Monday, July 31, 2006

Ambrosia

This is a tag am going to love and hate as well…Love it because am a foodaholic and hate it because am writing this far away from home…far away from my beloved appam mutton curry……far away from the mouth watering dishes that I sinfully ate without any disdain…Any damage to the keyboard while am drooling over the dishes should be duly reimbursed by Silverine who had tagged me!!

My Mom being a working woman hardly gets time to cook the delicious delicacies that is seducing me through most other blogs...But she used to make my favorites whenever she got the time to do like all loving moms do!!!She rarely watches cookery shows and relies more on advice from my grandma or my aunt who is apparently a cuisine queen…I would infact dedicate this blog to all adorable people who have made food with love for me all these years!! Thank you Amma, Appa (really my dad cooks), Mummy (I call my grandma “mummy” and that is a different story), Daisy aunty, Amini aunty (I have many other aunties but would rather mention them for the feasts they made for me), Chechi (from chechi’s mess where I take food these days)…hundreds of cooks in various hotels who put the right amount of salt, chilly and pepper to give the aroma that made me visit em again and again!!

I wouldn’t vouch my Mom makes the best chicken curry.. But she definitely makes it the way I want...Chilly happy I want everything spicy and no one knows that better than my mom!! Neways I ll start mentioning those dishes rather than test your patience... (On a lighter note I feel like am writing a love letter)

Appam and Mutton stew

Appam soft enough that it can be used to make those soft spongy American dolls. and mutton stew with right amount of spices (imported from Kottayam (from our own parambu))...Its a gastronomic delight of heavenly propositions..
I always peek into the kitchen to get the appam when it is piping hot and when it is the softest...Infact it can be eaten without any curry..So I usually have it both ways. Soft piping hot..and then laced with coconut milk rich mutton stew…And then a burp that rings that I can’t take more…whoaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!


P.S for the uniformed Appam is a pancake made of rice and coconut milk.

Semia Payasam

This pudding is a big favourite of mine. Absolutely love the aroma of it...And the best part is that, she cooks it at least once every month…There was always lot of jostling happening at the kitchen to get those precious milk maid drops. I love the smell of cashew fried in ghee and this often resulted in shortage of desired quantities of it for the Payasam... ;)

Fish Curry

The kottayam style fish curry with a decent helping of karyveyppu Ella (aroma leaves)..pulli(tamarind)…and grounded chilly…This fish curry tastes best with kappa(tapioca)..My dad makes a trip to palayam market to get the best fish in town and mom embarks on getting the spices ready… Am the official taster for fish curries at home...This blog might give an indication that I spending excessive time in the kitchen. .This is because we dint have any servants at home that time and myself with bro and dad spend a good deal in kitchen exploits...

Sugiyan

This 4 o clock kadi is something that my mom absolutely enjoys making..
This is a snack made of grams, jaggery and grated coconut. And tastes best when its semi warm..Sometimes make me wonder how amma manages to make all these sweets when she being diabetic hardly gets a chance to relish any of em...





Jackfruit and Tapioca
I couldn’t help lifting this dish from silverine’s blog..Bcoz it happens to be
my top favourite as well. My taste buds are just showing utter despair imagining those delicious dishes..


vazhakka appam
A dish that is synonymous with malayalees..This is a dish I miss a lot..Most of the time there is a severe shortage of vazhakka appams at home..This phenomena can be attributed to the paranormal consumption that happens whenever amma makes em..Banana dipped in Maida with the aroma of fried coconut oil is a gourmet delight!!!


Mango pickle/lime pickle
This is a grandma specialty..My mom always say “Mummy” makes the best pickle in the world and she would have definitely raked a moolah if she had marketed her “achaar” properly!!..Mummy still makes those tingling lemon pickles even though she is way past her prime..



Iddiappam
This soft rice cakes traditionally called idiappam or noolappam are of two kind..One without coconut icing like the one shown above and those with grated coconut toppings…The first kind is usually accompanied by some curry to add spice to the dish..But I love the second variety which is white and pure with pleasant steam rising through the wafers in between. This customized variety with lotta coconut and sugar can be infact classified as a sweet..







