Idhu Namma Ooru! (This is our city!)

Am compiling a list of what various Tamil Nadu cities are famous for, am working on a proposal for a TV programme based on this, and with help from some tweeps and what I have been hearing from movies and songs, I have compiled the list below.

1. Dindukkal pootu

2. Thirunalveli Alwa

3. Coimbatore Panju

4. Thirupoor Baniyan

5. Pollachi Ilaneer, Sandhai

6. Madurai Jigarthanda (pprakash)

7. Kanjipuram Maadam, Pattu

8. Thanjavur Bommai (pprakash), Paintings (girisrini), Periya Koil (Revs_R)

9. Alanganallur JalliKattu

10. Thirupachi Aruva

11. Srivilliputhur Palgova (pprakash, antoniOanbu)

12. Ooty Eucalyptus (pprakash), Rose (fabwrite)

13. Karaikudi Malli

14. Kangeyam Kaalai

15. Thiruchi Malaikottai

16. Madurai Malli, Meenakshi Amman Koyil

17. Bargur Maambazham (Revs_R)

18. Pazhani mottai, panjamirtham

19. Pondicherry Milli

20. Oothukuli Vennai (pprakash)

21. Thoothukudi uppu, Macaroon (Sriram Murali)

22. Manapparai Murukku (antoniOanbu)

23. Kovilpatti Kadalai Mittai (Sriram Murali, antoniOanbu, milcom_) , Theekutchi

24. Sivagasi Pattasu, Printing Press, Calendar, Oothupathi, Stainless Steel, Veshti (Scanman)

25. Salem Maambazham (Sriram Murali)

26. Sattur Boli (Sriram Murali), Kara Sev (Aravindkumar), Karuppeti Mittai (Veyilaan)

27. Valliyoor Murukku (milcom_)

28. Chenkottai Thayiru (milcom_)

29. Thiruvaaroor Ther

30. Rajapalayam Dogs (nchokkan)

31. Ambasamudram Kai Murukku (Revs_R)

32. Valayapatti Thavil (nchokkan)

33. Banrutti Palaapazham (nchokkan)

34. Bavani Jamukkaalam (nchokkan), Manjal Pai (Scanman)

35. Pathamadai Paai

36. Kumbakonam Degree Coffee (Surajram), Kozhundhu Vetthalai (Thennarasu, RameshSrivats), Koyil (Krithirajaram)

37. Namakkal Lorry, Kozhi Muttai (Thennarasu)

38. Attur Kichidi-Samba (Thennavan)

39. Ambur Briyani (Sandhana Mullai)

40. Aruppokottai Kolam, Saree, Malli (Revs_R)

41. Kodaikkanal HomeMade Chocolates (fabwrite)

42. Gingee (senji) Fort (Krithi Rajaram)

43. Thiruvannamalai Theepam (Krithi Rajaram)

44. Chennai Filter Kaapi, Cinema, Marina Beach (pdilip), LIC buiding (Revs_R)

45. Aarani Pattu (ScanMan)

46. Karaikudi Paal kozhukattai (Revs_R)

47. Thiruvaiyaaru Asoka (AntoniOAnbu)

48. Neyveli Lignite- Nilakkari (Krithika)

49. Dindukkal Briyani (Beski)

50. Manapparai Maatu Sandhai (Beski)

51. Virudhunagar Parotta (Beski)

52. Kutraalam Aruvi (Beski)

52. Mamallapuram Selai (Krithika Rajaram)

53. Thiruchendoor Panai Vellam (BalaSN, Jaskirat)

54. Karaikudi Veedu (Beski)

55. Erode Manjal (Saravana Karthikeyan)

56. Kadambur Boli (Veyilaan)

57. Vadipatti KottuThappattam (Veyilaan)

58. KallidaiKurichi – Appalam (Veyilaan)

I know this is not exhaustive, and there are much more I am not aware of. Where is Malli famous, where is Marikozhundu famous, where is Maambazham famous? And also, if you know, tell me why these places are famous for these products.

