A September Surprise !

It was a spring morning early this year….. I was enjoying the glint in his eye as Little King watched one of his favourite songs, “Mine” by Taylor Swift. As we watched the video ,capturing some  picture perfect  family moments of a young couple with two little boys running around the beach, doing pillow fights jumping up and down on a bed, I heard CJJ asking me, “ nammalum ethu pole aayirikko?” (Are we going to be like them?). I sat there smiling, secretly wishing for that picture perfect family moments, not knowing whether the flutters I had been experiencing on my womb were from a little boy or girl. 

And on a beautiful  September morning, with a twinkle in his eye and dimple on his chin, he came into our life….. a precious baby boy , our Little Peanut, a beautiful September Surprise… :)

These days as  I  Iie down there sandwiched between Little King on my left and Little Peanut on my right, I can’t stop smiling and I keep saying, “ Am blessed…..life is beautiful, indeed, with my three men army! “ ?

Little King has been incredibly sweet and caring to his baby brother and he calls his tiny wonder “Babytha..” :)

I cannot thank you enough for all the thoughtful and wonderful messages you sent our way when I disappeared without even saying a word. At times, I still cannot comprehend how someone out there who has never even met us , can give us a place in your hearts and say, “ we miss you…”.  Yet, neither could I update this page nor could I reply to the comments and messages left by you, wonderful readers and blogger friends. Our life has been on a roller coaster ride for the last few months with pregnancy, changes in work schedule and routine and later, two wonderful boys. Thank You for being there and keeping us in your thoughts!

It’s been a long time since I logged into my blogger account and now as I draft this post, I realize, I miss writing here!!

Luv

Shn

No part of the content ( articles, photographs, recipes) of this blog may be reproduced without my written permission.Copyright © 2007-2010 Kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com. All rights reserved.

For you Little King……for your duckie love!

Your eyes sparkled everytime you saw that yellow little thing with orange beak on the diaper caddy…

Your third word was “du..dda” and you blushed with excitement everytime you got it right….

You woke up from nap saying “du..dda” and you had the winning smile again that melted my heart ….

I wanted to see that same twinkle in your eyes and blush on your cheeks one more time last week when we were getting ready to celebrate our 365 days of happiness with you….

Challenging my own skills, I tried to make a replica of your favourite yellow bath toy with orange beak but at the end of it I was in the depth of despair, looking at the shapeless object that was not even close to what I had envisioned…..

And then your eyes fell on that yellow little thing I created........ you looked at it and said “ du..DDa..” and you said it again……..and two seconds later, your head fell on my chest with a blush, with a smile……………………!!!

My precious sweet little pea, I was beaming with joy, shouting with excitement ……you brought sparkle in my eyes …….you melted my heart one more time ……!

No part of the content ( articles, photographs, recipes) of this blog may be reproduced without my written permission.Copyright © 2007-2010 Kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com. All rights reserved.

A glimpse into the day-to-day life of people at Kainakary, a pristine village in Kuttanadu, Kerala.

“Small Talk said... I m from Kainakary...its a hamlet in Kuttanaad...with immense love and warmth I extend a warm invite to visit our beautiful land...all the stories tht u hv heard...and the images people painted for u will be dwarfed wen u see it for urself....if Kerala is Gods own Land...Kuttanaad is the street the he lives on....Until very recently western vegetables like cauliflower.beans carrot were a luxury.....daily meals were more of fish,poulty,dry fish chamanthi or raw mango chamanthi etc...Women cleaning fish on the sides of canal...men walking around with a bunch a freshly caught karimeen..kids jumping in to water from a coconut palm leaning across canal...trees laden with mangoes stooping onto the backwaters...ammachis visitng church in pristine white chatta...these everyday sights on the backdrop of various hues of green makes u think tht God created a symphony with colours..whose melody lingers even wen u r in a far away land.....Please visit Kuttanaadu...Nedumudi..Kainakary..mk sure u listen to all local folklores from ur ammachi...learn many recipes (share it wth us as well plz)....I m sure u will have a warm and hospitable stay in Kuttanaad...” November 3, 2009 9:02 AM.