Fish Molly
It might be repetitious to include another fish preparation ,but I would be doing gross injustice if I missed out this one..This typical central travancore dish is cooked in coconut milk and can practically go with nything..rice..roti..bread..chappatti..u name it!!!








This tag wasn’t an easy job when you are far away from home and you have to recollect all those mind blowing dishes that folks back home are savoring. A third degree torture of sorts for my palatable senses…

I wish to pass on this torture to all my fellow bloggers who can go through the sufferings that I have battled.

Advice: Please write this blog when you are really sick to avoid any grudge or a feeling of discontentment!!


Credits:
1) A superb foodie blog with amazing pictures..Thanx indiandoc for allowing me to use photos from her blog.

http://isouthpotpourri.blogspot.com/

2) Countless forwards with those tempting snaps


37 comments:

Dew Drops said...

slurppppppppppppppppp

silverine said...

You have your revenge, this was nasty and I am droooooling here and my keyboard has just breathed it's last :(

*groan* too good and my stomach is growling with hunger right after dinner!!! Did you have to put up that picture of the payasm? grrr

ok I need to eat something urgently or there will be a vellapokkam here :))

Keshi said...

OMG I LOVE Appams! Keshi faints in hunger...THUDDDDDDD!

Keshi.

mathew said...

@dew

hey u should definitely take up this tag!!

@silverine

Lol!!..but atleast u manage to get all of em at home..poor me!!!

@Keshi

appam is a universal dish..I would request Mc Donalds to come up with Mc Appams!!! ;)

Movie Mazaa said...

yayyyy!
fish moly!
:)
Muaaaaaah!

indianadoc said...

God! what a list....it is no hyperbole mathew...u literally made me drool over the list....We both belong to the same fraternity mathew...I too like to enjoy the saddistic pleasure of very hot curries!!Bt any way u'r list is lesser torture for me...cos I still cook them here away from home...thanx to the kerala shop at Birmingham...it is indeed a great relief just fingering melam masala,eastern curry powder,amma masala etc in those racks and Ayila,mathi,Avoli, etc in the freezer....we found it out quite unexpectedly and what a treat indeed!!Thanx for the kind words abt my blog...

mathew said...

@Velu

High fives!!..

pakshe for me ithu ekke swapnam kaanan matram pattum ollu..

@Alexis

Lol!!..turning head towards silverine... ;)

@Indiandoc

Thnx for visiting..
U cook all these in brimingham!! ;O wow!!
that calls for an applause!!

silverine said...

Alexis: Licking the monitor? ROFL

starry said...

Matthew...I love your Amma.all those wonderful dishes.I like every one of them.Felt like just helping myself to a serving of each.looked so delicious.

mathew said...

@silverine

Alexis inte oro karyam.. :)

@Alexis

Was just visualising what u wrote..couldnt help laughing away!!..nice one!!!

@Starry
All moms are great!!
:)

Rose said...

OMG!!!!

You are killing me softly with this tag...

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!! Enikke veetil pokanam...

:)))

..Me

Neha said...

i have had appam once!!!

not too fond of mal food though, so cant say that the pics were tempting.

i love ma mums food too...and how much i miss it...

and hey is it ur pic on the profile?man u must be having immense patience to grow those Moustaches !!

great blog!!

great post!

mathew said...

@Rose

even i felt the same when i got tagged..please take up this tag to go through the real ordeal!! ;)

@shakhi

:) ..thanx for visiting ma blog!!

@neha

its actually abt moms cookin..please take up the tag..lemme drool over some non mal stuff..

P.S mouch is a fake imported from ooty for 10 bucks..hehehe!!!

Keshi said...

haha @McAppams! Indeed...they r too yummy to be unmacced lol!

Keshi.

Anand K said...

I hate this cruel cruel cruel cruel tag. Only a fetid, fecund mind of unimaginable malice can create a tag like this! ;)
I hate the grub I am saddled with now....

I want to see my Ammaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa....

~*. D E E P A .* ~ said...

hey

i am a strict veg .. so ...

ans yes .. i love banana fries .. but we use sunflower oil at home ... still , it def tastes yummy .. amma made them yesterday btw !

when i saw ambrosia , for a min , thought u were gonna talk abt that shop !

i aint gonna do this tag :)

btw ... did u go alone to wayanad .. or ... ???

mathew said...

