Adventure in the air

Blessed are those who can speak and understand different languages beyond their mother tongue!

Atleast the language spoken in places you visit more often. I've experienced this problem much earlier when I got married and joined the defence fraternity. But what we experienced recently with my sister's air travel was nothing less than a nightmare.

After a month long vacation with us, my sister was going back home to Coimbatore. It took a lot of convincing from us to make her agree to travel alone by air. She was insisting on train travel as she was not comfortable travelling alone by air for two reasons. One, she doesn't know the language and secondly the check in procedures.  She was very worried about how  she was going to communicate, in case required!

To cut short the long story... We thought we could circumvent the problem by booking a direct flight and wheelchair assistance , so that the assistant can do the check in things. So we did that.  Web check in and a wheel chair booking also done. All possible assistance given including meal and an empty water bottle (to fill water inside the airport - ensured she doesn't have ask anyone for anything).

The flight was supposed to go halt in Bengaluru for half an hour but onward passengers were not required to deboard the plane.

As the saying goes, Man proposes and God disposes.....

Her flight reaches Bengaluru and there was an announcement asking all onward passengers to get down and board another flight which was going to Coimbatore.  But... she didn't understand the announcements - which were in Hindi and English!! So, very sincerely, since we had told her not to get down, she refused to deboard when the flight staff asked her to!!  Finally, when they insisted, she called us and we spoke to the crew member and asked for a  wheelchair, which they didnt have. Then they had to be shown the ticket again which showed wheelchair assistance booking. Then  they ran and got a wheelchair. 

With a lot of high voltage drama, she finally made it to the coimbatore  flight! She couldn't have managed to go home but for the wheelchair!

PS: I've told her to watch some Hindi serials to learn Hindi.

Happiest day... Successful kitey day !!

Both the kids dread and feel happy about Sunday.

Dread because they have to recite the tables to Nanu, happy because papa will be home (sometimes mumma also).

Today began in a typical Sunday mode for kids.

Didn't want to get up from the bed, no breakfast and only reading a book in the bed. It was the usual for us. 

Nothing was planned for the rest of the day. By the time they finished their breakfast it was around 11 am.  After all the lazing around, Gannu went to dig his tunnel and 'Abhi (the elder one), reluctantly sat with his mother to do some school business.

Suddenly Gannu came running to us and said, let's fly a kite!! I sent him to Gaurav (who can never say no to kids). Gannu armed with kites and the roll (without the dangerous manja) reached the terrace with papa and bhaiya. 

After struggling for what looked like ages, they managed to FLY THE KITE!!!!! Abhi, mumma and me joined the mission. Abhi was flying the kite most of the time. This was the first time for Gannu and his joy knew no bounds!!!!

Just as they were getting comfortable and enjoying themselves, another kite crept up behind ours and tried to cut our kite! Without the manjha, everyone got worried about how to enter a kite fight.. but, with some natural talent, Abhi managed to veer the kite away and save it tactfully!  Most of the time Abhi was flying the kite with the help of Papa and Gannu was the cheer leader. Even though he could hardly fly the kite, he was so happy. He kept saying today is the happiest day.

Thank you mera Thanedaar

It's a chilly and windy morning. Children are attending their online classes thanks to the weather god and local administration. I too sat in my comfortable seat with a cup of hot tea and was scrolling down some old and gold album of the kids. It just took that one short video of my 'Gannu', (my younger grandson) to make me write this post. 

  It has been a few years since I last posted in my blog. I have been wanting to write but somehow I couldn't bring myself to do it. Thanks to my Gannu for giving me that much needed motivation or push to write again.

Back to the video:

It was covid time. All of us were under self-proclaimed house arrest and making videos and clicking photos of our little ones' activities. On one such evening, the conversation between Nanu and gannu goes like this ---

Nanu:   What do you want to become when you grow up?

Gannu: I want to become a thanedaar.

Nanu: What will you do if you become a 'thanedaar'?

Gannu: I'll catch the bad people, stop them from wrong doings and of course regulate the traffic.

