A Tipical Breakfast and LUNCH

The first and foremost is the degree coffee - freshly ground coffee - brewed in traditional brass decotion - filter.. In davara tumbler - mix with freshly milked full cream cows milk and atleast two spoons of sugar - served piping hot... What a way to get up - reading the headlines in the hindu paper and listening to MS suprabatham.



Lets start with breakfast or should we call it brunch . Before breakfast we need to clear the bowels- best way is to have a gulp of inge sorasom இஞ்சி சொரசம்- ginger ale - grate the ginger and boil in water till all the essence is extracted. Let is coola bit - add lemon juice and jaggery or sugar. Gulp when still hot ( don’t sip) - it should scald the throat as it goes down....



My all time favorite would be pongal with either thakali gotsu கொத்சு or thenga chutney ( white chutney). Pongal should be of the consistency of glue - not too stiff, nor too watery. The rice should have lost its individual shape, should be slightly sticky. Lots of molten ghee on top and the garnishing should be the choiceist cashewnuts, black pepper and curry leaves ( கருவேப்பிலை ) - all crisply roasted in ghee..a மெது வடை  ( yeah the one with the hole in the centre resembling a doghnut) goes well with this combination. Pongal should always be served on a வாழை  இலை ( saves the trouble of having to get the ghee of the plate while washing) eaten with the hand - The test for a good pongal is that ghee and the aroma must linger even after a through wash for atleast 2 hours. The thakali gotsu - the tomatoes should have lost their individuality but the onions should still retain theirs, the gravy should be hot and spicy ( lot of green chillies) and the whole

dish should be watery. The chutney should be of watery consistency ( not getti chutney for pongal) with lot of kadugu and karuveppilai ( தாளிச்ச்து



The rest in that the order of merit are



Poori கிழங்கு  - poori must be hot hot and puffy ( smoke comes out when u break the puff) and the கிழங்கு much have just potato, onions ( big) and green chilli with turmeric. Saravana bhavan seems to have perfected this one. Min qty in multiples of 5..



Idly with மிளகாய்ப்பொடிor முருங்கக்காசாம்பார்  The podi must be coarse and not finely ground. If mixed with a little பருப்புப்பொடி  and molten ghee is heavenly. The mini idly in a bath of murungakkai sambar with molten ghee topping ( again).....





Paper roast and கெட்டி chutney - the dosa has to be piping hot ( தலையப்பாத்து  தவ்வா போடணும் - in my grand fathers words - see the person and then heat the tava ). The thinner the dosa crispier the crust, should not to be too crispy / brunt to break into pieces - they have to be in the right consistency to allow you to manouver the thumb, index and middle finger to break a piece of the dosa and dip it into the chutney ( or pick up a whole chunk inside the dosa) and dunk it into your mouth..



Rava Dosai and கொத்தமல்லி  chutney - The rava dosai is slightly different in consistency - since the rava need to gel - so it’s a little more sticky, and is garnished with a few cashewnuts and ghee roasted pepper. It goes well with kothamalli chutney.



மோர்க்களி with எழுமிச்ச்சன்கா ஊருகாய் மோர்மிளகாய்  this is very simple dish - all u need is rice flour and புளிச்சதயிர்  sour curd). This with lemon pickle is just divine.



Arisi Upma with Vellam (Jaggery) - lot of காந்தல்( the slightly burnt upma which sticks to the bottom of the vengala panai)



Sevai ( elumichai evai and getti chutney)



Rava Idly with thakali chutney



Rava Kithcadi with kothamalli chutney



After such a light breakfast, the best way to relax is on either a கயிற்றுக்கட்டில் under the வேப்பமரம்  or on the easy chair on the முற்றம் swaying to the gentle breeze.



The main course - lunch.......



Served on a தலைவாழையிலை - the side eats are served first ( start with just a touch of sweet, salt and ..



Carrot கோசுமல்லி - must be juicy with lot of lime juice.