By my way of thanking you, your twitter handles, and blog addresses will be featured in my blog for 2 weeks, with information about you. Thanks in advance!!!

Friday night Dream.. Tony and the Dark Water Lake

I often have vivid dreams, that are mostly filled with adventure, blood and ancient historical places. Some of them so vivid that I have completely sketched maps of the locations the dreams took place. Some of them make complete sense, and are coherent as well (which dreams are mostly not supposed to be). Thought I shall put down some of my interesting dreams here, which will help me remember them as well. This was a dream that I had last night.

It was a sunny morning, nice clean street, with houses on one side, and shops on the other. They were typical American houses, individual and separated with fencings. I walked into a house, in which I had wanted to rent a room, for my stay in that town. The owners were an old couple, and they let out a room on the 2nd floor, which had a window overlooking the neat street, with almost no traffic, and on the shelve next to the window, I find a leather jacket diary, belonging to Tony.

Tony used to live in that room before me, a quiet guy, with a way with words. When Tony used to live there, the town was not such a peaceful place as it was now. The town was always gloomy, and despite the spring season, leaves were always falling off the streets. Murders or deaths each day were common, and people rarely greeted each other. Tony had come to stay in that house, precisely to save the town from a demonic group which was causing the wreckage in that otherwise nice town. And so it happens that Tony one day, gathers all these so called ‘demons’ to the brackish dark water lake, towards the end of the town, put them all into a single cage, sink the cage under the dark water, and pulled their right hand fingers off their knuckles, and left them to die there. The demons bleeded, not in crimson blood, but a clear liquid, which turned the brackish water sweet, and dark waters clear, and then no news of Tony ever again.

Tony had a reason to arrive in that town, but I didn’t know what mine was, other than to take frequent walks on the neat pavements, and sometimes peering through glass showcases on the shop front. Once while I was taking such a walk, I saw a man, with deep set eyes, with creases around them, and he was wearing a military attire, with a cap, but had long tresses, like that of a hippie. He walked straight across me, and walked into the house I was living in. I ran after him. He approached my landlords, for a room to stay in, and they pointed at me, and said the only room available was already let out to me. The man did not look too disappointed, but he walked away.

I went up to my room, Tony’s diary, put it in my bag, and ran behind the hippie. I approached him, started a conversation, immediately recognising him as Tony, and asked him about the incident in which he had slayed demons in this very town. He looked at me and asked me how I knew, and I took out the diary and showed it to him. He smiled at me. Tony then asked me if I would like to see the lake, and i instantly agreed. We reached the lake, which was now evidently a tourist spot.

It must have been a few minutes looking around the lake, and I saw a woman approach. She greeted us with a smile, and told us the history of the lake. Tony and me proceed to peer into the water, when I turn around, and see the woman stab Tony with a long rigged knife. She didn’t have fingers on her right hand. Tony turned around to look at the woman, and at the same time, a couple of vans came to a screeching halt outside the lake. Out of the vans came men, with covered heads, and with long beards, and started capturing tourists and town civilians alike and were putting them into their vans.

Tony still with the knife on his back, took out his rifle and shot down as much men as possible, and when he realises that he could not possibly carry on, takes me to a corner, and prepares to shoot me dead; He knows that if he does not, I would be taken away by the mystery men (or the men, who Tony was fighting against in the army during the war). The only clear words I hear spoken out of Tony were, “Close both your ears, just like how the Fucking Americans do, when they hear gunshots!”, and I adhere to his commands. Tony breathes his last few breaths, and puts one through my left temple. I am glad to go with Tony.

Push, Pull, Jump… and all under control!

Its not that often i post videos on my blog, but this I had to, beause the dude at the end of the video reminded me about what people used to say about me!