Now, 4 years later, thinking about it, the third point made me laugh because just yesterday, the traffic here was so bad that their usual 35 minutes drive from school took about an hour and a half to reach home and they missed half the time of their hobby classes. As the memory of that time popped into my head, I had to write about this today itself! 

As each one of us experiences the growing traffic menace everyday,  in today's progressive times, why the little one mentioned about the traffic at that time, I don't know. 

So much forethought!!!!!

Wish we had more Thanedaars like mine!

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes Soup

   Abi loves tomato soup. Its winter and our kitchen garden is flush with cherry tomatoes. So we decided to try a different version of tomato soup, a bit richer and made from cherry tomatoes. In fact this soup can be a full dinner, if served with a slice of garlic bread or buns of your choice. This one is my third and final post for this week.

   So the recipe is like this:

Ingredients:

1. 100 gms cherry tomatoes

2. 1 carrot 

3. 1 onion

4. 5 to 6 garlic pods

5.1 medium sized tomato 

6. Handful of basil leaves (tulsi)

7. Oil, salt and pepper

8. 2 to 4 cups of water

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. 

2. Slit the cherry tomatoes into halves and cut carrots to the same size. Put them in a bowl, add salt and pepper and give it a good mix. Lay it out on a baking tray such that they don't overlap with each other and roast for at least half an hour.

3. Once they are roasted, cool and make a paste in the mixer grinder.

4. While the cherry tomatoes are roasting, plunge the other tomato in a pot of boiling hot, salted water for a minute. Take it out, peel and chop. 

5. In a hot kadai, add a tablespoon of oil, add the chopped garlic and onion and saute till onions are translucent.

6. Add the tomato carrot paste, chopped tomatoes, basil leaves, salt, pepper to taste and 2 to 4 cups of water depending on the consistency you like. 

7. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes. If the soup becomes too thick, some more water and salt pepper can be added. 

8. The soup is ready and can be served at this stage. But if pieces of tomato in the soup is not preferred then the entire soup can be blended using a hand blender or mixie.

9. Top it off with a dash of cream and the roast tomato soup is ready! 

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Coconut apple soup

Coconut apple soup is the second one in the series of soups. As the winter is approaching, I am on the lookout for soup recipes. Since children and hubby get bored quickly with regular soups, I asked my hubby to look for soup recipes. I told him about the BM theme also. He immediately said you must try something new and I will be the guinea pig. He was more than happy to look for the new recipes. So the search began.

 This one is one of my old recipes ( learnt it when I joined a cooking class in the '80s). I was not making this often as the availability of good coconut was a problem then and slowly forgot about it. So I experimented on him first. After his and kids approval, I am sharing this with you all.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

1.Apple: 1 no

2. Carrots: 2 nos

3. Potatoes: 1 no

4: Coconut milk (thin): 200ml

5. Curry powder: 1 teaspoon

6. Oil: 1 tablespoon

7. Salt &pepper: To taste

8. Lime juice: To taste

9. Fresh cream:  As needed (Optional)

10: Water: 2 cups

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add peeled and chopped carrots, apple and the potatoes. Saute them for 3minutes without browning them.

2. Add in salt and curry powder. Cook for another 2 minutes. Then add water and coconut milk. Cover and cook on low flame till the vegetables are done stirring occasionally.

3. Cool and blend it in a blender till smooth and creamy and strain the soup.

4. Before serving, heat the soup, adjust seasonings and lime juice. Top it with fresh cream and serve.

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Drumstick leaves soup

   Drumstick is one of the most favourite vegetables of my husband. He never gets tired of it. I can comfortably feed him one dish made of drumstick every day. He not only likes to eat but also loves propagating it to others to include this in their diet given its high iron content. Wherever we move, he plants this tree there successfully.

 Of late there is so much talk about the goodness of this vegetable including its leaves. Not many people know about drumstick. We South Indians eat the vegetables and the leaves. But my Punjabi friends use flowers. But in Rajasthan, most people are not aware of this vegetable barring Sindhis. So when I made soup with the leaves, my staff was surprised and asked me what kind of dish I was making. I try to teach them how to use drumstick and its leaves and its benefits.

