KARINKALAN ( A curry with papad tempering)

(A combined dish made from ash gourd,greenpumkin and cow pea beans)

Ash gourd is high in fibre and water content and lowers one's calories thus promoting a good weight control. Green Pumpkin is a good source of  Vitamin A, and, cow pea beans are rich sources of micronutrients including folate,iron,copper and thiamine. A blend of these veggies together gives a packed punch of energy and is a light dinner supplement in most of the household of Kerela.

A quick and an easy recipe.

Ingredients

1. Ash gourd- 250 gm

2. Green pumkin- 250gm

3. Cow pea beans -100gms

4. Green chillies-  4

5. Mustard seeds-1 tsp

6. Par Boiled Raw rice -1tsp

7. Curry leaves- a few

8. Whole red chillies-2

9.Coconut oil for tempering

10. Kerela papad or plain urad  papad -  2 nos

11.Salt to taste

12. Water - two glasses

Method

Cut the green pumkin and ash gourd into thin and small slices, and the cow pea beans into long strips as shown in pic below.

Now boil all the three vegetables together in a pan, (if it's a clay one it will give more aroma and taste) adding two glasses of water, salt and slit green chillies cook until soft and cooked completely. Do not mash. Keep aside. Heat a tempering pan. When hot pour the coconut oil. Put the mustard seeds, raw rice,whole red chillies spilt into two and curry leaves,when the mustard seeds splutter add the magic ingredient papad cut into small pieces. Fry for few minutes, pour this tempering on to the curry and serve with steamed rice. Your simple and healthy dish is ready to be served with crispy papadam as toppings.

Kerela papad.⏫

Pic courtesy Google images

The old man and the little girl.

Market place 

THE OLD MAN AND THE LITTLE GIRL

Park Circus market was one of the famous market place of Calcutta. You can get anything from a needle to furniture for your home. It may sound a bit awkward nowadays, but for us, it wasn't less than any Mall with seperate sections for every need of yours. It had a separate vegetable section, meat section,fish bazar,poultry section, utensils section, clothes section, bangles section, Needles and threads section, Stationary section, furniture bazar and, flower market and even a oil ghani. This market was in circular shape so everything was fit into a fine order. Outside the market along the footpaths were the sweet shops, pan shops, slipper shops, bakery, tea shops, fruits shop, books shops etc. And in the midst of all these was the old blind man sitting begging alms.He was always accompanied by a small girl of four to six years and also a dog. It is said by the market owners that, he got this girl from a garbage trash in a almost dying situation. He picked her up took her to the hospital and saved her. From that day onwards he is taking care of her as his own child. 

From my balcony I used to watch them. The old man had a routine too. Though he was a beggar he kept himself and the girl very tidy. Early morning he will take his bath from common corporation pipe on the roadside, and will give a bath to the little girl too, making her tidy. The dog will follow him wherever he goes and will howl on all dangers of traffic and people. He always used to sit in front of the entrance gate and the ones who enter inside the market and the ones who exit used to give him some money or eatabels. The eatabels were enough for him and the child, and moreover the sweet shops too used to feed him in the afternoon with their leftovers. 

One thing I noticed was that,he always carried a big bag, which he never used to part with on any condition, it will always be hanging on his either shoulders. He though blind used to protect the girl in all possible ways from climatic conditions and also from crooked people. Days passed by and the girl was growing up into a teen and the man becoming more older. Seeing her grow into teens, I was wondering how would the girl be safe  amidst this market place and also with all the wild activities of the night. I used to be in pain seeing them and helpless too, since, I didn't have the courage to ask my parents to keep her at our home, because every middle class family of that era, would

be in, just bread to mouth situation,so, giving help to another soul wasn't that easy. But as said "every cloud has a silver lining," I saw, one day, a van approaching that old man. 

It was a van from the Orphanage run by Mother Teresa and they had come to take that child away to their orphanage. Taking the child away from the old man wasn't an easy task. No matter what, the child will not let go the old man. It was a pathetic scene, the child howling her breath, and the old man begging the van to go back. The van went back with a promise to come back again the next day. In the meantime we all decided to make the old man understand. The major part of the discussion was done by our maid who too used to feel the pain of a destitute. She too was working for an earning to keep her large family away from begging. So she made the blind old man understand the graveneous of the situation of a girl being on road without any protection. The old man agreed and made the child too understand the same.

 Next day the van arrived, the attendents approached the old blind man to let go the child. He moved towards the van with his bag hanging on his left shoulder and clutching the girl's hand.Just as the girl was getting inside the van he stopped her. He removed his bag from his shoulder. For the first time I saw him opening his precious bag. He took out a beautiful Zari Saree in red clour and a pouch full of money. He handed over the saree and the pouch to the girl saying that he had kept it for her marriage, since, she is leaving him it's a parting gift from him. May she be blessed and live a worthy life.

Tears welled up the little girls eyes and also the onlookers.