I get pretty excited watching scary flicks, or playing video games, and usually that results in injuring others around me, by pulling their hair, or squeezing them tight, or pushing them off the chair. Now if no one is around my vicinity, I do the next possible thing, get up on the couch, and start jumping to keep my fear or excitement under control. When I used to play video games, I used to sway from side to side, or jump, or duck, depending on how the vehicle, or character moved on the screen in front of me.

I don’t know how that helped… but it did. Enjoy!

5 Things I’ll Remember Banglore by…

Have heard about the so called Garden city for such a long time, and I was blessed with my first visit days back. The city surprised me in a number of ways, but other than that, it was just the way I had imagined it to be. 5 things that I will always remember about Banglore will be..

1. It’s a beer haven!

A walk through Brigade Road, and every turn is filled with bar filled with beers, and that too in a price unimaginable in Chennai, so no one is thirsty in Banglore!

2. It’s a food galore!

I didn’t have difficulty spotting my favourite food in the city, although I was not around much in Banglore apart from Malleshwaram and Brigade Road. But Mallu food, continental, italian.. you name it, and it is right there staring at you.

3. No matter where you go, Cafe Coffee Day sux!

Both in service and food quality. And this particular outlet at Malleshwaram has the worst imaginable toilet possible. Even worst than all your Harpic ads put together.

4. Ladies feet in Banglore do not go below Size 6 or Size 37

And therefore I could not find any form of footwear for myself, although they had some kick ass rocking pumps, flats and cinderalla shoes. Every shop I enter, or walk past, the reply is ‘No madam, 37 is the smallest we have!’ and mine is a freaking 35!

5. U have Money! you can SHOP

till you drop! Especially if you go there during the month of August, because the whole town is on sale, up to 99.9%. I didn’t come across a single shop which didn’t have a SALE sign on. But most of the stuff looked really old and dirty, especially in the Banglore Central mall.

I screwed it up… BIG TIME!

U know how it feels to have spoilt someone’s birthday? Especially your boyfriend’s? Well I do…. I just did it last Sunday. I mean, I cant remember when was the last time I had a birthday with all this candle blowing, and balloons, and new clothes to wear when u get up at the morning… And because all these traditions don’t mean anything to me (Like most traditions), I decided that it would be the same for my boyfriend, and obviously I was wrong.

I just didn’t bother to have a cake and a candle out in the midnight, and I did not shop for his clothes earlier, and gift it for his birthday, and turns out that it was his first birthday without new clothes to wear. And this is not the first time I screwed up on his birthday… Last year, I forgot to wish him at the stroke of midnight; rather I slept through midnight, because I was in Singapore, and he in India, so time lag, sleep blah blah blah…

It does not speak much about a girlfriend who keeps screwing up on all her boyfriend’s birthday’s since they started knowing each other right? I know. I just don’t put enough emphasize on certain things, because they don’t matter to me.

But well, it was not so bad, because 2 of my pals (@msnarain and @MihirChord) did this whole surprise thing, on the terrace of a tall building, overlooking the backwaters, and city lights, with a guitar, and a candle on a brownie, and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to my boyfriend with me on the Birthday eve. But still…. I could have done better… for being a girlfriend. I just screwed it up… BIG TIME!

Thinking Out of the Ice Box

For most of my lifetime, I have been living in with my family, so my mum makes sure that I have the healthiest, and tastiest of foods in hand whenever I want. But living alone proves a lot of challenges, especially in the areas of food, because food acquired from elsewhere is either tasteless, or highly unhealthy and chemically processed, extremely expensive for no reason or most of the time, all of the above.

Having a fridge means possibilities of having fresh food, fruits and vegetables you need at any time of the day (and that is what I really would like to live on), and as a person with a very small appetite, even when I buy back food home, or when I cook something, I would like to keep the remainder in the fridge for  later consumption. Cold drinks/food is not necessary for me, with the exception of cold beer, and a quick visit to ‘Zaras’ will solve the problem.