This soup can be made in a jiffy. Not many ingredients are required but it makes for a very healthy soup. This is my third and last post for this week. Here is the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Drumstick leaves: 1 small cup

2. Onion: 1 small

3. Garlic: 3nos

4.Ginger: 1-inch piece

5. Tomato: 1 medium

6. Cornflour: 1 teaspoon

7. Ghee/ clarified butter: 1teaspoon

8. Jeera powder: 1/2 teaspoon

9. Salt & pepper: To taste

10 Water: 3 cups (250 to 300 ml approx)

METHOD:

1. Heat ghee in a pan. Add crushed garlic and ginger and fry till the garlic turns golden brown. Then add the chopped onions and fry till it is translucent. Now add the grated tomato and cook till tomato is done.

2. Add the cleaned drumstick leaves and saute for 2 or 3 minutes, taking care not to burn till the leaves start shrinking. Add salt and water. Cover and cook until the leaves are done on simmer.

3. Strain the soup. Mix the cornflour with half a cup of water add to the soup. Let it boil for a while. Add roasted jeera powder and pepper and serve.

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Ladyfinger curry

   Whenever I say Bhindi curry, my North Indian friends used to stare at me in disbelief. They would ask me about the recipe too. Back then they could not even visualise the dish. But now it is not so anymore. Thanks to the internet, anybody can make any dish if they want.

   Back home almost in every house, this dish is made. Even on special occasions like local festivals and marriages 'vendakai puli kolambu' (that is what it is called in our part of the south) is made. Marriage means like it was in the olden days, not the present days where everyone is competing with everyone to show who can spend more. In our house, I and my daughter love this dish with plain rice. Abi likes a different version of vendakai kulambu.

     Now let me take you to the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Ladyfinger: 250 gms

2. Shallots: 1/2 cup (cut into two pieces)

    or the normal onion: 1 medium (cut into big pieces)

3. Green chillies: 3 nos

4. Tomato: 1 no

5. Tamarind: size of an amla

6. Jaggery/ sugar: 1 teaspoon

7. Turmeric powder: 1/2 teaspoon

8. Salt: To taste

9. Oil: 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon

10. Mustard seeds: 1/2 teaspoon

11. Curry leaves: 1 sprig

TO POWDER:

1. Channa dal: 1 tablespoon

2. Urad dal: 1 teaspoon

3. Coriander seeds: 1 1/2 tablespoon

4. Jeera: 1 teaspoon

5. Methi seeds: 1/2 teaspoon

6. Dry red chilli: 2nos (as per taste)

7. Coconut: 3 tablespoons

METHOD:

1. Wash, dry and cut the ladyfingers. Peel the shallots and keep aside. It can be used as a whole also. If using onion, then cut them into big pieces.  Chop the tomatoes. Soak the tamarind in water and take out the juice.

2. Roast all the ingredients mentioned in 'to powder', except coconut. Let it cool and grind them into powder (like garam masala). Keep aside.

3. The coconut can be added to the roasted ingredients just before grinding OR it can be added at the end of cooking. If grinding the coconut, then water can be added and grind to a fine paste.  

4. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan and fry the ladyfingers till it changes its colour. Add salt and saute for a minute. Now pour in the tamarind juice mixed with a cup of water. Let it cook for a couple of minutes.

5. In another pan or kadhai, heat a teaspoon of oil, add mustard seeds, curry leaves, onions and green chillies. Saute them on medium heat till the onions are translucent and then add chopped tomatoes. Cook till the tomato is mushy. Add ladyfingers, turmeric, ground masala (with or without coconut), salt and jaggery. Adjust the consistency by adding water if needed. Cover and cook till the vegetables are cooked.

6. If using coconut in the end, then this is the time to add it. I have followed this method. Add grated coconut and mix well.

7. Remove from heat, garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with plain rice.

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Dahi Bhindi Punjabi Dhaba Style

    Ladyfinger is one of the vegetables which can be cooked in many ways. Most people like it, including children. My grandson who is a picky eater likes it very much. So we end up making bhindi frequently.