An eloquent comment I received on my Duck Roast post. I enjoyed every bit of kochuvarthavanam/small talks, she used to share through my comment section and this particular one gave me goosebumps and it still does, as her words literally soaks the serenity, the village is drenched in. How do I know for sure, one might ask! Well, I got a bit lucky early this year and spent one of the most memorable 3-4 hours of my life on this blessed piece of land!!

I had build up a very high image of the wealth of beauty of Kuttanadu from the expressive descriptions of CJJ and his family. My imagination got colourful picking images from the sneak-peek I had few years back on a boat ride, into one of those narrow canals that crisscross the whole of Kuttanadu. To top it all, I had readers and fellow bloggers like Small Talk!! Hence at the beginning of our trip, I was quite apprehensive, doubting if the reality would disappoint me ……but the moment we took a deviation from the Cochin –Alappuzha main road, I knew I was about to be transported into a whole new world and experience of a lifetime. A well paved two way country road crossed the fields, on both sides, flooded with water, as it was right after harvesting season. Yes, we missed the most enchanting sight of the vast stretches of verdant paddy fields, swaying in the winds …a sight so typical of a place like Kuttanadu. But that’s ok, I have seen paddy fields earlier too, I must be happy that I got to see other hues of green and get a feel of the daily life of the natives…yeah, call it looking at the brighter side of life! :)

The country road leading to the boat jetty seemed less trafficked and untouched by both domestic and foreign tourists. By the wayside, there were some makeshift shops selling naadan tharavu/country ducks , cycle workshop, bus stops ……….and the drive was so peaceful, without any honking or the hustle and bustle of a city road. We opened the car windows and let the fresh air come in and it was so refreshing….!

At the boat jetty I could feel my heart beat beginning to race, not excited at the arresting beauty of the landscape in front but the sight of a motor run country boat CJJ’s uncle had arranged for us…a typical ‘vanchi’ or ‘vallam’/country boat or ‘cheru-thoni’ as CJJ’s family sweetly refers. I went weak on my knees at the thought of travelling in such a small boat with Little King, leave alone the thought of hopping on to it , balancing myself with a hyper-active baby, a diaper bag weighing close to 6 pounds and a bulky camera bag. One could touch and splash some water sitting in such small boats. I let CJJ do the balancing act and gave him a piece of my heart, my Little King, said a prayer and hopped on to the boat, with the help of all the men present in the boat, except the little lad! I settled myself in the middle of the boat facing my two boys ……and as I saw Little King sitting cozily in his father’s safe hands, smiling at the cool breeze that touched his face softly, I began to loosen up and soak up the vibrant life around me…..

The vast expanse of water, dotted with house boats/Kettu Vallam here and there had a charm of its own..

But the moment we entered the narrow pockets of canals, I was thrilled to realise that my imagination, exaggerated or not, had fallen right into the grooves of reality, fitting perfectly! The scene was effervescent with life on the banks of these canals…..men and women washing clothes, vessels, diving in for a swim…..

locals relaxing and fishing on a mid morning in the company of their friends, women taking rest by the banks of the paddy fields with their lunch boxes…….

men enjoying a smoke at the pettikkada ( small shop) ……….


Along the way, we saw temples, churches, cemetery and even a toddy shop quite typical to this place…..

That small country boat/Cheru-thoni I referred earlier, seemed to be a recurring scene wherever we looked…..

….locals use it for transport , fishing and shopping as well….but I must also mention that they have bigger motor boats for public transport, which is not there in my pictures.

They are also used for bringing in potable water in huge cylindrical barrels, 'coz of the scarcity of drinking water. I was told by CJJ that many years ago, there were no barrels and instead country boats itself were filled with potable water, after a thorough clean up and water was distributed to all the households in the area.

…narrow bridges connecting the two sides of the canal were spotted everywhere…..

another striking feature of the canals were these floating African Paayal or “Pola” as the locals say is a type of water moss. They seem quite invasive, making it a struggle for natives for fishing as well as for boatmen. We lost almost 10-15 minutes in the boat, on the way back because of these floating hassles. In one of the pictures below, you can see a part of the canal netted adjacent to a house; I was told that it is to avoid the intrusion of these green giants. CJJ also shared that one of the methods of keeping these green hassles away is by creating a square barricade with banana stems.

