Starting Sweet

Appam in appam Stand, originally uploaded by Priticrafts.

Nei Appam reminds me of my mother. Today is my Mom's birthday (Happy Birthday!) and now when i come to think of it...not just Appam...everything reminds me of my mother. We share a very special bond and being pregnant has made that bond even more special.

This Appam is amazingly easy to make with just a few ingredients!

1 cup rice flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 medium banana (mashed)
2 cups grated jaggery (that was perfect for me...not too sweet!)
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder (please use discretion!)
Oil and a little ghee for frying

Procedure:
Heat the jaggery and 1/2 cup water in a pan and bring to a boil. Use a strainer to strain impurities in the liquid and pour the clean jaggery goodness into a bowl along with the rice and wheat powder. Add the mashed banana and mix thoroughly. Let the mixture rest for a few hours...preferably overnight. Next morning, add the cardamom powder and mix...you should have a thick batter, not runny...you can always add a little water if it is too thick. If you have a vessel resembling the one in the picture...heat a teaspoon of oil in each of the 'pits'! If not just heat oil in a pan that you use to deep fry stuff in. When the oil is hot enough (not smoking!) Use a teaspoon to pour a little batter into the oil...fry on both sides for 2 minutes each or till golden brown...if you keep it any longer you will end up having little black rocks for dessert instead of Appams! (Yes...from experience!!) Frying on a medium heat is best. I use wooden skewers to pull the Appams out of the oil...then pour one-two drops of ghee on each Appam for flavor! If health permits...go ahead and fry the Appam in ghee...but don't be surprised if certain parts of your body begin resembling Abums...oops...I meant appams! :)

Enjoy...in moderation!

Cooking - only for the brave at heart!

Please don't be intimidated! You can do it too! :)

When i say 'only for the brave', it just refers to me 5 years ago! Armed with a recipe book and my measuring spoons/cups, i stood at the stove and tried to follow every step to the smallest detail. I was so afraid to change the recipe in any manner that i forgot to respect my own taste buds! If the recipe required 15 red chillies***...i would go with it(and no I am not from Andhra, the author of the book was though!) Following a recipe 'as-is' is the worst mistake a novice cook can make...half the disasters are caused due to this! Of course, if you are making dessert/baked stuff...please go with the recipe or you might turn out with something weird!

The key to 'creating' pleasant tasting and 'unique' food is to alter recipes and forget the measuring utensils! Looking back...measuring and being so anal was part of the reason i would take forever to cook a simple dish! It just HAD to be PERFECT!! No more...no more! Mix it up, play with your food and enjoy! If you used Kitchen King today, use Garam Masala tomorrow...or just skip the store bought powders for the whole spice!

So, do you agree with me...isn't cooking for the brave?!

*** I have to share this story! There was a time when i didn't know that red chillies in a recipe meant the dried ones. I used to painstakenly pick out all the fresh ripe red chillies amidst the fresh green chillies at the store!! Needless to say i got the stares!!

Freecycle: Basket full of Lemons

Basket full of Lemons, originally uploaded by Priticrafts.

Have you heard of freecycle? It is a wonderful network that promotes waste reduction and helps save landscape from being taken over by landfills! Membership is free and requests can be localized. This network operates in many countries and cities.

I always look at all the lemons growing on the trees in my area and wonder what people do with all those lemons. Then it occurred to me to make a "Wanted" post at freecycle...and voila...three days later i get a message from a very generous person offering me a bag full of gigantic lemons!

This small act of kindness kept me thinking and made me feel very thankful. Lot of good karma at freecycle...and a wonderful way to reduce, reuse and recycle! One person's trash is another person's treasure literally...check it out and you will see...ask and you shall receive! :)

Can't wait to use these wonderful Lemons! Thank you Ann.

Five years ago, cooking and the very thought of the 'kitchen' intimidated me. The idea that from now, not only will i be living in a country far from Amma(mom) but also cooking to feed myself and another human being was unbearable! Amma did everything for me, without her i was handicapped.
The husband was pretty amazed at my level of ignorance when it came to anything related with food! Fortunately, he had the skills to keep us going for a few days until i managed to learn a few dishes from him. Amidst the phone calls and e-mails to Amma and Mamiyaar(mother-in-law) and live lessons from the husband, i developed a passion for cooking! I wondered, "Who made the first chappathi or idli!? How amazing to 'invent' a new dish!"
Now, the husband is pretty much limited to heating his cup of water in the morning or peeping in to add his 'expert comments' on the food i make. The rest of the kitchen is my domain! I dedicate this blog to three people who have been instrumental in kindling my love for cooking - Amma, Mamiyaar and the husband! Amma, for whom i have yet to cook a dish! (yeah, can you believe that!) Mamiyaar, who stayed with me for a couple months and taught me invaluable tips, and the husband who was ever so patient and willing to eat 'anything' i made!

So welcome to my home where you can enjoy your meal with 'Sampurna Thripthi'!