Vegetables on a Palette for the Cook!

The lovely orange of the carrots, the various shades of green leafy vegetables, the creamy white of cauliflower, the brown fpotatoes, the red white radishes - all provide a lovely palette for the creative cook to unleash his/her talents to tantalise and titillate the taste buds of near and dear ones. The Indian markets during the winter months provide every man and woman with such a variety of colours, texture and taste from the garden that one does not even miss the meats, fish and eggs. Crunchy cucumbers, captivating capsicums, luscious tomatoes, and other variety of vegetables that flood the market during this season seduce even the worst cooks in the world to try their hands on culinary creations. Maybe it is this lovely spectrum of vegetables available inspired our ancestors to prescribe a vegetarian diet during this period of cold months. Every state of this wonderful country has its own special vegetabular recipes to seduce even the diehard non-vegetarians. Who can resist the Guthu vanakai of Andhra, the avial of Kerala, the usli of Tamilnadu - oh! the list is endless! So get to and enjoy all the vegetables which provide a feast not only to your stomach but also your eyes!

Creative Season for the Artistic South Indian Women

The month of Margazhi, according to the Tamil calender, beginning next week that is on 15 December, heralds another season of unbridled artistry decorating the roads of South India. During this month the South Indian Women become obsessed with the decorative craft Rangoli as it is known in many parts of India. It is known as kolam in Tamilnadu, Muggulu in Andhra P, Rangavalli in Karnataka, Poovidal or pookolam in Kerala, Chowkpurana in Uttar Pradesh, Madana in Rajasthan, Aripana in Bihar and Alpana in Bengal. Though the thresholds of South Indian homes is decorated with kolam every morning during the cold months of December/January it assumes another dimension. Young girls vie with each other to decorate threshold of their house with larger and more intricate designs. It is said that the atmosphere is laden with ozone during the predawn period especially so during the winter months. So to make full use of it our ancestors stipulated that womenfolk should draw kolams before sunrise while menfolk should perform nagarasankeertanam. May be it was a ploy to make people get up early during the cold months of the year. Even today this custom persists in the towns and cities of South India though the latter is not as popular as the former. After all women have always been the keeper of customs and traditions!
Though the process of kolam may seem to be tiring and a waste of time, it does confer some benefits on the follower of this art. For onew thing women are supposed to bend and draw the kolams so it becomes a good exercise which strengthens the uterus and helps the kundalini shakthi. The movements of the hands and body contribute to physical fitness and the act of drawing improves creativity and aesthetic sense. Cowdung used to level the ground acts as a disinfectant and the women get a chance to come out of the house and meet others.
According to Shastras, these kolams are to be used to decorate the front yard, the steps, verandahs, cowshed, Thulasi pot, pooja room, wedding mandap, vessel in which pongal is cooked and at any place where auspicious events are taking place. nKarnataka these designs are used to decorate the dining area and the area in front of the bride and groom is specially decorated.
Kolam is normally drawn with rice flour but and to increase its longevity rice flour paste is used traditionally. Modern times however has led to the usage of white paint, chalk piece and other materials according to the convenience and availability.
There are some dos and donts for this art as for any art. The kolam should be drawn facing east and never facing south. The drawing should be made with the right hand only and it should not be drawn squatting on the ground but by bending at the waist. The dots for the kolam should be placed from bottom up as if climbing a ladder and lines should also be drawn with upward strokes. The motifs should be drawn from right to left and not vice versa.
The designs in front of a house can easily be used to jusdge the homemaker in that house. A carelesslly drawn design indicates the careless attitude of the homemaker; naturalistic designs with birds and animals indicates the love of nature; Stereotype designs as drawn by servants indicates the hurried lifestyle while kolams with well placed dots, straight lines and beautiful motifs indicates that the homemaker is not only artistic, creative and sensitive but also that she is good in mathematics.
Happy drawing season!

Unseasonal Mango Season

As we were sweltering in the heat of summer (unusually hot for Vizag) I decided that it was time to drown my sorrow in (not a bottle of beer) but in a tall glass of mango milk shake or lassi! Off to the market went this little piggie and groaning at the high cost of mangoes bought two golden orbs!
Mangoes, the king of fruits with so many legends, so many rituals and so much of sentimentality are the best part of Indian summer and the greatest solace for Indians broiling in the tropical heat. Everyone waits for the first mango of the season and some are sentimental about whom they receive it from. The first mangoes bought by the family are offered to God and only then partaken in some communities. All parts of the mango were immortalised in literature and fine arts: the shape of mango - the famous paisley design known as Kairy in India has spread far and wide in textiles from all parts of the world - the colour of mango reproduced in silk formed an important part of the trousseau of the young South Indian bride and there are innumerable folk tales about the incomparable fruit. Even the famous apple which is supposed to "keep the doctor away" pales into insignificance besides the mango!
With all these thoughts racing through my head, I brought my mangoes home and very lovingly as prescribed by my grandma soaked it in water for two hours, wiped it, peeled it, very delicately chopped a piece of it, closed my eyes and full of expectations placed it in my mouth ! u...! I spat out the mango I had eaten with so much of anitcipation. It tasted like a piece of gourd or vegetable - absolutely bland - neither sweet nor sour! I looked at the fruit in utter disbelief, wondered whether something was wrong with my tongue . As I was peering at the mango suspiciously in walked my servant and with a knowing smile told me " Mangoes are not good this season - they are doing something to ripen them fast and that has destroyed all the taste!" I looked at her in surprise and wondered at her wisdom and awareness but my mango season was ruined for good! Like the burnt child I dread the golden fruit!

Unseasonal Rains!

These days seasons love to tease us - it rains in winter and does not rain during rainy season. It is as if weather likes to say I will not be predictable since you are not predictable. Rain after the hot dry and dusty summer months is a welcome relief and is welcomed with open hands(literally) because it washes the whole landscape (be it rural or urban) clean and leaves it glistening and shiny; unseasonal rain in winter on the other hand seems to make the surroundings grimier and duller. The coolness of the rain is most unwelcome post winter. It was very befuddling to see displays of raincoats and umbrellas in shop windows - for a moment one had to think and decide which month one is in since this type of display is usually associated with July-August. The weatherman says that depression in th ebay is responsible for the rains but how was the depression caused in the bay - no one is able to answer. May be nature is becoming depressed at the antics of mankind! Anyway let us hope that weather won't continue to be capricious but revert back to its banal, boring self so that we may not be surprised with snow in summer and dry sandy storms in winter!