Malabar Style Chemmeen/Prawn Biryani

Subaida, Umma and Baappa stepped into my world when I was a toddler, without even realizing that they were becoming a thread in my childhood fabric. When Subaida walked into our lives to baby sit me and later to take care of my toddler brother, she was just a teenager, staying in a small house at the end of our street. She used to call her parents Umma and Baappa (mom & dad) and I guess that’s how we all started addressing the couple in the same fashion. She was an average brown skinned girl with a beautiful smile on her face which gave a natural blush to her otherwise humble face.

It was those mehendi stained hands of Subaida that sprouted my obsession for Mailanchi/Mehendi (henna). They had lots of Mailanchi plants, the leaves of which she stone grounded into a smooth paste and applied on her hands and feet; me and my cousin, G chechi used to be green eyed whenever we saw those bright reddish stains left on her palms as the paste we made never gave results close to hers. Since she knew I was crazy about applying Mailanchi on my hands, Subaida sometimes shared the freshly ground paste with me and my mother. The next day, on my way to school, as always I would catch her either washing vessels or filling pots at the road-side water-tap, wearing a full skirt and a tight blouse and ‘Thattam’, a long scarf covering her head. I was always excited to talk to her on such days to show off the artistic design my cousin or mother drew on my hands, using the paste she gave. I must admit that the modest art work on her hands still had a brighter shade than mine! The secret she shared was adding some sugared lemon juice occasionally on dried up paste! We owe it to Sulaiman, Subaida’s brother who was my mother’s 911 agent for getting her life-saver nasal drops whenever my father was at work and she wanted a refill badly.

Subaida’s Baappa, Saayu as everyone called him, had a pettikkada (small shop) at the main road where we waited for our school bus. That pettikkada served as a shelter for us during the rainy days while waiting for the bus to come. On a desk supported by wooden boxes, Baappa lined soda bottles which came locked with a marble on the bottle neck; glass jars filled with Kappalandi muttai (candied groundnuts), naaranga muttai (candied lemons), lollipops and had some outdated copies of the bi-monthly publications like Mangalam, Deepika hanging from a rope along with the homemade naaranga achar (pickled lemons) sachets Umma made at home. Those kappalandi muttai and naaranga achar sachets always tempted me but it was my brother, a nursery brat at that time, broke my father’s Lakshman Rekha. One evening while walking back from the bus-stop, he devoured those candies and casually informed my father “ Acha, saayu-nte kadayil oru 50 paisa-de ‘pattu’ undu..” meaning, “Dad..I have a 50 paisa debt at Saayu’s shop”. My parents were quite alarmed and amazed at their 5 year old’s ‘cool’ behavior and mastery over the colloquial language!!

Baappa earned his living mainly by selling soda sarbath (lemon soda) and Beedi to men coming to pray at the juma masjid (mosque) behind his shop. This mosque was another target of my curiosity as I saw only men coming to the mosque wearing white mundu (wrap-around) and full sleeve shirt, with a hand-kerchief tied on their head, to cover their hair. After washing their hands and feet in a small pond in the compound, I got a glimpse of them kneeling on a mat offering prayers. It was years later I realized that those men were coming for Niskaram (prayer). Baankuvili (call for prayer) was another fascinating mystery to me for a long-long time. Mosque was crowded with men especially during the festival days of Ramadan and Bakrid. Passing by Subaida's house during that festival time was like self-inflicting excruciating pain as the aromatic neichoru (ghee rice) and kozhicurry (chicken curry), which Umma cooked, made unsolicited entry into our nostrils, making our life miserable. We were on top of our excitement whenever we got an invite to attend Subaida’s sibling’s Nikah (marriage) as for us it was not only an opportunity to relish their ghee loaded fragrant Biryani but to experience the orange squash and ariyunda they served at the Mailanchi kalyanam, a function on the previous day of nikah.

Subaida, Umma, Baappa are all proud members of the Kerala Muslim community who is renowned for their rich Biryani and meat preparations with a distinct touch. However, there is a sub-group called Malabar Mappilas who crown the northern coast of Kerala with their flavorful and rich cuisine. Though my paternal family, hailing from a historically significant Muslim dominated area, is affluent in northern Kerala specialties like ‘pathiri’, paper thin-soft-flat rice breads, our exposure to Moplah (Malabar Muslims) flavours has always been limited. I started learning about the Moplah style cooking in large scale through blogs like Malabar Spices and Indian Potpourri. Lucky enough, I was gifted with a copy of ‘Malabar Muslim Cookery’ authored by Ms. Ummi Abdulla who is considered the pioneer in introducing Moplah cookery to the rest of the world. Will elaborate more on this book in my next post and for the time being, let me share a classic Malabar recipe I enjoyed from her book:

Malabar Style Chemmeen/Prawn Biryani
(Recipe Source: Malabar Muslim Cookery’ by Ms. Ummi Abdulla. I slightly changed the measurements and methods to suit my cooking conditions.)


Step 1: Make Biryani Masala/Dry Spice Mix

• ½ tsp fennel seeds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp Shahjeera/caraway seeds /Sahjeerakam
• 4 cloves
• 1 cardamom
• 1 flat cinnamon ( 1” inch length)
• ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
• 1 whole mace

Grind everything to a fine powder. This yields around 2 tsp masala but you will require only 1 ½ tsp for making this dish.

Step 2: Cook Flavored Rice

• 2 ½ cups Basmati rice
• 5 cups water
• 2 cups thinly sliced big onion
• Salt to taste
• 3 tbsp ghee

Wash and drain the rice on a paper towel. When it is medium dry, heat ghee in a large skillet and adds thinly sliced onions and sauté till it is transparent. Add rice and stir continuously for 2-3 minutes in low heat. Microwave Method: Transfer everything to a microwave safe bowl with 5 cups of water (2 cups of water for 1 cup basmati rice) and adjust the salt and pop it in the microwave and cook for 23-25 minutes or until rice is done. Stove-top Method: Boil water in a heavy bottom cooking vessel, and when it comes to boil, add all the ingredients and bring it to a boil again and then reduce the flame and cook covered in low-medium heat, until rice is fully done and water is absorbed. Using a fork, gently fluff/separate the rice, so as not to get sticky.

