Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Food - My First Love!



Food! Who doesn't love it?

Good food, good friends, good life...what more do you want?

At the end of a tiring day, imagine eating your soul food - for me it is South Indian 'Rasam' !!! Spicy and steaming hot!! It is typically eaten with steaming hot rice, a drop of 'Ghee' and a some vegetable on the side. Hmmmm....it is pure Nirvana :-)

Growing up, I always criticized the food my mother made - as a teenager, everything she did was wrong! But now, when I cook and sitting here thousands of miles away I crave for every morsel she cooked! The various pickles, chutneys, snacks and of course her 'Rasam' - would give my right arm for it!

Have you ever gone to an Indian wedding, and have bothered going backstage where the elaborate food preparations to cook for those hundreds of people are in full swing? I have. Even as a child, I went there and sat watching how efficiently the head cook and the other sous-chefs worked in tandem - not missing a beat. I admired the way the head cook turned his magic on the various dishes and his management style! He doesn't need any management classes - he walks the thin thread between taste, his staff, the ingredients, huge quantities, freshness and a million other things - wow!It is simply amazing how he manages the whole show - next time around take the time to watch it :-)

Interestingly enough, I grudgingly admit that some of the best cooks at these occasions are men :-) But oh well! as long as the end result is mouth watering, who cares?

It takes a lot of strength for me to say no to 'Rasam rice' when it is offered by anyone - but, believe me I say no because I care that the person offering it is not deprived of enjoying it - pure and simple! But, don't test my resolve on this ... I'm not that strong :-)

My recipe for Tomato Rasam:

3-4 Tomatoes, medium sized
1.5 - 2 tsp Rasam powder (Mom's is the best!)
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds/1 tsp Jeera/3-4 curry leaves
1 pinch sugar/Jaggery
A pinch of Hing/ Salt/ Pepper powder

Method:

Cook tomatoes with some turmeric/salt.Boil with some water for about 4-5 mins. Add the rasam powder and boil further for another 4-5 mins. Add water if you feel the puree is very thick.Add salt, jaggery and mix well. You can even add a couple of spoons of grated coconut and chopped cilantro and a green pepper. Since the tomato already has a sour taste, you can cut down on the tamarind pulp/puree.Temper with mustard seeds, jeera, hing and curry leaves; Serve hot with rice and Ghee!

Adding some pre-cooked 'Daal' to the above is optional!

Yummy!!!! The best 'Rasam' I have ever had is in Karnataka - well, I'm biased since I grew up there :-)

Here is one of my favorite old kannada songs - check it out. 'Rasam' and this song ....Hmmmmm (ignore the actors - it is a bit over the top for me :-) :

http://youtube.com/watch?v=kPRsqJQ6DRU

Soul food, songs that touch your soul - can never be replaced....no matter what!

2 comments:

Unawoken said...

Heh
The over-the-top actor you wanna ignore is Superstar Rajni :)

rendezvous said...

:-)

ouch! ouch! ouch! I still can't relate to him ;-) Oh Sivaji!