cooking

When it comes to creating a "build up". . .

After a long time, decided to update the Cooking section of this website. Given that the MIL is back in Seattle, it is time my hands took a ladle or two up. . . 

Wanted to have a nice banner picture for this page and roped in the little one for a trick photo shoot. Explained the concept to her.. "Daddy will look like Shakti except with cooking utensils instead of weapons?" 

She immediately got it. After deciding which things to hold in Daddy's ten hands, we paired up the things and placed 5 sets of utensils on the floor. The camera was set up on the tripod and ready to go. 

The little one had to click, come remove things from my hand, replace them with two other utensils and go back and click... then repeat this three more times! After downloading the photos and doing an initial merge she was disappointed. "I didn't do that good a job appa.. there are some places where you moved!"

Told her that it was not her problem and that she did an outstanding job. It just needed some quality time for Daddy with Photoshop.

1 hour later.. we present to you Daddy in his Vishwaroopam pose in the kitchen..

Never before has a buildup for cooking seen this in the history of cooking or "buildup".

Pretty sure I will be diagnosed as OCD becaue most of the time was spent in getting the shadow right. 

The most important thing in all of this?

The little one is going to be one hell of a photographer and eventual photoshopper. En kula kozhundhu has been identified!

Mor Milagai (மோர் மிளகாய்)

Most of you know that I am the Chairman of the Cupertino Thachchi Mammu Rasigar mandram. It is a known fact that the folks in our house can eat Thachchi mammu (rice with plain yogurt) 3x faster when using a deep fried hot chilli pepper as a side! 

Most of my non-desi colleagues at work have tasted the chilli and found it to be unbearably hot. We made some recently given the hot weather. 

Half dried..

Fully dried after 1 week! 

Every grandma has a slight variation on this recipe. This is San's Madras grandmas recipe. 

step 0 (this is being added as a correction! my apologies for missing this on the orginal post) : Soak a spoon of Fenugreek (methi) seeds in a small cup of water overnight.

Take long chillis (in our case I got them from the local Indian store. They were Thai chillies, for best results use the desi Chillies) and cut a slit in them along two sides.

Step 2 : Soak some tamarind in warm water(1/2 cup) for few hours and filter it. (you want the water).

Step 3 : Take soaked Fenugreek seeds and put it with the tamarind water and beat in mixie

Step 3 : Put this in plain buttermilk (you want the ones which dont have the yellow stuff in them) 1 cup

Step 4 : Soak the peppers in this for two days (keep indoors)

Step 5: Drain the liquid (dont toss it, save it) and spread the Chili in Sun to dry

Step 6 : at night put the half dried Chili back in the liquid and soak

Repeat steps 5 and 6 till you run out of liquid and then dry for a few more days till the Chili are completely brittle dry.

Deep fry in oil and you are ready to eat some Thachchi mammu!

Will update this later with my grandma's recipe..