Welcome to “Heritage Flavors,” a delightful journey into the heart of traditional foods and the cherished stories that have been passed down through generations in my family. Here, I will take you on a personal and captivating exploration of our family’s culinary heritage, sharing the secrets behind time-honoured recipes and the interesting tidbits about their origin and evolution over the years.
Dosai. The popular tiffin item can become a King of the kitchen in its myriad avataars like Ghee roast, Mysore Masala dosai or cheese dosai for the AI savvy kids in the household or can transform into a quick fix “make do” meal with Molaga podi as accompaniment when there is nothing worthwhile except some week old batter in the fridge. Dosai, was the topic for this...
When a recent bout of fever left me weakened and drained, the mere thought of cooking seemed like an insurmountable task. With my energy levels plummeting, I found myself scrolling through my phone’s contact list, where I had saved the numbers of several home-cooked meal delivery companies. The idea of savouring a “home cooked” meal from one of...
Circa 1975. It was the month of July, and my Pankajam paati (maternal grandmother) was staying with us. We were excited as my beloved Chithi was due to arrive that afternoon. Little did I know then that a secret midnight feast awaited us! Paati gently woke us (we 3 sisters) up in the dead of night and beckoned us to quietly slip into the sacred Pooja room. She...
Time is 6 pm. All tasks done for the day. Time to shut the laptop down. Hunger pangs have already begun. Been a long hard day with lots of brain work. Must reward myself with a nice dinner. Hmmm. What to cook? Aha! Rice upma in a vengala paanai. Hey you upma haters! You are missing something in life if you have not tasted this simple yet fulfilling dish. It’s...
Most of us know all about Pongal, why it is celebrated and how it is celebrated, but did you know that the rituals are very different in each family? There are differences (some major) in how my Mom celebrates as well as how we (in my Pugundha veedu) celebrate…thought will document here what all we do…my husband’s family hails from Kalkulam, a little hamlet near...