Most of the houses seem to be owning a boat, either a motor boat or country boat and some seem to be having a private kadavu where they park their boats. You can also see a traditional cane basket used for fishing in one of the pictures below.

BUT do you really think I took the risk of travelling with Little King, in that small country boat through a vast lake , with zero skill in swimming, just to drench myself in the tranquilizing charm of this village? No! Those who have been following this blog for last few years know that I had something else in my agenda…..to make my dream a reality …my dream of visiting Ammachi, CJJ’s grandma who shared my maternal grandmother's name.....who introduced me to new levels of flavours in my cooking, who shared some of her classic dishes with me over the phone……..and when Little King was born, I wanted him to have her blessings!

And there I was right infront of her house……..

We spent few hours listening to her stories……watching her excitement……….her non-stop chatting……warm hugs …..complaints for giving only a short notice about our visit and yet she had a table full of simple food cooked for us…. spicy egg roast, tongue –tickling Manga/mango pachadi, puzha-meen varuthathu/fish fry, sweet and sour puli inji/ginger, Unakka erachi chathachathu/a relish with dried meat, Pulisseri, a simple well seasoned, spiced yogurt sauce and I cant recollect the rest in the menu because I was trying my best to pay attention to the incessant flow of her stories as well as do justice to each dish relishing the taste and flavours and pausing in between to get the list of secret ingredients and method of cooking.

All of us were full yet she did not let us disperse without a cup of tea and some fruit cake……And as our boat began to move away, with a touch of anxiety in her words, she called out ,” mole….avide etheettu udane vilkkanam ketto…” (call me when u reach home)

And I bid my farewell to her and to this beautiful place, with memories for a lifetime……..and I must say, as much as I was influenced by the tranquility of the place…..the effervescent life on the banks of the canals……….the simplicity in the lives of the people……the underlying hardships written on the leathery faces of farmers and fishermen……the freshness in the air and the beauty of cool breeze, I had a disturbing thought brewing in my head….

For an average farmer or fisherman, if a medical emergency arises, I think it takes about minimum 15-20 minutes or more , to reach a decent primary care especially if they don’t own a motor boat and all they have is that small country boat as the main mode of transport …..and that perhaps would be the most decisive 15-20 minutes of one’s life!!!!! Does beauty and tranquility come with a price??

Luv

Shn

No part of the content ( articles, photographs, recipes) of this blog may be reproduced without my written permission.Copyright © 2007-2010 Kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com. All rights reserved.

I crave Parippu Vada & Chaaya!

Friday evening….more specifically, one of those days I had that I-want-to-feel-good itch. And I had made plans. I wanted to go to the riverside , show Little King his favorite duckies, stroll by the yacht club and sit somewhere, relax and drench in the beauty of the blue canvas dotted with fleet of yachts and watch the hawking seagulls flying on that clear blue sky…….

I was playing with Little King and as plans danced in my head, to that imaginary balmy weather at the riverside, I heard a heavy yet rhythmic tapping on my windows….the pitter patter of rains!!! I grabbed Little King off the floor and rushed to the balcony and it was pouring …. ….winds were blowing furiously yet I felt the swaying trees still retained a grandeur of their own…..I saw powerful streaks of flashing light followed by loud thunderbolts. And as I stood there marveling at the charm of rains, I saw the little guy, from the corner of my eye, all agape with eyes wide open…his iris moved swiftly as roaring thunderbolts and furious winds fought for dominance and then suddenly he noticed the heavy water-fall cascading down from the corner of the roof and I saw him waving his hands up and down and blabbering with excitement…..he smiled as the winds sprayed sprinkles on his face. And as I watched the twinkle in his eyes and the glow on his face, the overcast skies up there and the balmy weather I dreamt was already a distant memory!

As three of us sat there soaking in the beauty of rains, I saw Little King’s attention falling on the wooden planks of the balcony ..it had uneven surfaces and the tiny splashes the rain drops created on those small water pools seemed to be amusing him. At that moment, the carousel of my memories stopped at the endearing sight of me and my brother making paper boats tearing that day’s newspaper and letting them float in the fresh pool of water the rains created in our front yard and in vain, I wondered if I would ever be able to create such memories for our little guy or if he would really enjoy paper boats in the first place!!!