Step 3: Make Chemmeen/Prawn Masala

• ½ kg Chemmeen/Prawn/shrimp, shelled and cleaned
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• Salt to taste
• Around ¾ cup Oil for shallow frying Chemmeen/Prawn/shrimp
• 2 cups thinly sliced onions
• 3 tbsp finely chopped ginger
• 3 tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 4 ½ tbsp green chillies (around 15-16; adjust according to your tolerance level)
• 2tsp coriander powder
• 1 1/4 tsp Biryani Masala, powdered earlier
  
• ½ cup water
• 1 ½ to 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro/coriander leaves, chopped
• ¼ cup mint leaves chopped

Make a wet marinade with chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt and apply it on prawns and leave it for 20 minutes in room temperature. Meanwhile grind ginger, garlic and green chillies into a paste and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry Chemmeen/Prawn/shrimp to a light brown colour and remove. Add sliced onions to this leftover oil and sauté till light brown. To this, add the ground ginger-garlic-green chilli paste and fry for another 2 minutes. Add coriander powder, stir well and add ½ cup water and salt to taste. Let it cook till the gravy is thick and at this point add fried prawns, lemon juice, chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves and 1 ¼ tsp Biryani masala/dry spice mix. Stir well and let everything come together for a minute and remove from the fire and keep aside.

Step 4: Layering and Final cooking

• 4 tbsp ghee
• ¼ tsp pinches of Biryani Masala

The final part of the cooking can be done either in a conventional oven or on stove top. Decide on your preferred cooking method and based on that decision, choose your cooking vessel. Pour 2 tbsp ghee into your cooking vessel; spread half of the rice at the bottom, followed by the Chemmeen/Prawn masala and sprinkle ¼ tsp biryani masala; spread rest of the rice as the top layer and drizzle 2 tbsp ghee. Conventional oven Method: Preheat oven to 350 F. Close the oven –safe dish with aluminum foil and cook for 30 minutes. Stove top Method: As per the original recipe, remove half the rice ( from the vessel you cooked rice earlier) to a plate ; pour the Chemmeen/Prawn masala, sprinkle biryani masala and then transfer the rice, set aside in the plate, back to the cooking vessel. Keep a tight fitting lid and cook over very low heat for 5 more minutes. Note: I haven’t tested this method and hence I am not sure of the outcome.

To Serve: After the final phase of cooking, let the dish rest undisturbed for minimum 30 minutes on your kitchen counter. Before serving, stir the entire dish gently, mixing rice with the Chemmeen/Prawn masala and plate it. Serve with Pickle, puli inji, Pappadam and Onion-yogurt salad (Thinly sliced big red onion, 1 small green chilli chopped and mixed with yogurt and a dash of salt) or any one of these condiments.

Cooking schedule I followed:

• Wash and drain the rice
• Marinate Chemmeen/Prawns
• Make Biryani Masala/Dry Spice mix
• Make the chilly-ginger-garlic paste for Prawn masala and get the onions sliced
• Roast and cook rice
• While rice is cooking, make Chemmeen/Prawn masala
• Layering and final phase of cooking
• Serve.

Verdict: We liked this dish and felt it is a Biryani preparation that is designed to highlight the flavour of Chemmeen/Prawns. It does not have the customary frou-frou of caramelized onions, nuts and raisins in between the layers or as garnish and yet it comes out tasty and personally I felt it was more “home-style”. Tasty and Easy to put together on a weekend !

You may also check out



You can check out this picture of pettikkada which looks similar to that of Baappa's.

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.

Paalappam – Cleopatra of Kerala Cuisine!

Well, mine is not a Cleopatra yet……Hopefully I will become an expert to bring her home one day :)

Paalappam is every Keralite’s pride and it is the classic breakfast from the land of coconuts. A hybrid between French crêpes and Ethiopian enjera, Paalappam has a fermented pancake like texture in the centre with a beautiful lace around and to me, it is a symphony in rice flour and coconut milk!

It tastes heavenly….it has a texture that melts in your mouth…….and it has a charm and beauty that comes with its crispy paper thin laced edges which equals a bridal veil. This classic has even paved way for some popular local adages like this one below:

A marriage match-maker to boy’s mother: Nalla tharavaattukaara……Paalappathinte niramulla penkutiyaa….! ( Girl is from a well-known family…..she is as fair as Paalappam..!)

***

This quintessential breakfast of Kerala is thickly woven into our lives and taste memories that it is very common that you will find yourself amidst a discussion like this one here:

Menu planning for a betrothal or marriage reception between family members:
Uncle: Pinne…..nammal first-course entha kodukkande ennu theerumanicho? ( Did we decide on the first-course?)
Father: mm…appavum stew-um aayalo…? ( How about Appam & Stew?)
Mother: oru cutlet koode vechalo? …….pinne veg & non veg stew prathekam parayanam ( How about a piece of cutlet too? ……also we should specifically order for both veg and non veg stew)

***

Making Paalappam is an art…..it is about ingredients, skill, technique and timing. Right from the quality of the coconut milk used, to the temperature in the room, to the fermentation, to the swirling of the pan, everything plays quite a vital role in bringing out those perfect Paalappam and since the word ‘perfection’ has its own definitions to each home cooks, it is very easy to listen to one of these conversations:

A mid-morning telecon between mother and aunt:
Aunt: aaah……breakfast kazhinjo ? ennu entha undakkyiye? ( Had breakfast? What did you make for breakfast?)
Mother: ohh….ennathe Appam kazhinja pravashyathe pole nannaayilla….( Oh….Appam was not as perfect as that of last time..)

***

Is it Paalappam or Velleyappam? Honestly, I don’t know! I don’t know if there is any difference at all or if the difference is based on the method of preparation. I have seen people using it interchangeably and noticed that those from the northern part of Kerala, call it Velleyappam and sometimes those who prepare the batter by grinding raw rice and grated coconut also use the same name. Appam seems to be the shortest and widely accepted nomenclature. Well, the recipe being featured here is Paalappam for sure as the word suggests (Paal means milk) this recipe creates the batter by primarily blending rice flour and coconut milk and use yeast for fermentation. Please note that I am not yet an expert in this area and this is my grandma’s technique and recipe and the proportion I have suggested here is what works for me, based on the weather zone I am in and the cooking conditions I am given. Take this recipe as a framework and make changes to suit your conditions. Also note that the amount of yeast used here also varies depending on the room temperature and quality of yeast.

Hardware Pre-requisite: You need ‘Appa-chatti’/ ‘Appam-pan’ which is a round pan with a concave centre and wide sloped edges. Check the model here.


