The Search for a Palatable Adai (Rice and Lentil pancake)

Adai is a distant, thick cousin of the dosa, a south indian pancake made with equal parts of rice and a combination of lentils one fancies. Adai-Avial (mixed vegetables dunked in coconut and yogurt) is a classic combination, a common place tiffin that people in this part of the world love. I am no expert [...]

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Thayir Paniyaram

Tiffin/Palaharam in Tamil Nadu was once usually served in the evening as snacks.  That snack has been upgraded to breakfast fare, served with atleast one vegetable-lentil/coconut based side dish, thogayal/ chutney and curd. (If like my appa, you subsist on 95% vegetable diet, you will add a salad/soup).  In the not so distant past, people  ate [...]

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Journey by Foot (Padyatra/ Nadaipayanam) in Tamil Nadu

Women, men, children – entire villages – dressed in yellow and red undertaking a barefoot journey to Samayapuram Mariamman Kovil. This long trail of pilgrims, we encountered on National Highway 210 started at Pudukottai and continued till we reached Samayapuram. They must have covered about 60-70kms barefoot. Padyatra/ Nadaipayanam usually refers to the journey one undertakes [...]

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Poricha Kuzhambu

Recreating dishes my Patti lovingly prepared for us is therapeutic. Not a day passes by without Amma or I reminiscing about the joyous moments we shared with Patti. I have had the privilege of tasting the worst tasting yam dish of all seasons and centuries  while pursuing  my Masters, not once or twice, but every week [...]

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Payathamaa Urundai

The whole universe is aware that this blog desperately needs a revival. There are no valid excuses for not blogging – however speaking for myself I can confidently say that I am just plain lazy and procrastination is my best friend. In the many days, months, years that we have been away, WordPress has become [...]

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