   Here I am going to share Dahi Bhindi for my second-day post of this week. I was told this one is called Punjabi Dhaba style bhindi. But I learnt this dish from a Rajasthani. It's spicy, tangy, easy and quick to make. It goes very well with chapati.

   The ingredients for this recipe are:

1. Bhindi:250 gms

2. Onion: 2(medium size)

3. Tomatoes: 2 nos (grated)

4. Coriander powder: 2 teaspoon

5. Jeera powder: 1teaspoon

6. Turmeric: As required

7. Dry mango powder: !/2 teaspoon

8. Red chilli powder: 1 teaspoon

9. Ginger + garlic paste: 1 teaspoon each

10. Curd: 1 teacup, beaten

11. Oil: 2 tablespoons

12. Ajwain: 1/2 teaspoon

13. Hing: A pinch

14. Salt: To taste

15. Garam masala & kasuri methi for garnishing

Method:

1. Wash and dry the ladyfingers. Trim and cut into 1 1/2 inch piece or as per choice.

2. Heat oil in a pan and fry the ladyfinger till it changes the colour add salt and fry for a minute more. Remove and keep aside.

3. In the same oil, add hing, ajwain, jeera and 2 whole red chillies. Saute them for a minute.

4. Add the chopped onions. Fry till it turns light brown. Add in ginger, garlic paste and fry for another 2 to 3 minutes.

5. Now add the tomatoes and cook till they are done. Pour in the beaten curd. Cook till oil separates.

6. Add coriander powder, jeera powder, turmeric, salt, dry mango powder and chilli powder. Mix them well and add little  water (1/4 cup)  cook for 2 minutes.

7. Add the fried ladyfinger and 1/4 cup water mix them properly. Cover and cook for another 2 minutes.

8. Remove from the heat and garnish with garam masala powder and kasuri methi. Remember to rub kasuri methi between the palms before adding it.

9. Serve hot with plain rotis.

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One vegetables-- Three different states

   I'm happy to be back with BM girls after a long hideout! For this BM, my choice for the first week is one vegetable three different states. The theme for the second week is one vegetable and three states. This theme is an interesting one as it gives us a lot of scope to experiment with. Since we had the opportunity to travel around India during my hubby's service, I've learnt to cook some vegetables in different ways (as a necessity).

 There are so many vegetables which can be turned into yummy dishes. I have selected ladyfinger as luckily we have a small vegetable garden and I am getting a good yield even now. So this made my selection of vegetable easy. The first dish for the first is from Rajasthan as we presently staying here. This one called besanwali bhindi. 

INGREDIENTS:

1.  Ladyfinger: 250gms

2. Oil: 3 tablespoons

3. Gram flour: 2 to 3 tablespoons

4. Red chilli powder: 1 teaspoon

5. Turmeric powder: 1/2 teaspoon

6. Coriander powder: 3 teaspoons

7. Cumin powder 1 teaspoon

8. Dry ginger powder: 1/2 teaspoon

9. Dry mango powder: 1 teaspoon

METHOD:

1. Wash and dry the ladyfingers. Trim the edges and slit it in the center without cutting into two pieces.

2. Heat oil in a pan and fry the vegetable in high flame till the vegetable changes the colour, stirring continuously.

3. Reduce the flame add all the other ingredients and keep tossing till the gram flour is cooked and nice aroma comes. Take care not to break the ladyfinger.

4. Transfer into a bowl and serve with chapati.

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Reliving mera bachpan

     The rainy season, the most awaited season of the year. Everyone enjoys rain, from kids to adults and the elderly. Children and the elders enjoy it the most as both have time on their hand to revel in these pleasures of nature.When it rains it brings not only the rain but also a lot of memories (good and bad). The paper boats which we used to play with, the ragi vadas (kind of pakoras) we used eat, the rain coat we used make with gunny bags, the idlis we used make with sand, especially after the rain water recedes and not to forget the rain dance! Children of this generation may not know many things that we did in our times but playing in the rain is every child's dream even today.