Ingredients: (Serves Two Adults)

For ‘Thari kurukku’/Semolina pudding

• 2 tsp rava/semolina/cream of wheat
• ¼ cup water

For proofing yeast:

• ½ tsp active dry yeast ( I use Fleischmann’s active dry yeast)
• 1/3 cup water
• 2tsp sugar

For batter:

• 1 ½ cups rice flour
• 1 ¾ cups thin coconut milk/randaam-paal
• ½ cup thick coconut milk/ thani-paal
• Salt to taste

Directions:

• Make ‘Thari kurukku’: In a shallow pan pour water and rava/semolina and cook in medium heat till it is fully cooked, soft and holds together in the consistency of baby food, a semi thick and runny semolina pudding. Keep it aside until it turns cold.
• Proof Yeast: Warm water in a microwave for 15 seconds. Add sugar and yeast; dissolve both the ingredients in this warm water and keep the mixture in a warm place for 15-20 minutes, or until it inflates and foams, creating a ‘dome of foam’, on top of the mixture. I usually keep the bowl inside the microwave itself, undisturbed until it foams.
• Make the batter: Pick a stainless steel or glass bowl big enough to hold double the quantity of batter as during the fermentation process, the batter rises well and it should not over flow from the bowl. In the chosen stainless steel or glass bowl, pour 1 ¾ cups thin coconut milk/randaam-paal and 1 ½ cups rice flour; stir well and mix it into a smooth fine paste like batter, using your hands or wooden spoon and at this stage add ‘thari kurukku’/semolina pudding and blend till it is fully combined with the base mixture . To make this phase easier and less time consuming, I take the easy route of using electric blender; first pour the thin coconut milk and then add the rice flour. With a wooden spoon or spatula, stir well and then turn on the blender for 60-90 seconds or till it forms into a nice paste and then add ‘thari kurukku’/semolina pudding and spin for another 30 -40 seconds. Now pour this back to the big stainless steel or glass container. At this stage, add the yeast mixture and lastly, pour thick coconut milk/thani-paal and blend gently and combine well. If you are using the electric blender, do not add yeast to the blender; add it only after you pour it to the bowl and mix it very gently. Also if batter is too thick, causing problems to the blender, you may add the thick coconut milk in the first stage itself, along with thin consistency milk.
• Fermentation: Once the batter is ready, close it with a lid or plate and then leave in a warm place for overnight or 6-8 hours. The weather zone I am in compels me to heat the oven at 350F for 10 minutes and then switch it off; wait for 30-40 minutes or till it is warm enough to hold my hands inside the oven without any discomfort. At this temperature, keep your batter covered for the prescribed time. By the end of this process, the batter will rise-almost double and you will notice thick foam like ballooning on top and a sharp fermented smell, something like toddy. Ideally, this should be the stage when you check after the prescribed time but if you notice that the batter has risen and then fallen, just ignore it as the end product still comes out well for me, atleast in my case :D
• After the fermentation, bring the bowl to the kitchen counter and sprinkle salt to taste and stir well and let it sit for another 30-40 minutes before you start cooking.
• Make Paalappam: Heat ‘Appa-chatti’ or the non-stick ‘Appam-pan’ at medium. Hold your hand above the pan (ofcourse, not on the pan!) and see if it is medium hot. The pan should not be too hot or less hot. Ladle some batter –around ¼ cup- on the centre of ‘Appa-chatti’/ ‘Appam-pan’ and immediately swirl the pan (holding your hands on both the side handles) in a clockwise motion, spreading the batter to the sides of the pan and when you complete one full circle and bring the leftover batter directly to the centre where you poured it earlier. Swirl the pan only once, else you will not get the customary ‘lace’ of Paalappam. Also swirling is the only way to spread the batter; you should not follow any other method. Once swirling is done, keep the lid and let it cook for 2-5 minutes and at the end of it, the ‘lace’ would be crisp and paper-thin and the centre should be cooked well. If you are using a non –stick pan, the sides will come off easily and remove Paalappam to a plate.
• Cooking time differs depending on the material of the pan, whether non-stick or cast –iron, as well as the heat form, whether flame or electric coil. Flame is the ideal situation because of the shape of ‘Appa-chatti’/ ‘Appam-pan’ as flames touch the entire sides of pan, giving beautiful lace to Paalappam but electric coil also gives satisfactory results like the ones in the picture. If you are using cast –iron pan, do rub some oil with a cotton ball before pouring batter each time.
• Serve with either of the dishes given below. Even a drizzle of freshly squeezed coconut mik, sweetened with sugar or just a sprinkle of sugar makes this beauty melt in your mouth!

Ideal matches for Paalappam :



It also pairs well with :



I will update this post with a pictorial at the earliest but right now I am unable to as our camera conked out last weekend and had to dig out this picture from my last years snapshots in the hard disk, since I have been getting several requests for this recipe and did not want to delay it any further.

Beginners please keep trying and experiment with the measurements to suit your cooking conditions and weather zone, in particular. Those who prefer golden ‘laces’ may add one more tablespoon sugar but such result is best accomplished on a gas flame stove. This is one dish that is considered a lottery, even by the experienced hands, so don’t be disappointed if you don’t get it ‘perfect’ the very first time. This is one dish that requires lots of skill and patience and above all, a lot of luck too and you have a lifetime to perfect it :)

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.

Chakkakuru-Maanga curry – Jackfruit seeds and green mango cooked in a ground coconut base

After picturing the faces of Shantha and Njondi last weekend, somehow my thoughts were still stuck there, in that neighborhood, like a kid hesitating to return from the seashore. The urban neighborhood, lined with concrete houses on both sides of a well-tarred road, right in the middle of that bustling city where my grandma spent more than 50 years of her life…..the same neighborhood where I spent the formative years of my childhood, mostly on weekends and summer vacations……… it was like standing on the seashore and watching the waves bring back those sunken days and memories of my childhood.

From Shantha and Njondi, my mind’s motion pictures rolled back to the face of that young Tamilian belle who used to drop by once in a month or two, selling fresh produce. Whenever grandma asked for unreasonable bargains, she had a wide grin on her face, showing her stained teeth and rosy pink gum, telling my grandma in her own way that she was not going to settle down for that rate. Even when she was tired and tanned, walking in that scorching summer, her face always beamed with glow when she smiled that way, especially during those days when she was pregnant with a baby girl. I don’t remember her name, grandma always used to refer her as Thamizhathi (the one from Tamilnadu) but I still remember her well, wearing a green sari and red blouse with a money pouch tied to her hips, and the coins jiggled when she walked along with her ‘Kolusu’ (anklets), and flowers from the Chemabaka Poo strings looped into her hair danced to her walking pace.