I don’t have a fridge in my flat now in Chennai, and how many people out there, can ever imagine eating at home, without a fridge? I couldn’t, but I will take it up as a challenge to live without one? How? Below are simple tips I sourced out (mostly from the internet, and others from friends who have been surviving fridge-less)

1. Storing perishables in a screened-in enclosure covered with a damp cloth (evaporation from the cloth would keep the box’s contents somewhat cool)

2. Food can be saved from spoiling if it is heated close to boiling every 24 hours

3. Fresh fruits and vegetables, tend to keep very well without refrigeration.  Some fruits (citrus, apples, and others) require no chilling at all.

4. Ladies fingers, carrots, greens—in fact, almost anything with a stem—will keep well in water much the same way that flowers stay fresh when arranged in a filled vase (only allow the tips to touch the water)

5. To avoid waste, condiments like pickles and preserves can be storred in small jars, so that you can consume the whole contents of an opened container within a day or so

6. Eggs last longer if you turn the carton over every day

7. Hang potatoes, onions, squash, etc., in a basket

8. Almond milk, of all milks is known to last longer, so it can be kept to stand in a jar of cool water.

9. To avoid wastage, prepare only the amount of food that you can consume.

Actually contrary to popular believe, many people who live without the fridge, swear that they have more fresh food than before, and the waste lesser food, now that they only cook the quantity they need. So maybe having no fridge can be better in many ways other than just saving the environment, and cutting the electricity bills.

So if anyone is daring enough to live without the fridge, just pull out the plug! They say its like learning to ride a bike. Difficult when you don’t know how to, but once you know, you wonder why the hell was it supposed to be difficult in the first place.

Right now, I am still figuring out how to keep beer cold without a fridge.

Squid, Calamari, Sotongs…

When I used to fish in the East Coast Beach in Singapore during the evenings (yeah i mean using a fishing rod, and throwing a bait with a weight into the far ocean from a jetty), my neighbours on the jetty were a bunch of Chinese and Japanese, who would lure squids with some lighted line and rods. Once a squid was hooked (and many squids lurk around the Bedok Jetty at the East Coast Beach), they are promptly beheaded, inked and then quickly dipped into some wasabi, sashimi sauce or soy sauce and popped into eagerly waiting mouths.

I muse confess I have never had those kind of Antony Bourdain moments when I eat squids, but I am extremely fond of cooked squids. For most of you, calamari might sound like a better way to describe squids (many around me think that the word squid itself sounds squirmy or rather a smaller version of an octopus). For one thing, squids are NOT octopuses. An octopus as 8 tentacles but a squid has 10. The squid’s “head” has a recognizable elongated shape usually with a triangular fin-like structure at the end opposite the tentacles, the octopus head is more of a limp bag, and of course there are many more if you look into the details, but these are the 2 more visible ones. Calamari is the Italian, plural of calamaro which comes from medieval Latin calamarium ‘pen case,’ depicting its long tapered body with black ink in it, and the word ‘Calamari’ doesn’t just refer to those deep batter fried round ring like things you have with your beer; it simply means squids.

I grew up eating loads of squids in Singapore, in a country which calls it Sotong. We have chilli sotong, fried sotong, sotong sambal, sotong grills and much more. My grandmother’s sotong sambal with the Indian rasam is a combination to die for, and my mum cooks sotong in a more drier dish, and we just call it ‘Sotong Pirattal’ or Stir-fried Sotong.

I realise that squids are not that popular in Chennai, maybe people are put off by the black ink that comes out of them when you pull off their heads, but they are very easy to clean up. Once the heads are pulled off, and the ink is washed off, you are left with a hollow white cavity, which can be grilled just like that with some marinate, or they can be sliced into rings to be deep fried or stir fried, or they can be stuffed with something and baked, like the recipe given here. But they are much more popular in Kerala, where it is called Kanava. (We in Singapore call squids Kanava in tamil as well, but many friends in Chennai do not comprehend the word Kanava, so I am not sure if it is Tamil or Malayalam) In Kerala you have the Kanava Thoran – Squid Chilli Fry or the Kanava Curry, the 2 most popular coastal dishes of Kerala.