As I was caught in thoughts quietly, I heard CJJ thinking aloud ,”…….ho…nalla vadayum chammantheem…..oru choodan chaayem kittiyirunnegil…..” ( I wish I had some deep fried savory fritters with a cup of tea….) Honestly, I wished for some deep fried goodness too, specifically for some Parippu Vada/lentil fritters and Chaaya/Tea but it was Friday evening and the only chore I could think of doing was eating out from some take-out box! And I did the next best thing, I opened the folder of Parippu Vada from my yet-to-post folder and feasted my eyes on those beautiful fritters and the glass of hot tea my mother made on a wintry evening while I was carrying our precious pea!!!!!

This is how my mother made ‘em :

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Thuvara parippu/Toor Dal/Yellow lentils, soaked for an hour
• ¾ cup chopped small red pearl onions
• 1/8 cup minced ginger – Around 2 tbsp
• 1/8 cup minced green chillies (As per tolerance)
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying

Directions:

• In a wet grinder, grind Parippu/lentils with salt into a coarse paste, without adding water. To this, mix chopped onion, minced ginger and garlic and pulse one or two times to combine everything well. Transfer it to a wide bowl; tear off some curry leaves and mix well.
• Heat oil over medium heat in a deep frying pan and check if oil is hot - by dropping a tiny bit of the dough into the oil and if it comes to the top sizzling with bubbles around, then oil is ready for frying. Scoop out a small amount of dough and roll into a gooseberry size ball with your fingers and flatten it gently on your palm or on a banana leaf or wax paper, whichever is convenient to you. Drop them gently into the hot oil, one or two at a time , depending on the size of your pan as well as your expertise, fry till it’s cooked both outside as well as inside. Please keep flipping each side as you fry the. Serve with tea or coffee of your choice.

Notes: If you don’t get to grinding the soaked lentils immediately, drain and store them in refrigerator which also eases grinding to an extent as it stops the mixer/grinder from heating up fast. Also while grinding , if the ground lentils goes beyond the coarse paste texture, stay away from pulsing onions and other herbs to mix well, instead gently combine with a spoon.

Hope it’s pleasant weather and weekend ahead for us. I think I should stop making plans and check the weather forecast for a change !! Wish you all a lovely weekend …am sure it is going to be a memorable one with Onam around the corner! :)

Luv

Shn

No part of the content ( articles, photographs, recipes) of this blog may be reproduced without my written permission.Copyright © 2007-2010 Kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com. All rights reserved.

Hellooooo.... :)

It’s been more than 7 months since my last post!! I don’t know where to start.....it would be an understatement if I say, I was overwhelmed seeing your messages on my last one and the bunch of emails I received…..those thoughtful wishes, messages loaded with words of love and prayers, kisses and hugs sent across for our little boy, that bit of happiness you felt for us brought a lump in my throat…..At one point of time, I even wondered whether it was my post-delivery hormones playing pranks on me…….but even now when I read those messages, they evoke the same intense feelings…….the feeling that someone in some corner of the world, who have known us just through this little space and the words I pour out here, care for us and have given us a place in their hearts!! The realization of the same was more than touching and I had no clue how to express those emotions and feelings. I kept pushing the idea of updating this place not knowing the right way to express my gratitude……..and soon it happened…I fell in love, again!!!!

Yes, I have fallen in love ..... with those winning toothless smiles, those tiny toes that remind me of the flutters and soft kicks I felt around the same time in last July, those itty-bitty fingers reaching for my ringlets, and those ‘ bulb eyes’ that beams up as he smiles……aww, I never imagined parenthood is such a blissful state! Little King sure knows how to charm me with those innocent batting of eye lashes, his continuous jabbering and squealing. His squeals have become so loud that, few weeks back, I had to close the windows and doors for fear of our neighbours getting wrong signals!!

I must say we re greedy parents; we create opportunities to see the twinkle in his eyes and the glow on his face. Every now and then we deliberately pass the picture wall with his framed portraits and it just fills our hearts when he blushes and gently falls on to my shoulders with a tinge of shyness in his eyes and then with hands around my neck, he hugs me tighter and tighter :)

When I am exhausted, I take him to the balcony and Mother Nature seems to be happy to take him into her lap. He watches leafy branches of apple trees and pines and maples dancing to the soft music of mother natures’ lullaby, without taking his eyes off. He smiles charmingly as the breeze caresses his soft cheeks as though She whispered something sweet to him. She also sends out feathery friends to sing songs for him and his eyes follow them quickly as they flutter and fly away. On rare occasions, She amazes us with a special treat by letting the clouds embrace the sun for a while, to create a dreamlike setting where bunny rabbits happily move around chewing on leafy weeds , baby squirrels run in between the lined pine trees and birds walk freely on the green carpet…. Absolutely surreal!