The next familiar face that popped up in my mind was the mobile bakery guy who used to come by around 3.30- 4pm in the evening with hot puffs and samosa which we used to have with hot tea. Though grandma used to have in her regular glass tumbler, I insisted the maid to serve me the tea in the pretty delicate ‘VIP guests only’ La Opala tea cup; for some reason I felt tea tasted better in that one!! Then that ice-cream man who came on mid mornings whose cycle bell rang continuously when he neared my maternal house, on his three wheeler cycle cart which had Joy Ice-cream logo painted on the cooler box..............the cotton candy man who passed by our street in the evening and I never missed his melt in the mouth cotton candy which he used to pack in a newspaper cone for 50 paisa onwards……then ofcourse the ice-fruit man who visited the neighborhood at the noon, selling colored ice cubes made with more water and less milk; he was not entertained at our gates as it was rated among the not hygienic stuff we were not supposed to eat.

Now when I write this another classic character with her shriveled hands and wrinkled face comes to my mid; my grandma’s long-term maid cum companion, Choochi, a 60+ old Anglo –Indian woman who used to chaperone me after my school hours, whenever I was supposed to come over to grandma’s on weekends for my dance classes. I remember my grandma writing her name ‘Madatheena’, in her expense book and marking her salary against her name. Choochi was popular in that neighborhood because of her signature ‘over-heated langue’ and on the walk back from school, she would chance upon someone she knew in front of John’s tailor shop or at the Khader’s pettikkada ( a small shop). It was from Khader’s shop I used to get my share of Bobanum Moliyum, Poppins and Jeeraka Mittai (multi colored candied cumins)……

Then I remember the communist leader, Pappan chettan’s house behind my grandma’s house, her other neighbors Thankamma…..Mable teacher….Rosy whose son was serving his term behind the bars ……then the one and only 14 storied building where stayed the naval officers from northern India and their wives, who always applied bright pink or red lipstick and dyed their hair with henna and always wore flashy Salwars and Sarees. The more prominent of all was the Holy Cross Convent which was just opposite to our house and that was the landmark given for auto drivers…….the nuns always exchanged a smile or had a word with my grandma whenever they met her but I must say that I always felt that they were very stingy with the mangoes they harvested from that huge mango tree, in their front yard which yielded hundred of mangoes every year….. young boys used to try their luck with sling shots when mangoes were in season. Nuns gave a small share of green mangoes to my grandma every year during the harvest……BOOM! Suddenly real life strikes and I happily step into my present……

At this point, there is a surge of characters and buildings from that neighborhood that shared a part of my childhood and I can go on and on about those days ….these people may not even remember me but this thamizhathi and the cotton candy man, Choochi and Khader all are characters from a colourful childhood I enjoyed and they will always be part of my cherished memories until the day , lets say, the beast Alzheimer’s attacks me!! Frankly, I dread that day!!!!

Well, since my memory tape was paused at the green mangoes from the convent, it kept playing in my head until I noticed some decent green mangoes at the Indian grocery store in our town. And I put it to best use; I paired the sour green mangoes with gentlemanly jackfruit seeds to recreate the classic Chakkakuruvum mangayum thenga arachu vechathu aka populary known as Chakkakuru- Maanga Curry which is green mangoes and jackfruit seeds cooked in a ground coconut base. It is one of those delicacies most Keralites crave for and here is my mother’s recipe to recreate the classic in your kitchen:

Ingredients:

For boiling:

• 1 cup Chakkakuru/jackfruit seeds, cleaned and cut into medium thin strips (I used frozen)
• ½ cup sour green mango, cut into the same size of jackfruit seeds
• 6-8 drumstick pieces of 1 ½ inch length, cleaned and cut (Optional)
• 3 green chillies
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ¼ tsp chilly powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 + 1/3 cup water

For Grinding:

• 1 cup grated coconut
• 3-4 green chillies
• ¼ - ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 1 small clove of garlic
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• 4-5 curry leaves
• Salt

½ cup water to make the gravy

For Seasoning:

• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• 2 dry red chillies
• 2 small red pearl onions
• 1 sprig of curry leaves
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

Directions:

• Grind grated coconut, green chillies, garlic, cumin seeds, turmeric powder and curry leaves with a dash of salt into a fine and smooth paste and keep aside. Add some water if your mixer giving you a hard-time.
• In a deep vessel, cook Chakkakuru/jackfruit seeds mildly spiced with red chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt in 1 cup water. When Chakkakuru/jackfruit seeds are almost done, add sliced mangoes and drumsticks with green chillies and add around 1/3 cup water, until everything is cooked well. Mango and drumstick gets cooked fast. To this add the ground coconut paste and pour around ½ cup water or enough to get your desired consistency and bring to a boil in medium heat and turn off the stove immediately as the texture changes badly if u continue to boil the ground coconut mixture.
• In a shallow pan, heat coconut oil and splutter mustard seeds, dry chilly and sauté small onions and curry leaves for a minute and pour it to the curry. Let it rest for minimum one hour for the curry to embrace the sourness of mangoes and blend with the seeds and creamy coconut paste.
• Serve with warm rice. It tastes better the next day.

Check Charline’s take on this classic and have a look at those gorgeous jackfruit seeds. They look pretty compared to my frozen ones but I am glad atleast I got a pack of it!!!! :)

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.

Mathi/Chaala Varuthathu – Fried Sardines from Kerala

Francis and Mammaali……… Heroes of our neighborhood! The faithful wives in our neighborhood used to wait impatiently and desperately for these two young men….they were not those charming princes who came on a white horse yet they were popular among the neighborhood women who used to take a quick sprint from their kitchens at the honking of their bikes……some women used to wait for these men even for a couple of hours at the verandah, so they did not miss them at all .......they got butterflies in their stomach when these two didn’t show up on time……each and every women in the neighborhood wanted to be the first to meet these guys…….

Wondering what made these men so special? Wondering what made these women skip a beat? Fresh catch of seafood they used to bring everyday to our homes!!!! Francis was the guy who used to bring first class categories like Karimeen (Pearl Spots), Neimeen (Seer Fish), Njandu (Crab) etc and Mammali at that point of time, was a new guy in the neighborhood who brought both the exotic varieties as well as the small varieties like Mathi, Ayala (sardines, mackerel) etc and was slowly winning the hearts of women by selling fresh good fish at reasonable prices. Francis always got into a competitive mood whenever Mammali made it to the neighborhood first as he was always worried that the new chap would grab some of his business before his turn and it was fun to watch him trying to chase his competitor, on his bi-cycle with the fish basket tied behind the seat!