@ keshi

grinning!!!!:D

@Anand

Am getting similar complaints..couldnt help the sadist in me!!(cowering again)..

loved that Omkara review!!

@Deepa

Ambrosia is supposed to be the food and drink of the gods!!..
Now u got me drooling over those soft pastries we get back at ambrosia,trivandrum!!!

Wayanad was a foursome bike trip..2 bikes and 4 gentleman(ya know its not exactly like that)!!!

We roomies have made it a ritual to have a long bike trip every month.

Anonymous said...

Very nice or should I say delicious pictures. Really appreciate the effort put in to put this up

Anonymous said...

Sorry about the wrong link above

Raghav said...

Gawd !!! this post has made me sooooooo hungry ! yum

mathew said...

@Hiren

Being in bench means i can definitely do something "useful"!!!

@Raghav

Lol!!..This tag has caused desperate moments for many a blogger!!..Wish you to come up with a list..
Thanks for dropping by..
cheers..

@Aqua

Yeah even we call it palappam back home..These dishes are lip smacking and really miss em away from home..

thanks for dropping by!!

cheers..
Thank

Suji said...

Yummmmmmmmmm! I love all the dishes u have listed except the fist ones. Will have to go and find something to eat now.

jac said...

OMG !

What shall I say ?
A mouth watering post?

I want that Semiya Payasam !!! Dip me there please!

hope and love said...

fantastic post..!!
i would love to cook for you..
you know how to enjoy food..!!

silverine said...

"Only a fetid, fecund mind of unimaginable malice"

Mathew: I am forwarding the mail with lips smacking goodies to a certain un named someone...it is called the 'silverine slow torture'. If you have anymore new pictures do send them to me. It wil be sent at regular intervals, to the victim till he keels over with dehydration.
:p

Mellowdrama said...

Slurpilicious, you made my day

mathew said...

@Suji

thanx for visiting my blog!!
Even i was pretty hungry after writing this blog!!

@Jac

Lol!!..wookay..dipping in a huge bowl of paysam!!!..nice wish buddy!!!

@hope and love

wow..thats a fantastic offer!!..am blessed!!!

@silverine

ROTFL!!..u always come up with something like that..gandhian torture!!..i think Anand spoke from the heart! ;)

@mellowdrama

thanx for visiting buddy!!

~*. D E E P A .* ~ said...

yeah .. i know very well abt the " gentlemen " bit :)))))))

howz ur roomie , my friend ?

Keshi said...

still eating hoppers?

Keshi.

PNA said...

god!! home here i come, me craving for sukyan and pallapam and vattayapam and the chummana meen curry with kappa and anything my mommy will serve me and erachi ollthiyathu ....

oops drooling!!mathew my keywboard!!

cya
watering
Ash

lost optimist..^!^ said...

wow!! thank u for reinforcing my decision to eat as much as i can of all my favorite dishes now, coz u see i still got 1 month at home..sweet home:)

mathew said...

@Deepz

Doin great!!..Infact into CAT cracking these days!!

@Keshi

(grinning)

@ash

Lol!!..chummana meen curry..


@lost optimist

grrr!!...I envy such people..happy eating!!

indianadoc said...

Mathayicha yenthu patti puthiyathonnum post cheyyunnilley?...Ayavirakki avashanaayo?Yellavareyum kothippichu pakapokkiyittum mathiyayilley?!! :)

mathew said...

@indianadoc

Finding enormous pleasure in the torture..even a name is out for this 'silverine slow torture'..

courtesy the one who tagged this!!

Scoot said...

man!those pics and the post....am going hungry here!!!!

alex said...

hello matthew
how do you do?
i all that food looks real good and do you know what else is real good....Chuck Norris and what eles is real good www.m0hid.gov.hu/vote go there and you can name a bridge in hungary after him just go to the site then to the ABC szerint list then to his name then click on elzüld.

Rupinion said...

pretty late to reach here! :)
I wish I could travel back 10-15 years back, just for the vazhakaappam waiting for me, when I get back from school !! :) Long since I heard it being called "vazhakaappam" -non Central Travancore people corrupted me to call it pazham pori :):)