     My little angels too love to play in the rain. They dance, play and make paper boats. After the rain they go out to play in the mud. They love to build their own mud house and garage for their cars. They have a small patch of garden where they can dig the mud to their hearts content. A few days ago, they made their house, a simple one : double storey house with roof top garden, mud table chairs and the toy cars parked neatly in the portico. I missed clicking some of their creations (particularly the one with garage and cars).

     The rainy season, the most awaited season of the year. Everyone enjoys rain, from kids to adults and the elderly. Children and the elders enjoy it the most as both have time on their hand to revel in these pleasures of nature.When it rains it brings not only the rain but also a lot of memories (good and bad). The paper boats which we used to play with, the ragi vadas (kind of pakoras) we used eat, the rain coat we used make with gunny bags, the idlis we used make with sand, especially after the rain water recedes and not to forget the rain dance! Children of this generation may not know many things that we did in our times but playing in the rain is every child's dream even today.

     My little angels too love to play in the rain. They dance, play and make paper boats. After the rain they go out to play in the mud. They love to build their own mud house and garage for their cars. They have a small patch of garden where they can dig the mud to their hearts content. A few days ago, they made their house, a simple one : double storey house with roof top garden, mud table chairs and the toy cars parked neatly in the portico. I missed clicking some of their creations (particularly the one with garage and cars).

     Children are at their best when left alone without any teaching. Left to themselves they are masters in whatever they do. Each one is a MF Hussain, Michelangelo, Laurie Baker.....

First day... First step.

The house was buzzing with activities. Waking up the little ones, packing their tiffin boxes, feeding and getting them ready in time for school....

   Today is the first day of school for our little Gannu. Yesterday, on Vijaydasami he was initiated to formal schooling/writing as it is considered to be a good beginning. After a small prayer, a plate of rice is placed in front of the child and he is made to write the first letter 'a'. 

   Unlike Abi, Gannu was as cool as a cucumber about going to school. His "anna" is going everyday, so will he. Abi had given us nightmares to go to school. Those days are clearly ingrained in our minds even now. So in anticipation of a similar backlash, instead of preparing him, we were preparing ourselves mentally to send him to school. Each member comforting the other rather than comforting the little one.

   We reached the school on time. Gannu carried his bag on his shoulder like anna. He took blessings from 'baaji' (Ganesh) and all the elders and happily waved his hand to everyone else. We were all simply standing and watching all this like it was all destined to happen.

   Instead of the tears and screaming we were preparing ourselves to cope with, Anna proudly took Gannu's hand and walked through the school gate. After anna left him with his teacher, Gannu wished the teacher and happily entered the class room with her. Watching him sit comfortably in his new class, I did not know what to do and came back home in a bewildered manner.

   This also brought in a lot old memories of us leaving our daughter in a boarding school. She had happily walked into her dormitory with her new friends without a complaint. 

Here I am, sitting and sharing this confused emotions with you all. On the one side I am happy that he is going to school happily and on the other side I am feeling so empty inside. My little Gannu is all grown up now and raring go.

First day... first step. What a way to start....

Adventure....unexpected.

   

      Game for adventure? Board Indian Railways...

     Travelling by train in India is no less than an adventure. This has been proved many times in my almost four decade old travelling experience.Armed with so much experience, we planned our trip meticulously to aurangabad from jaipur. Since there is no direct train, we had to catch the connecting train at nizammudin station. Keeping the punctuality of the railways in mind we booked the ticket with almost five hours gap. (Weather was good as it was first week of November). 

     Everything went off as per plan. We boarded the train and it started on time. Well settled in our seats, within a few minutes we dozed off to sleep. Most people were sleeping as it was an early morning train. We expected to reach Delhi by 10 am so we did not bother about our breakfast (nor did we carry anything with us). After about two hours of sleep, we woke up to see the train had halted but not at any station. We decided go back to sleep as there was nothing to worry about and we had so much time on hand. Slowly restlessness started and nobody knew why was the train not moving. After what seemed like an eternity, a kind salesman passed by saying 'engine karab hogaya hai aur doosri lagegi toh gaadi chalegi'.