The other day I was frying some frozen sardines I got from our recent trip to Chicago and the sizzling sound from the frying pan, somehow gave me a flashing memory of these two men who always found a place in the casual chit-chats between my mother and aunt. From there my memory angel fondly took my hands and walked me through those days when I used to stay with my grandma and waited for the heroines of that neighborhood, Shantha, Leela, Njondi (lady had a limb on her left leg and none knew her name and hence everyone in that community called her Njondi, the one with a limb). I still remember Shantha, a dark plumb woman in her mid 30's, wearing a checkered ‘mundu’ (wrap–around) , green blouse and covering her bust with a ‘thorthu’ (white cotton towel) who would come on mid-mornings with a couple varieties of fish in a big round aluminum vessel lined with some thin black leather sheets and covered with a rugged plastic sack....and sometimes with a bunch of young green mangoes which she plucked from the mango tree in her neighbor’s backyard. After a round of intense bargaining, which typically goes like “ 8 for 5 “ for which my grandma demanded “10 for 5”, Shantha would settle down for a cup glass of tea and some leftovers from that day’s breakfast grandma used to offer. Whenever she had time, Shantha used to give a bonus service to grandma by helping her cut and clean the fish ……..and I used to sit there at the doorstep of my grandma’s work area, watching Shantha cutting the guts and gills, scraping of the silver scales from the fish and listening to her stories …….

Ggrandma waited for Shantha and Leela……. My mother and aunt waited for Francis and Mammaali and now wait for the new generation sellers…….who am I waiting for??? None comes to my door-step selling fresh produce or seafood, sit with me and share a story from the leaflets of her life or gossip about the grocery store man in the market who winked at her…..I haven’t even seen fresh fish, caught right from the sea in the last couple of years……instead I wait here looking at the frozen fish thawing in a plastic bowl!!

Mathi/Chaala/Sardines is a popular fish in Kerala and till a decade back, I could easily say that this is a poor man’s fish as it used to be available at a very reasonable price. I don’t know the current market rates but am sure it is no longer a poor man’s choice as it is getting pricey. Keralites have a soft spot when it comes to sardines. This is one of those everyday fish cooked in most of the homes for lunch or dinner. Here is a simple recipe for fried sardines aka Mathi/Chaala Varuthathu.


Ingredients:

• 8 nos Mathi/Chaala/Sardines, cut and cleaned
• 3 tsp chilly powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ¼- ½ tsp freshly crushed pepper powder
• ½ tsp fresh ginger paste
• ½ tsp fresh garlic paste
• Salt to taste
• 2-3 tsp water
• Oil for shallow frying

Directions:

• Make 3-4 slits on the fish; mix chilly powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder, ginger & garlic paste and salt with 2-3 tsp water, to make a thick paste. Marinate the fish evenly on both the sides and let it rest for atleast 30 minutes in room temperature, to let the marinade seep through the slits.
• Heat oil in a shallow pan and when it is hot, gently place the fish and shallow fry both the sides, in medium heat, until they are done. The cooking time varies depending on how crispy, soft, firm one wants it to be. Overcooking the fish will make it very crisp; those who want it firm but soft and moist may remove the cooked pieces when the oil starts to reduce spluttering.

If Mathi/Chaala/Sardines are fatty, then the fish itself produces more oil while frying as well as a very overpowering smell, which means the fried fish is going to be really tasty.

Now, fried fish is ready and you are all set for clean up, isn’t it? Wait a second! There might be some leftover oil with fried marinade in the pan….do not waste it! Take a handful of cooked rice and mix it with the leftover oil and fried marinade, in the pan and sprinkle some salt on it and blend everything well and relish. I don’t have a name for this but would like to call this creation, “a sinfully tasty leftover princess!”, invented by some great grandmother or a clever maid who had a blessed palate to discover such a dish, before dumping that pan into the kitchen sink!


We used to lovingly tease our mother calling her, “Mother Mary” as she has this habit of giving the best to her husband and kids and then eating whatever is left, like all those great moms in the world but there is only one dish that could make her a bit selfish or atleast take a couple of spoonfuls before sharing it with us, and that is the rice mixed like this in oil, after frying the fish and now CJJ and yours truly do our little wrestling on the table, to get atleast an equal share :)

Other Kerala Seafood specials from this blog: Enjoy !




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.

The seductress N’awlins !

Warning: This is a 7 mile long post, so only those who suffer from insomnia and are having sleep deprived nights may go ahead. Click on the pictures to enlarge.

***

A Saturday mid-morning with a pleasant sunshine and clear blue sky with spring birds chirping on the background……….lazing on the couch after returning from the neighborhood breakfast joint stuffed up like a camel, unable to lift the remote and change the boring face of the weatherman, I saw CJJ sitting at the other end of the couch, struggling to hold the laptop with a bloated tummy and felt that’s the perfect beginning to a quiet and cozy weekend and can be extended to a vacation too and that’s when it came out from me, “ Isn’t it time for us to take a vacation….?”. We started skimming on the subject and suddenly, he asked,” How about ….some… culinary travel………..?”. I have no idea how those two romantic words got conjured up in his mind. At that moment, I felt that all these years CJJ was decoding my thoughts and dreams, locked up in the darkest corners of my mind with the hundred other hopes and dreams of my tweens, teens and adult years and suddenly trying to put all those into two very significant words which was like giving wings to my dreams!!!!!!!


We didn’t have much confusion in choosing the culinary pocket of US of A, New Orleans especially based on my close interactions with a blogger friend, Pravs who was residing at NO at that point of time and had been giving me strange names of the food she experimented at this city. I must say that Pravs was very cautious while giving us pointers on the culinary treasures of this place as she didn’t want us to have the shock of seeing a totally different face of this country after flying from the northern part of America to its extreme south east, splurging a good chunk of our money, with high expectations just in the name of some romanticized dishes hyped up by the media. Around the same time, I happened to come across a post from Asha who listed this place as a topper in her favourite places and she responded to my mail request like this,” It feels very different in there, not like you are in America!:D...............There are so many things to do and EAT!!:D” . That was the green signal for us, from two great foodies who have experienced the place. Then followed those mornings when I woke up thinking about shrimp creole, jamabalaya, gumbo and muffulettas……!!!