Maanga ingi - the rhizomes must be just young enough ( பிஞ்சு with some spicy green chilli and tangy lime juice



Kuru milagu - choice malabar green pepper pickled with ginger and lime



Magali - The pinju roots cut and pickled in red chilli - served by mixing with just the right amount of thick curd



டாங்கர்  பச்சடி  pachidi - the paruppu should be roasted to the right extent and then powdered ( not too coarse not too fine), mixed

with curd and just a sprinkling of ஜீரகம்



தயிர்பச்சடி  - cocunut and a bit of spice



கறியமுது வகைகள்



Beans பருப்பு உசிலி - more beans less paruppu



Urulai roast- should not be oily but crispy fried



Senai kezangu varuval - small rectangles crispy fried



Sepangazhangu fry - the right choice of kezangu is important - they should not be kozha kozha - but more soft and then must be roasted with lots of karam ( chilli)



Yennai Kathirikkai எண்ணைக்கத்திரிக்கை- Whole brinjals - cut out like a flower and stuffed with the choiciest filling and fried with tonns of oil...



Vazakkai podi mass பொடிமாஸ் - again with just a hint of lime



Vadai:



Vazaipoo vadai வாழைப்பூ வடை



Medu vadai - most popular - you can mix and match - dunk the vadai into the thair pachidi and loo it becomes thair vadai, soak it in sambar or rasam...



Fries:





Arisi Appalam ( for vatha kozambu)வற்றக்குழம்பு ,

Appalam

Appalapoo

Javarisi vadam with molagu ரசம்மிளகுரசம்

Mor molagai, மோர்மிளகாய்

kothavarangai,

sundakkai....



So with all the above side dishes neatly partitioned into the top half of the leaf, start with a little thani paruppu ( a hint of raw mango or lime), serve piping hot rice ( rice should not be sticky - nor too grainy like basmati- ponni pacharisi ), pour molten ghee on top.....





Ie - first pandhi ( row) - the ghee was poured ( dhara dharaiya), next pandhi - the ghee came out in drops like the bhindhi, next only the sound of the spoon hitting the walls of the patram ( loda loda) and last pandhi ..nasti ( nothing)





Quick guide - you move downward interms of consistency in a south indian meal - ie thick to more gravy ( loose) - so you start with podi's, go to the thicker kozambu, then sambar, rasam and finally neer mor.



Paruppu podi, angaya podi, nartha ela podi....served with molten ghee and just a sprinkling of either dry fried vepamboo or manathakalikkai....



Posanikkai/பூழணிக்கைvendakkai/

murugakkai vatha kuzambu with karu vadam



Vella Posanikkai/vendakkai mor kuzambu - you can dunk a few medu vadai's into this as well



Mullangi/capsicum/murungakkai/brinjal paruppu sambar



Thakali / vepambu/mulaga/pineapple rasam - let to soak in a eyachombu . The best way to savor the rasam is to make a cup out of your right palm ( like you do when you get theertam in the temple) - ask your host to pour the rasam into the palm and drink it - the main thing is the rasam might flow down you arm and you should lap it up from your inner fore arms....



The art of eating rice on a leaf is simple - just scoop the rice into a small mountain, close your eyes, think of a volcano ( not when its erupting - think of the crater formed after the eruption) - now sculpt your mount vesuvious in the rice - ask your host to pour the sambar or rasam into the hold and then proceed by bringing down small portions of the crater into the fluid, progressively destroying the volcano....



After rasam its payasam time



Paruppu/milkmaid arisi /semiya payasam - just thick enough to be able to swoosh of the leaf but watery enough to wade into. Its an art to be able to do this, the secret is - you should first create a wave of payasam moving from left to right with the push from your palm, when the wave is bearing down like a tsunami to the edge of the leaf, scoop it up with one sweeping move and into your mouth with a loud slurp...its like a monica seles backhand - the art lies in both the fluid movement and the sound....



Maa vadu/lime pickle with Neer moor ( nei urruki mor perukki) - sour buttermilk, with a hint of lime, garnished with kothamalli and karu veppilai....



And tiffin....



Adai avial

- onion or murungali ( murunga leaf) adai - thick but crispy with avial or jaggery. Is also good with lemon rasam...



Thavala dosai / adai



Onion/potato/capsicum bajji/ Masal vadai