What I have given you here is the Sotong Masak Kicap or Squids cooked in Soya Sauce – something that is well loved in my homeland and the neighbouring countries.

1. Clean the squid and marinate it for about 30 minutes with lime juice, salt, pepper, 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tsp of green curry paste (which is a simple paste consisting of green chillies, shallots, ginger, garlic, corainder, lemon grass, lime, lime leaves, galangal, coriander seeds, cumin, peppercorn, thai fish sauce and olive oil grounded together or you can buy it off the shelves)
2. Heat oil in the wok and saute some onions, green curry paste, garlic, ginger, salt, pepper and chilli paste for a few minutes.
3. Add 2 tbsp soy sauce and stir gently. Pour the marinated contents into the wok and cook for a few minutes.
4. Add more soy sauce if required to your taste, cover the wok and the whole thing simmer for 7-8 minutes.
5. Finally, add some tomatoes and scallion and 2 stalks of fresh chillies into the wok and cook for 4 minutes.

Now scoop the sotongs and they kicap onto some warm rice, and turn South East Asian!

Picure courtesy of http://www.melur.co.uk/images/glossary/sotong.jpg

Weekend Getaway!

A well deserved trip to Mahabalipuram on Saturday, especially after reading Edith Tomory’s “A History of Fine Arts in India and the West” – where Mahabs art, temples, and statues are described in awesome details and sketches. Thanks to my ex-lecturer Mr. Vasanth for lending the book to me.

(Click on the pictures below to visit my Flickr album…)
Of course the ancient Pallava structures are not the only thing that one visit the Mahabs for – Mahabs is a tourist spot, which means loads of colours, loads of sight seeing, and awesome seafood and beer.

And then the evening was well spent at The Farm, getting acquainted with Twitter pal @wiredvijay’s CANON EOS 30D. My first time doing Food photos, and that too with minimal lighting, and I had to work at lighting speed, before the grills were snatched away to be served.

As a famous @adapaavi once said… “I live during the weekends, and merely exist during the weekdays”

Farming at The Farm

People never understand why I would agree to work at a farm. I mean why would you not work at a farm? Isn’t there more inspiration to work in one?

For one thing, you wont be desk bound, you will be working outdoors, but still be away from the heat (With hundreds of coconut trees above your head), you will be breathing better air then your office bound counterparts, you will be getting unlimited supply of tender coconuts, you will get to work with living things other than people and so on. So why would anyone not work in a farm? Because it is an unglamorous thing to do, at this age, just like how many of the other simple jobs like being a waitress, being a weaver, being a gardener have been deemed to be ‘uninspiring’, ‘unstimulating’ and ‘insipid’. Since we all started working for ‘lifeless’ Technology seemed inspiring, working for living things have become plain vanilla.

I would tell you, that there is more vanilla to a job which involves activity with more life.

After a quick introduction, and walk about around the kitchen and the poultry, and cowshed areas, I was presented my crisp apron, and kitchen towel, which put on dutifuly – I was granted admission to work with the kings of the kitchen, and the head chef presents me with a knife to ‘beat’ down mutton pieces to ‘flatten’ them and ‘tenderise’ them, so that the marinate they would go in later will permeate them well, infuse with their flavour, and surprise the palettes of feasters when they lift the pieces off the granite slab they will be cooked on and placed in their mouths.

Soon followed loads of technicalities, recipes, masalas, ingredients, and even a peep into hand written recipes, vetted and evaluated many times, before brought out to the farm visitors. I don’t know why, but in that kitchen, I felt like the character Linguine from the movie Ratatouille. The chief chef, gave me a glance, when I was obviously suffering with the pork chop pieces, and gave me a seemingly less demanding task – to cut cauliflowers, until he took the knife away from me, and told me that I had minced them instead of cutting them.

