Kerala is set in a lush compound, dense with coconut palms, banana trees and bougainvilleas and also the prettiest and the hottest place ever been. Kerala is on the Malabar Coast, with the Western Ghat Mountains to the east. Monsoon rains from the Arabian Sea ensure a healthy crop of rice each year and fill the coconut-lined canals crisscrossing the countryside, which are alive with freshwater fish. The cooler hills to the east are blanketed with coffee and tea plantations, cardamom groves and black pepper vines. Kerala will surprise by the Kerala Food it isn't anything like the North Indian dishes one’s had in Indian restaurants at home.
Frying the breakfast dosas, slightly sour lacy pancakes made from a fermented batter of ground rice and urad dhal (a kind of legume). To get the proper proportion of air bubbles, the cook must spoon the batter onto a hot griddle and immediately spread the batter thinly in a circular motion with the back of a ladle. The technique requires speed, accuracy and good wrist action, none of which I seemed to possess that morning. Kerala's dosas are smaller, softer and thicker than the huge crispy ones of the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu. But in both places, dosas are accompanied by coconut chutney seasoned with curry leaves and mustard seeds, as well as sambar, a fragrant stew of vegetables and yellow dhal, flavored with tamarind, fenugreek and asafetida. If you're under 10 years old, you can skip these spicy condiments and eat yours with sugar.
Coconut, in all its forms, is the backbone of Kerala Food: the meat is grated and ground with spices into pastes that flavor curries, the milk is added to enrich sauces and the fragrant oil is used for frying. (By contrast, North Indian cooks rely on cream and ghee, or clarified butter, for richness.) Perhaps the quintessential coconut dish of Kerala is thoren, a homey vegetable stir-fry with shredded fresh coconut and crunchy bits of mustard seeds.
Well, I bet he won't be back to post ever, not jus for a long time. He just needed this to put another tick in his report. You know: "...conducted a succesful marketing campaign among the cigar smokers. Got one neutral and one positive feedback so far, more expected later. This effort is especially important, because the considered market segment normally leans toward gourmet food. Of course, we understand that curry, mustard, and other spices shouldn't be coupled with cigars, but I think most of them don't know that, and who cares as long as I get them to visit our restaurant."
That's funny, I was all set to jump all over the post too, but for some reason, deleted my diatribe halfway through
We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made. -M. Acklam
Posts: 841 | Location: New England | Registered: August 03, 2007
I bet he won't be back for a long time.