As much as I enjoy this absolute parental bliss, a part of me miss writing here! But, as I read somewhere recently, my brain at this point is a tabula rasa, a completely blank slate. At times I feel I have lost self motivation and that’s probably because I do not have the time and energy to get inspired by a dish , collect and compile my thoughts and taste memories revolving the same. Yet, there ‘re days when I find myself sharing a moment with CJJ in the kitchen and bursting into laughter reminiscing the follies of my early years in kitchen. At that point, I remind myself that I have to record and capture that particular piece from the past here in my online journal and even before I know, it is buried under a pile of top priority stuff. And there are times when a fresh new comment leads to older posts and wading through the comment section, I rediscover those affection in your words, the appreciation you showered me with……and at that moment, all I want to do is start writing and connect with the hundreds out there who helped to get this place going on even when I didn't have a clue as to where I was taking this blog. And exactly at that time, I am either reminded of my must-complete-basic essential- list or I hear a hyper-active squeal from the baby monitor!

Lack of time, energy, and self-motivation, poorly captured photographs, recipes without any exact measurements and moreover, a completely empty brain…..I know it is not an ideal recipe to run a food blog or perhaps, a perfect recipe for a blog-shutdown, Nevertheless, as someone who believes in the old wise saying, “If there’s a will, there’s a way”, I have decided to give it a try !! I owe it to my mother who cooked up many of my favorites during her stay here, saying that I can feature those items later when I am busy with the baby …I owe it to my mother –in law who got excited learning about my blog and shared some old rustic fare from her kitchen, even one from her grandmother’s favourite list, though most of those recipes lack accurate measurements ……I owe it to a bunch of readers out there who sent me long forgotten recipes from their families which are still waiting for their turn in my yet-to-post folder……and last but not the least, I owe it to you for your continued support and affection.

And let me say THANKS with this quick and easy dessert I picked out to cook and blog just for you, as it fitted perfectly into my tiring schedule.

Roasted Apricots with Honey-Vanilla Crème Fraiche

(Recipe Source:Bon Appetit Magazine – Issue: June 2010 – Pg:44)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 12 small apricots (about 1 ½ pounds) halved, pitted ( I again cut them into small wedges)
• 3 ½ tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, diced
• 8 oz crème fraiche or sour crème
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ cup water

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 F. Mix brown sugar and cardamom in 11*7*2inch glass baking dish. Add apricots and pour ¼ cup water and 2 tbsp honey over fruit. At this point, I mixed very gently with a spatula. Now, dot with butter and roast until apricots are tender, occasionally basting with syrup in dish, for about 12- 15 mts.
• Let it cool 5 mts after taking out of the oven.
• Whisk crème fraiche , remaining 1 ½ tbsp honey and vanilla in small bowl.
• To serve: Divide warm apricots and syrup among small 6 bowls; spoon honey –vanilla crème fraiche over and serve.

My thoughts for a quicker version: You may dip the stone fruit in butter first, and then in the cinnamon flavored brown sugar and grill for few minutes , until fruits are tender and serve with vanilla and honey flavored crème fraiche or just some good old ice cream…perfect for outdoor grilling parties or a late night dessert craving.

This dessert and wild flowers are FOR YOU as a token of our heartfelt gratitude for being there for us and for being patient and keeping this place alive in our absence…

Thank You!

Shn

No part of the content ( articles, photographs, recipes) of this blog may be reproduced without my written permission.Copyright © 2007-2010 Kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com. All rights reserved.

Santa came early.....

..... with a blessed gift from God...Our precious little pea...Our Little King ...born on a late November afternoon... :)

Luv

Shn

No part of the content ( articles, photographs, recipes) of this blog may be reproduced without my written permission.Copyright © 2007-2010 Kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com. All rights reserved.