No taste enhancers were used in the course of preparation, all ingredients were familiar with me – they were things I grew up with, garam masala, chili powder, ginger paste – I had always thought that food that was not cooked at home, was made done slipshod, with all possible taste enhancers, unnatural ingredients etc, but there was no reason to use chemical means to intensify the taste of food which is anyway meant to be simple.

While preparing the Pizza base in the chula with Arul was when I was introduced to Dipesh, the other man behind the conceptualising of ‘The Farm’; another Fat Bastard, who now is painfully away from his Bullet, because his doctor told him both him and his bike needed a well deserved break. He told me, that in ‘The Farm’ the only soft drinks available were what him and Arul relished as youngsters – Limca, Bovonto, and Thumbs Up, and now they are working on bringing the ‘Goli’ Soda into their fridge, and showed me to lunch – Tandoor done Aloo Paranthas with farm-made Buffalo Curd, Butter and Mango pickles - an authentic Punjabi recipe shared by his wife. Dipesh and Arul make sure, that the butter which goes on the Parantha, does so only on the table, so that I can have the joy of placing a spoonful on the stuffed bread and watch it melt and spread to the edges in a matter of seconds.

Lunch had to be digested somehow, and it was done by playing on 3 different types of rope walks, walking on top of the thatched roof of the feasting area and visiting the Futnani’s house, and temple they have constructed.

Picture courtesy of @mrmwrites

Before dusk, visitors had started coming into The Farm, getting ready for the grills, and even I was getting ready to grill the meat I had beaten and prepared. Out comes the mutton, the pork chops and kebabs from the marinate, and into various forms of cooking over the fire. The kebabs and sheeks go on the grills, the mutton and pork chops over a granite slab, the pathar, and a whole chicken went over beer filled cans; aptly called Beered chicken, to be covered and slow cooked in charcoal heat.

Picture courtesy of @dilipm

The night was filled with cooking, grilling, making pizzas, serving guests and entertaining my friends who had come down to The Farm.

I did get to eat some meat while grilling them, in the pretext of checking for flavours, but the real eating, and gorging and feasting was to come the next Saturday where I would be joining the farm as a feaster, rather then as a kitchen crew. For now, I left the farm, with ease of having been able to prepare food the way I would have prepared myself for my loved ones.

I think there is more gratification then inspiration to work in a farm. I stand corrected.

The Farm is  located at Old Mamallapuram Road (IT Highway), just after Sathyabhama University on the left. Entry to The Farm costs 500 Rs per person + taxes which includes unlimited grilled food, unlimited rice and rotis unlimited tender coconuts and etc. (Whatever The Farm team decide to serve on that day) Dinner on weekends only by prebooking.

Email to thefarm.in@gmail.com / Call +91 9176050562

Achari Mushroom Crostinis

Recently read this off Vir Sanghvi’s blog, about how people no longer pay attention to what they eat, especially when they are drinking.

That seems to be true. Countless parties I have been to, and seems like finger foods served during cocktail parties turn out to be some of the most difficult food to eat, and require constant supplies of tissue paper due to spilling on your outfit, or the excess amount of oil. Some other parties content with just potato chips, or huge amounts of peanut, and the next morning you will be guilt stricken as ever. Why the hell do cocktail snacks have to be difficult to prepare, or easily unhealthy. Below is something you can try out for your next party.

Good bread, sliced into small holdable squares

Mushrooms, sliced into thin pieces

Onion

Garlic

Pickles

Olive Oil

Saute the mushrooms with some garlic and onion in olive oil, and finish it off with some pickles.

Toast the bread till it is crisp

Put a little mushroom on each piece of bread

Of course Achari mushrooms are not the only thing that you can put on your breads, you can try saute-ing the mushrooms in red wine, or another variety would be to toss them in butter, vinegar, garlic and oregano.

A variety of crostinis will decorate your platters, and also tantalise the palettes of your guests.

Achari Mushroom Crostini recipe courtesy of Vir Sanghvi