     It took another one and half an hour to start the train. That was only the beginning of the problems. As the train was running at unscheduled time, it was not in the priority to get the green signal at other stations and nothing was available to eat on this train. By the time we reached our destination, we were late by two and a half hours and starving! But the connecting train's station was an hour's drive. We had a little time to catch the train.

     So we didn't stop for a meal and immediately booked an Ola and waited for the cab to pick us up. Now the clock was ticking faster. He kept saying' just reaching', but not before half an hour! Meanwhile we realised the gravity of the situation. It was diwali time, narrow roads, traffic of delhi and not to forget our traffic sense. I was certain that we are going to miss the train and my heart started working overtime the whole way. My hubby dear kept his cool, saying that in the worst case scenario we'll go back home. Throughout the journey, I saw all our detailed planning and hopes of a wonderful holiday crumble before the great Indian railways and Delhi traffic..

     Five minutes to spare, we reached the station and ran to our train (DDLJ style!!!) and threw ourselves in our seats, thanking all the known and unknown gods! When we started our journey, we had planned how we were going to spend our spare time enjoying biryani at one of the eateries at nizamudin. Here we are without a morsel in sight but glad that we managed to even start our journey!!  ...And the Adventure has just begun!

                             

Abi off to the Aravalis...!

How long is the route?

Will there be any thorns?

Are there any wild animals?

Is it tar road or mud?

Will I get chips?

Can we have a picnic there?

Who will carry the mat?

Can you wake me up on time?

Should I set the alarm in my watch?

....... So on and so forth came the ceaseless questions from Abi when we asked him if he would like to join us for a trek!

   Last Saturday we decided to go for a short trek of about 4 km. Since it was not a very difficult route we thought of taking Abi with us. He was very excited when his mother broke this news to him. But then, true to his nature, he couldn't simply simply say yes to the offer. He wanted to be thoroughly sure before venturing into this new adventure. Hence all those questions! But once he made up his mind to join us,  he simply couldn't wait for the D-day to come.

   Day of the trek arrived after what seemed like an eternity (for Abi)! He was up even before I could wake him up. Unbelievably, he got ready in no time without making a fuss about anything (what dress, shoes and cap to be worn, snacks to be packed, which water bottle to be carried, who will carry what etc etc  phew.... hope I've not left out any questions!) since these extremely important issues were decided the previous night itself.

   

   Armed with everything he wanted, we embarked on Abi's first trek. His enthusiasm caught on others as well. It was a beautiful day.. It had rained the previous night. Nature was at its most beautiful. Abi saw the mighty Aravali range, learned the names of some wild flowers, saw purple mushrooms popping out early in the morning. We reached our destination without any difficulties and surprisingly, he wasn't tired at all! Though we did not have a proper picnic there, with a mat and a food basket, we did spend some time playing near a lake and munched some peanuts and biscuits.

I can't believe that my little baby whom we used to carry in our lap so protectively has grown up now and raring to go and explore the big wide world out there....

   Pray God to give you strong wings to fly high baby.

Gannu... Our blessing

Ganesh chathurthi has been the beginning of my awakening in more than one way. With a gentle nudge from my daughter and some cleansing of my own thoughts, I am trying to bounce back to my blogging. Through this blog i want to celebrate life with my two little wonders that the god has bestowed upon us.

It's been almost two years since our own little Gannu came into our life. Abi is doing very well as a big bro. It gives us immense pleasure watching him dote on his younger brother (though he does have his mood swings also!).

With two hyperactive munchkins ( my kahna and gannu baba), life has become a roller coaster. As grandparents, I am observing that our interest in festivals increases many folds. We enjoyed all the festivals as kids but somehow as we grew older, celebrating every festival became difficult. Now as grandparents I want to celebrate all our festivals so that the kids enjoy them as much as we did and also learn about them. 