A note on New Orleans Cuisine: During the trip, we attended a 3 hour session at the New Orleans School of Cooking where we learnt that the cooking and dining traditions of NO was a confluence of the early settlers from France, Italy, Spain who brought their culinary traditions along with them and the local native Americans and slaves from Africa which later got mixed with the ingredients and flairs of the New World. The two best known cuisine in this part is the “New Orleans Creole”, which developed from the cooking styles passed down from European and African traditions, mixed with the influences of the New World and the “Cajun Style” refers to the food of South Louisiana’s Acadians which is more of a rustic, country fare, often slow cooked in a single pot. Throughout the trip we felt that N’awlins, as the locals say, was like "a charming seductress" who lured us with her music and food. I can still hear the music flowing from bass and saxophones and can still smell the aroma of etouffee………..


Before I delve into the details, let me note that this post is not a travelogue instead a food-log on the culinary journey we took through the heart of NO where music is the language and food is the religion and the sole purpose of this post is to help other foodies who are planning a trip to NO. So you will see me talking only about food and food and food throughout this post, leaving you in the end wondering if we were eating all the food we can get our hands on at NO. Indeed yes, that is the only thing we did, eat-till-we-drop, as once you re in NO the only question you ask is , not when to eat, but where to eat and what to eat as the options this place gives is beyond one’s imagination. This time we stayed away from all the predictable touristy stuff, except for a three hour Katrina tour and tried to eat like the locals. When we were too heavy to walk, we came back to the room, took a nap and then went for a walk and grabbed a bite again. Please bear with me for the substandard pictures as most of the time I thought about the existence of the camera only when the plate was half-empty which means tummy was half-full to send signals to the brain about silly things in life and when I literally picked up the camera, we wanted to make sure that we were not inviting attention from those at the next table :)

***

Before the travel, we had made a list of the restaurants we wanted to visit from the discussions forums where the locals were giving lots of insider tips on the best places to eat while at NO. Based on that list, our first target was Mothers Restaurant at Poydras Street, in the heart of NO downtown. In my opinion, this place gave us a real local flavour in all the senses. A classic example of New Orleans ambiance, the place was like a clip from the old world movies, with its exposed brick walls decorated with frames of some unknown heroes, a crowded dining room with bright lights and an overwhelming smell of seafood!! I am not ashamed to note down here that the snob in me had a sort of “place shock” in the first 4 minutes. After being pampered by those fine –dining restaurants, this place had a laid back attitude right from the doorman who asked us to pick up a menu card stacked on the wall and queue up, without even raising his head dunked in some book, to the lady at the counter, who just gave a look to CJJ and turned her head when CJJ in his very refined tone tried to clarify some of his doubts on the menu!!!! Trust me, I did enjoy her attitude for a change :) She was like, “Ohh Boyyy ! Can’t you read English…..it’s all in dat menu…” :) At that nick of a second, we knew this is a place where we can throw away our masks of urban world’s sophistication and refinement and just be in the moment and enjoy the food. Casual and laid back seems to be the middle name of this restaurant.

We gave orders and found a place in the adjacent room which was darker and shady than the main room. The snob in me was still unsettled and unhappy with the state of the silverware but I was slowly getting absorbed in the atmosphere. The wait staff, in a very casual jovial mood, got our tickets and it was nice watching the man getting our food through a small window from the kitchen. As I took a big bite into my gravy soaked Roast beef Po-Boy sandwich, I was slowly soaking into the New Orleans atmosphere. Po-Boy sandwiches are known as poor man’s sandwiches and they are quite filling. I could finish only half of my sandwich and was quite amazed at the amount of beef filling; the pickles and mayo did give a kick to the sandwich. CJJ went for their famous Debris Po-Boy sandwich which was roast beef, dressed with lettuce and mayo on a French bread with a soft interior and flaky crust, in a debris sauce. Though he finished the whole sandwich, it did lack salt. So do I recommend this restaurant? Born snobs may stay away from this place but I suggest this to everyone who wants to eat out at a place which soaks up the essence of the city…..eating out here in this small place is quite an experience! Don’t miss it !

***

Our first morning in New Orleans, we drove to St. Charles Avenue, passing the beautiful mansions and had our breakfast from The Camillia Grill, a breakfast place with a difference. Housed at the Carrollton Avenue, there were people already lined up in front of the restaurant and from that we knew, it is a local favourite and the food was going to be fantastic and we weren’t wrong! Another small scale restaurant and the kitchen and dining room together come to the size of hall of a condo and it had two U-shaped kitchens cum dining stations. Guests actually sit on small round stools at the counter tables and watch the cooks whipping up breakfasts of the champions. How great can that be!!!!

We had a 20 minute wait outside until the doorman indicated us to come in and then another 10 minute wait inside. Though I could feel the hungry devil doing gymnastic moves in my stomach, it was a pleasure watching the waiters beaming with energy and enthusiasm, singing songs and jazzing up the entire environment. It just lifted up my spirits on a Saturday morning. By now, my obsession with the hygiene of the silverware and tables and floors was all a thing of the past and for the same reason, I was quite surprised when we were given pure white cloth napkin and decent silverwares! Honestly, I wasn’t expecting that! We started with coffee and gave orders for a Bacon omelet and a Sausage omelet and both came with a side of French fries and toasted bread. The waiter guy lured us into ordering extra cheese filled omelets quite successfully. Another order for Chocolate freeze was also given which completed the sinful breakfast. With all that richness coming from eggs, cheese and cured meat and generous sides, we felt quite good after the food. Unlike the mandatory bloating up after eating such breakfast, we did not feel all that stuffed up and perhaps the waiter guy was right when he gave us a chilled glass of ice cold water saying. “ Have it maan…..it ‘ll help all dat wash it downnn…” :) If we make a trip again, this is a MUST- GO place in our list!

For lunch, we picked up COOP’S on Decatur Street at the French Quarter, again based on a recommendation from the locals. Both the online discussion forums and the locals we spoke to were all in praise of this place and we were happy after our visit too. It was one of those dark and dull French Quarter restaurants, with ancient brick walls and wooden tables and benches; they had an ambitious menu written on a blackboard with multi-colored chalks and a lively bar counter too. It had everything from rabbit to turtle to alligator meat. The vibe of the place was so indicative of the locals. We sampled their Seafood Gumbo, a N’awlins specialty soup with a light green roux cooked with crab legs, shrimp, oysters, drum fillets, file powder (ground sassafras leaves) okra and rice; Shrimp Creole- shrimp cooked in a very mildly spicy Creole tomato sauce, served over a bed of rice and Hurricane Cocktail- another NO creation with light, dark and gold rum with pineapple and orange juice and special hurricane mix. I loved the Gumbo here, it was spicy, hot and above all, tasty. I think it was at this place, CJJ experimented ABITA, the local beer and became a great fan of it. We liked this place so much that we wanted to go back again but since we didn’t want to repeat the same restaurants, we let it go.