Who would think a beggar to act or to have something precious as such? and also to part with it.?(Do remember the era). He truly played the role of a father though he wasn't her own. The van took the girl away leaving behind the blind man and the dog. My routine of watching the market place from my balcony continued and I saw the old man now taking care of his dog 🐕.

(Pic courtesy Google images)

Zimikand/Sooran/Oal/Chena fry

A brief discrption of this wonderful vegetable

Zimikand or Elephant foot yam is considered to be a staple food, rich in carbohydrates proteins and vitamin B6, a great food for diabetic patients since it helps in maintaining the sugar levels. It's also help in increasing the bowel movements, thus a relief to  the one suffering from constipation.

Ingredients

1. Zimikand 1/2 kg

2. Onion - 2 large

3. Whole red chillies - 4

4. Pepper corns -1 tsp

5. Garlic - 5 cloves

6. Turmeric powder - 1tsp

7. Salt to taste

8. Oil for frying

Method

Cut the Zimikand

into pieces (just as shown in the pic above)remove the skin and boil adding salt and turmeric powder in a cooker, one whistle. This prior cooking will help to fry it quickly and soft too. Mostly Zimikand takes longer time to cook if raw. Remove when cool and cut it into thin slices

Grind the onion,peppercorn, whole red chillies and garlic to a fine paste in a mixie. Apply/ coat the paste nicely on the Zimikand slices. Keep it covered for ten minutes. Heat a tava pour oil and place the Zimikand slices, fry on slow flame, turning the sides when the lower sides completely turns brown and crips.

Fry both sides until brown and crispy.  Remove, your

Zimikand/Sooran/Oal/Chena fry is ready to be served. You can have it like a snack or as accompaniments.

(Pic courtesy Google images)

Snake gourd,raw mango and jackfruit seeds curry.

Snake gourds are one of the rich source of fibre and roughage. The addition of jackfruit seeds in this recipe, instead of any (dal) lentils, brings additional benefits of minerals, alongwith thiamin and riboflavin, the raw mango acts as a coolant to the body during the summer months when mangoes are in plenty aspecially raw mangoes again an another source of fibre and vitamins. It contains 36.4 % Vitamin C.

Ingredients

1. Snake gourd -1 large

2. Raw mango - 1 smal

3. Jackfruit seeds - a few

4. Grated fresh coconut- 1 cup

5. Green chillies - 5

6. Cummin seeds - 1 tsp

7. Curd - half cup

8. Turmeric powder- 1 tsp

9. Salt to taste

10. Curry leaves a few

11. Mustard seeds-1tsp

12. Fenugreek seeds-1 tsp

13. Whole red chillies,-1

14.Coconut oil - 1 tsp

15. Water - 2 glass.

Method

Clean and cut the snake gourd into small pieces.

Remove the skin of the jackfruit seeds.

Cut the raw mango into small pieces discard the seed.

In a cooker cook the jackfruit seeds five to six whistle. When cooked transfer it into a large pan add the chopped snake gourd, raw mango, two cups of water, turmeric powder and salt, cook till done. Grind together grated fresh coconut, green chillies and cummin seeds to a fine paste in a mixie.

Mix this paste with half cup beaten curd pour this paste into the  pan of boiled snake gourd jackfruit seeds and raw mango. Cook for another two minutes on low flame add the curry leaves and remove. Heat a tadka pan,

add coconut oil when hot add the mustard seeds, Fenugreek seeds, whole red chillies broken into two and curry leaves let it splutter now pour this tadka on the curry, mix well and cover to retain the aroma.

Your curry is ready to be served with steamed rice.

(Pic courtesy Google images)

Steamed fish in banana leaves

Ingredients

1. Hilsa fish (for the lover of fish with bones) or betki fish (which is fleshy and have less bones) it also called as Asian sea bass or Narimeen in Malayalam. A kilo or as per one's individual requirements.

2.Grated fresh coconut - one whole coconut

3.Green chillies - 6

4. Yellow mustard  a teaspoon

5. Oil for dusting - coconut oil or mustard oil

6. Banana leaves cut into rectangles. Take the count as per the pieces of fish. (For getting the authentic taste it is recommended, can use foil if not available)

7. Salt to taste

8. Turmeric powder

9. Steamer or idli cooker

( Do increase the ingredients of masala as per one's requirements)

Method

Clean and cut the fish into pieces. Apply salt and tumeric powder. Keep aside. Grind together fresh coconut green chillies and yellow mustard seeds in a mixie to a fine thick paste. Dust the banana leaf cut outs with oil and blanch( see the pic)blancing helps the banana leaves to hold the things without tear.

place the fish piece in the centre coat the fish nicely with the coconut masala paste and make it into a packet. You  can even tie it with threads to seal it tightly ( see pics)

Boil water in a steamer when boiled place the fish packets carefully without tearing. Steam it for ten minutes. Open and remove from the steamer. Let it cool. Your steamed fish is ready to be served

(Pic courtesy Google images)