Covering the courtyard of my ancestral home at Thalassery stands a huge old mango tree. Proud and tall, it produces baskets of delicious country papaya mangoes (also called popai ambo in Konkani and kappa manga or ko manga in Malayalam) invariably every year. During the ripening season which coincides with the summer holidays, we children used to run to the base of…
Recipes
Hot and Spicy Vegan Cookies
Ever since we moved to this remote mountain village in the Western Ghats, every year on Christmas Eve, my family and I eagerly await the visit of Santa Claus and the neighborhood carol singers. The first year, a person was sent here in the morning asking us if we wouldn’t mind the children coming to…
Vegetable Macaroni (Vegan)
Whenever you think of cooking something for children, it is best if you can be a child at heart again, if only for a moment. The world of a child is magical – full of colors and lights, of attractions and fears, of greatly accentuated tastes and smells – a life of wonder and beauty….
Sweet Khichadi – A traditional teatime snack (Gluten Free)
Whenever I think of Khichadi, all of sudden, I am a little schoolgirl again, transported back to the magical time of childhood. I remember waiting for the long bell to ring at the end of the last period to rush back home, often running at breakneck speed, to see what goodies mother has cooked for…
Collard Dal – A hot and spicy curry (Gluten Free)
Collard greens is one of the perennial leafy vegetables I love most. I only need to step out of our home to gather a handful of crisp, tender collard green leaves for the kitchen. We grow a dozen or so clumps in fully organic fashion. This ensures that we get extra-tasty leaves round the year….
Dudali – A traditional arrowroot dessert (Gluten Free)
In the good old days of my childhood, when fast food was unheard of, pure unadulterated arrowroot powder was freely available in the market. Whenever a person in the family was struck down by illness, especially typhoid or diarrhea, and unable to take solid food, arrowroot powder would promptly be used to make a reviving hot…
Arrowroot Drink (Gluten Free)
Historians believe that mankind has been cultivating and using arrowroot for well over 7000 years. During my childhood, nearly every household in Kerala had a patch of arrowroot and of turmeric. All members of large joint families participated in planting, tending, harvesting and processing of organic produce of the finest quality. Alas, with the change…
Cherry Arrowroot Jam (Vegan + Gluten Free)
This year, the acerola cherry (Barbados cherries / West Indian cherries / Wild Crepe Myrtle cherries / Malpighia Emarginata) bush in our compound bore way too many juicy, red cherries. Even after making squash, syrup, curry and pickles, there were plenty left to spare. My husband brought in some freshly dug arrowroots. Seeing them, an…
Spicy Collard Nuggets (Vegan + Gluten Free)
Collard greens do not grow well in the hot climate of the Kerala coast. However, in the cooler mountain districts of Wayanad and Idukki, it is an entirely different story. When we purchased our land in Wayanad around 8 years ago, we used to visit every week to supervise the construction work of our home. We…
Eggless Banana Cake (Vegan)
Last week, while enjoying a walk along the slope down the bottom of our garden, I spotted a beautiful little bunch of mature Nendran bananas, ready for harvest. My husband quickly cut it down and severed the combs. At home, I use a large metal container to ripen banana bunches. Old newspapers are spread out…