Our next stop was at the Cajun restaurant, Mulate’s. This was again fashioned in the same lines of other French Quarter restaurants with its brick walls, framed pictures and checkered table clothes but with a mild touch of sophistication. They had live Cajun music and a very active dance floor. Here our samples included; Zydeco Meat Pies-a bit size pastry shells filled with a spicy ground beef seasoning; it was gone in the blink of an eye!! Yummy: Seafood Gumbo-dark roux based soup with shrimp, smoked sausage, chicken and okra served with white rice; The smokiness from the sausage scored well with CJJ: Crawfish Etouffee- etoufee means “smother “ and it is pronounced, A –TWO- FAY; peeled crawfish tails are smothered in a rich and creamy stew and served with a side of rice; I LOVED it….it was bursting with seafood flavour and am sure they have used either a seafood stock or a crawfish stock: Boudin, a traditional Cajun appetizer is pork and rice dressing with their house seasonings and served by the link with a side of a grainy mustard sauce; it was good but I was not bowled over by it: Mojito was just on the average: Bread Pudding- hmm……I really don’t know how to describe this dessert which was AWESOME. It was the best bread pudding we had at NO and I can still feel the taste of that raisin bread soaked and topped with a rich and creamy rum sauce. Heavenly!

A Culinary travel is never complete without a visit to the local school of cooking, isn’t it? CJJ agreed to attend a three hour open demonstration class at the New Orleans School of Cooking. Luckily he enjoyed the session as well as the food, needless to say that they served ABITA beer which sort of lightened up things for him :) Our chef-in –charge Barbara was a nice old lady who gave us brief introduction to the Cajun- Creole cuisine and how history shaped up the cuisine. She was quite homely, witty and genuine with a light southern accent. She made me smile with her “I just wanna share it with y’alll…” and reminded me of Paula Deen :) She gave us a cooking demo on Gumbo, Jambalaya, Bread Pudding and Pralines and handed over printed recipes for each one!!! This old woman knows cooking for sure! That was the best Gumbo we had in the city. All those who attended class with us would agree the same with me as all of us went for a second helping. Even after returning from this trip, we still talk about her gumbo and crave for it. I have her recipe with me and I think I should get to it soon! She gave lot of tips on making roux and she went in detail about the various stage of colour in roux making. Her Jambalaya, a traditional New Orleans dish, was also tasty and was prepared with the “holy trinity” of green peppers, onions and celery as the base and then cooked with chicken and sausage. Barbara’s bread pudding had a Caribbean touch, with her pinacolada mix and sweetened coconut and pineapple chunks, with whiskey sauce drizzled on it. Pecan Pralines, a Creole confection was also part of the kitchen demo and menu. Aww…how can I forget the flaky buttery biscuit they served at the beginning of the class with a drizzle of honey??? I must also mention about Michael, who was in charge of the general store that day, is also a chef at the school. Michael was generous with his recommendations on good local restaurants in town. We went to three restaurants in his list and they were all good. He also went to extent of calling up a baker in the neighborhood to find out for us if they were making King Cakes, a Mardi Gras specialty at this time of the year. I recommend this class for all the foodies visiting N’awlins!

By now we got an impression that all the restaurants in this city serve only good food as we never had a case of bad meal when we were in NO. Our next stop was at ACME Oyster Bar, to get our seafood share :) The place is loud and crowded. I think here everyone prefers the Oyster bar than the table. We could see the staff shucking fresh oysters and serving them in half –shell. Well, we had not risen to the Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations Style and hence went for Fried Oysters and Shrimp and it came with a side of French fries and potato salad with house dressings. Fried shrimp was good but fried oysters could not impress us well. I think I was not happy with its texture. The winner was the Oyster Rockefeller Soup which had a heavy seafood flavour and was smothered in a creamy sauce with spinach. Out of decency, I shared my soup with CJJ and got a completely wiped out bowl back!!! CJJ kept experimenting with their local beers and cocktails.

Café Maspero at Decatur Street is a jewel in the French Quarter. I wish they had a branch in my town here! This place has fantastic food at very cheap and unbelievable rates. CJJ fell in love with their Muffulettas. It was unbelievably awesome. Salami, ham and pastrami piled high on a seeded Italian roll topped with melted swiss cheese and a layer of olive salad, served with a side of home-style French fries. I wish our sandwich shop sold this one! We also ordered French onion soup, a rich and hearty onion filled broth ladled over a rye bread and topped with a very-very thick melted swiss cheese. My conscience did not allow me to eat up all that cheese! We also tried their Red Beans and rice, cooked with sausage and ham and some local spices served over rice and it was really creamy and tasty. I remember Barbara at the cooking school telling a story that red beans and rice was traditionally cooked on Monday which was the wash-day for Louisiana women and rice and beans got cooked while the women attended to their chores. The waitress was quite a friendly girl who suggested me to go for the smallest portion of this dish and oh boy! She was right!! We were quite amazed that our total bill came up to only $16 for that dinner including the beer!!!! It was really generous portions for that price and incredibly tasty dishes too. Don’t miss this place, if you re planning a trip!

When in New Orleans, eat like the locals and that’s by grabbing a Shrimp Po-Boy sandwich for breakfast from Johnny’s Po-Boy. Fried shrimp served on a layer of lettuce and mayo spread on a French bread. A hearty breakfast! Another must-visit place right in the heart of French Quarter.

On a recommendation from a local and the help desk staff at our hotel, we went to Deanies Seafood for lunch. A casual fine dining place where we had one of the messiest lunches of our lives because we ordered all the menus that required the best tools Mother Nature gave us, our hands and fingers. Our helpdesk staff at the hotel recommended this place for Crawfish and hence we gave the order for the same. The waitress was gracious enough to tell us that crawfish season is almost over but since we were not sure whether we would be making a trip to NO again, we ordered a pound of boiled crawfish . Not knowing how to eat this boiled New Orleans tradition, our waitress again was kind enough to give a demo on “how to eat crawfish?” !! We made a mess over there but did finish all those crawfish we bought. I liked the taste…they tasted similar to shrimp but had a more strong flavour. Our next messy item was Barbecue Shrimp- A sexy New Orleans jewel! Jumbo shrimp, with its heads –on, sautéed in a unique blend of seasonings was spicy to my palate and was an explosion of flavours, especially with ice cold draft beer. At home, I get cleaned shrimp and here at a fine dining restaurant I had to sit and peel the shrimp! Though I cursed myself for ordering that dish, it was worth all that peeling!!! If you think I stopped my peeling job with that dish, my friends, you are mistaken…CJJ’s Cajun Bloody Mary came with a boiled jumbo shrimp with its head-on, standing in the middle of the cocktail ! We also sampled Shrmip remoulade which was boiled peeled shrimp (Thank Lord!) served on a bed of lettuce with a remoulade sauce. Hmm….it was not great but just average or below average to our palate. If you think that’s too much of seafood, we also had a Crawfish Etouffee, crawfish tails smothered in a buttery blend of onions, peppers, celery and garlic to make a delicious sauce served over rice. It was served with French bread and salad with a Sicilian dressing. CJJ voted this as the best Crawfish Etoufee we had so far though I had to vote for the one we had from Mulate’s.