Festival season begins with Ganesh Chathurthi. For some reason, our preparations startded very late. But once it began, it went on with full swing. Abi enjoyed helping us during the preparations. Watching him riddhu (gannu) is  also picking up quickly. Despite living in a city I managed to collect most of the leaves (15 out of 21 different types) that are supposed to be auspicious and flowers for the pooja. That was the highlight of this year's Ganesh Chathurthi as I've done this for the first time. I could also show abi the different types of leaves and their names. 

Along with ganesha's favorite modhak and laddoos, I made abi & riddhu's favorite payasam and some other sweets and savory items. We completed the day with a small homely puja with my family. It would have been picture perfect, had Gaurav been there. 

Thengai burfi / Coconut burfi

    
 For the third and final day, I've selected yet another traditional sweet - yummy and chewy coconut burfi.  As children, this used to be our evening snacks when we came back from school. We could eat as much as we wanted without any guilty feeling of gaining weight like now. We loved them. The easily available ingredients and being easy to prepare, makes it possible to make it often. This, like sesame seeds laddoo, you will not find in sweet shops (different variety is available). My granny and mom used to make this very often but I learnt it from my sister when she visited our place. All thanks to my grandson, I'm learning how to make our traditional sweets so that he can also enjoy what we enjoyed as kids. Now for the recipe.

INGREDIENTS;

1. Sugar - 1/2 kg

2. Roasted gram - 2 tablespoons

3. Grated fresh coconut - 1no

4. Ghee - 100 ml

4. Cardamom - 4 nos

5. Water - as needed

METHOD:

1. Grease a tray with ghee and keep it ready.
2. Put the grated coconut in a blender and pulse it for a few seconds (should be coarse).
3. Take a heavy bottom pan/kadai add sugar and just enough water to cover the sugar and bring it to a boil.
4.Once it starts boiling, add a spoon of milk and keep simmering. Remove all the impurities floating on the top.
5. Add the grated coconut and cook for a few minutes on a medium heat. Then add half the ghee stirring all the while.

6. Keep adding the left over ghee little by little as you cook till the mixture starts foaming. 
7. Add the roasted gram and cook till it starts leaving the sides of the pan.
8.Remove from the heat, pour it into the greased tray and let it cool.
9.Once cooled, cut into desired shape and serve.

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BM 69 Indian sweets. Karai Kacchayam

Abi's li'l hands grabbing the goodies!

      

   Though we like sweets, we don't enjoy the market sweets that much. Traditional and homemade sweets are the most favorite ones. Of these, our traditional sweet called kachayam is a big family hit. We make two types of kachayam. One is made out of rice flour and sugar syrup. The process is more tedious. The second one is called karai kachayam. Karai means mixing. This is easier and instant and made by mixing all the ingredients nicely. Hence the name. Both taste fantastic. Here I'm making the second variety. 

     Every time I make this, time rewinds in my mind and brings some sweet memories. Once we visited my MIL 's sister's place, unannounced as newly married. She was too excited and anxious as it is believed the new bride has to be given sweets on her first visit and there was no sweet shop nearby. So she made this quick sweet with so much love and it tasted like heaven, something which I've not forgotten even after many decades. In fact, I learnt it that day. So I dedicate this to her.  Now to the recipe. 

                       

Ingredients:

Wheat flour   - 1 cup

Maida / All purpose flour -2 tablespoons

Ripe banana  - 1

Sugar   - 1/2 cup ( or to taste)

Grated fresh coconut - 3 tablespoons (optional)

Green cardamom   - 5 Nos

A pinch of cooking soda

Ghee/ oil for frying

Method:

1. Mash the banana well in a mixing bowl.

2. Add in all the other ingredients except oil.

3. Add water a little at a time to make a smooth batter. The batter should be of pouring consistency.

4. Make sure there are no lumps in it.

5. Heat ghee in a pan, bring to medium heat and pour a spoonful of batter into the hot oil. (You can pour 4 or 5 kachayam in one go depending upon the size of your pan).

6. Fry on both sides till they become golden brown.

7. Lift one at a time, press it in between two steel ladles to flatten them and also strain the excess ghee out. (Need to do this quickly so as to remove all of them without burning).

8. You can, of course, serve them hot or even cold (room temperature).

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