Before I start writing out the recipe for guava wine, I have a little story to share. Years ago, my husband took me to a visit to one of his friends’ place at Kalpetta. An avid collector of exotic plants and fruit trees, this friend took us around his plantation. After admiring the variety and…
5 ingredients or less
Mulberry Jam (Vegan + Gluten Free)
To the sericulturist, the mulberry tree is often just a source of leaves to feed the silkworms, but to me, and perhaps to many of you, the mulberry tree is a haven of nostalgic childhood memories. I vividly remember the wizened old mulberry tree at my eldest cousin Meerakka’s home, at Cochin. Right opposite their…
Tomato Smoothie (Vegan + Gluten Free)
My husband’s chief hobby is organic gardening and he spends much of his spare time growing a plethora of vegetables and fruits in our garden. I never feel the need to refrigerate any vegetable or fruit as any day, I only have to step out to collect what I need, pesticide and chemical free, fresh…
Indian Mint Cough Syrup (Vegan + Gluten Free)
Millions of people may share nostalgic memories of the unforgettable taste of homemade cough syrup that they were made to drink as kids and even as adults when laid up with the flu. Such is the taste and efficacy of this simple home remedy that even today, my husband asks me to make him some whenever he…
Vegan Coconut Smoothie – A drink of love (Gluten Free)
Would you like to hear a story? This happened over a couple of decades ago. A dozen girls, studying in high school, gathered at their tuition center at Calicut. Their happy faces indicated that they had no intention of attending tuitions that day. The elder sister of Rahianath, one of the girls in the group,…
Mango Blossom Chutney (Vegan + Gluten Free)
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…
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…
Banana Wine (Vegan + Gluten Free)
One of the most fragrant of all bananas is the Mysore poovan banana. Known as palayankodan in Malayalam, Mysore kele in Konkani and poovan in Tamil, this tall banana grown traditionally in South India produces large bunches of medium sized fruits, which turn a golden yellow when ripe. If left to ripen on the tree itself, its very fragrance…