***

New Orleans being the Mecca of upscale restaurants owned by legendary restaurateurs and celebrity chefs, including the most popular BAM persona, Emeril Lagasse, we were pondering over our option to visit one from that order. It was funny and strange how most of the locals we chatted online and offline voiced out their opinions on such restaurants. They asked us to go for such places if we wanted to eat fine American fusion food and suggested a handful of fine dining places where the locals preferred to eat on special occasions and one such place was K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen. Chef Paul is a "local legend". When we reached there, the place was full and hence we made a reservation for 8.30 pm and when we came back, they sort of pampered us by taking us to their hidden courtyard in the centre with an elegant ambiance and great table settings. As they say at N’awlins, I was jazzed!!! I could see the creativity flowing even in the paper table liners,(on top of a white table cloth) with caricatures of each dish!!!! How cool is that?! Imagine Cajun Martini getting personified through a caricature! :)

They served complimentary bread basket, consisting of warm and soft dark-molasses and pecan bread, a southern style biscuit and jalapeno and cheddar rolls. I usually don’t touch such bread baskets but it was so tasty I filled a part of my small tummy with those soft and heavenly nibbles. CJJ ordered a Cajun Martini first and I had fun seeing his eyes shrink and lips getting cornered after the first sip ? His Blackened Beef with Debris Sauce was an aged filet mignon, seasoned and blacked in their special debris sauce, served with potatoes and veggies. It was good though he funnily commented that the sauce tasted like “theeyal”, because of the sweetness and burnt taste of the sauce! My Blackened Louisiana Drum was again drum fillets seasoned and blackened in cast iron skillet and topped with crabmeat and chipotle compound butter, served with veggies and potatoes. It was cooked to perfection and drum fillets, a white flaky fish were not that fishy; it was soft and seasoned well and did satisfy my palate. I selected that dish based on the cute waiter guy’s suggestion as Chef Paul’s most popular dish. Guy was more than happy to suggest a Special Martini with pomegranate juice to CJJ which was better than the first one! For the dessert part, we tried Custard Marie, which is their version of crème brulee with a praline base. CJJ was happy with it but I was not that impressed, though praline base was good. Service was excellent. Overall, the dining experience was good. I would go to this place if I am celebrating a birthday or anniversary but for casual bites, I prefer one of those dark and dull restaurants at the French Quarter. I remember one of the local guy we spoke to mentioning that they used to sell dishes for even $3 in the beginning but now it has grown to be a pricey place!

How could I forget writing about the Muffuletta’s of Central Grocery?? Trust me, I crave for this sandwich! This is another New Orleans experiences that you should not miss out. It is a huge sandwich; we bought one full sandwich and we had it for breakfast as well as lunch that day !! A culinary invention of the Sicilian immigrants, the original Muffuletta sandwich at the Central Grocery, is a round Italian bread, split horizontally, then filled with salami, ham and some other cured meats with layers of provolone cheese and a generous layer of olive salad. It is that formidable taste of the pickled olive salad, drenched in an ocean of olive oil, is what gives the sandwich its personality. The best part is choosing the menu…it is very easy…either a half sandwich or a full sandwich!!

There is a place in NO which is like a sacred place where all the tourists flock to, at some point of time during their visit and it is Café Du Monde. Their Beignets and coffee are synonymous with the culinary map of NO. Beignets are deep fried French style square donuts and we sampled this twice during our visit with their invigorating black coffee. Beignets are served right out of the deep fryer, with a heap of powdered sugar and they are tasty as well. Don’t attack the beignets immediately after they serve and burn the roof of your palate. That bit of advice is coming from experience: D When we sat at their Café at the Decatur street, I was suddenly reminded of Saravana Bhavan of Chennai………with the wait staff wearing paper navy caps, with the café name written on it….. those long and almost-dead ceiling fans of the old world…..the pigeons walking on the courtyard gingerly yet with a pride, as though they own the place …somehow I felt I was sitting at Saravana Bhavan :-O Looking at the pigeons, CJJ had a bad joke that they might be suffering from high blood sugar eating all that powdered sugar on the floor!!

***

There is one place CJJ wanted to go very badly and that was the legendary Willie Mae’s Restaurant. We had watched a program on travel channel and had also received recommendation from Michael at the NO school of cooking. But unfortunately we went on a Sunday and it was closed. It was not the fried chicken part that this place is famous for that attracted us but to enjoy home-style cooking and get a glimpse, if possible, of this 90+ old grandmother who has been creating history in the culinary mosaic of NO. It is in the outskirts of the downtown and honestly speaking we were a bit intimidated by this neighborhood but I think the place should be much better on a weekday.

***

As I read somewhere, New Orleans is "like "a charming seductress" who lures her visitors with her music and food and then murmurs into ears,” Don’t go back!”. If you are a foodie and if you are in US of A, do make a trip to NO atleast once. We have traveled quite decently in the mainland of this country but we would have regretted badly had we left for India for good without experiencing this fabulous place and their fantastic food. Personally, this trip was more than a vacation for me…..it sort of touched me, made me a better person; I stopped whining to lord as I realized I have no reason to do so after having a look at what these people have gone through ………We visited the Katrina wrecked areas of this place and it was heartbreaking to see those deserted neighborhoods, broken houses, debris lying on the ground, that painful sight of those X marks , drawn by the rescue workers, marking the number of people they saved and found dead, which the locals now refer as ‘Katrina tattoos’…….it was heartbreaking and upsetting to the core. It’s been almost three years since the storm, since the levees broke, since the lives shattered and dreams wiped off……and like a phoenix bird, the people of this land has risen to the challenge and been rebuilding their lives and still there is A LOT MORE to do before the scars of that wound fades away! As they say in NO, "laissez les bon temps roulez!" meaning, let the good times roll!

Thanks!
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.