Chop the tomato lengthwise and add to the boiling curry and turn off the heat.

This is a mellow curry with an appealing green colour punctuated by red bits of tomatoes to make an attractive presence at the table. The peas I used was a little sweeter, so added extra chillies to give it some punch. Pair it with coconut rice or flat breads like naan, chappati or porotta.