Happy New Year everyone! Its better late than never…procrastination seems to be my most favourite word for this year if not with everything at least with respect to blog. I’m not hoping nor promising that it will get better, lets leave it for the days to decide. Anyhow, coming to this post, which has been sitting as draft for nearly two months gets finally a way out. The one question people most commonly ask is “how do you cook rice”…I mean in the beginning I used wonder this is crazy simple why are they are asking me in the first place?
Indian
Funda – Steamed Egg Korma
“The eggs are the backbone of cooking, the cement that holds the castle of cuisine together.”
From the book mastering the art of southern cooking!
As you all know the main components of egg is albumen and yolk, which is mostly composed of protein. Apart from proteins egg white contains water, small amounts of minerals and sugars whereas the yolk contains fat, vitamins A, D and minerals such as calcium, thiamine, and riboflavin. Depending on the feed of the bird the yolk colour ranges from yellow to deep orange (when the birds are fed with good feed).
The proteins are made up of long chains of amino acids. In the raw eggs proteins are in their native state, i.e. they are in globular form, which means amino acids are twisted, folded and/or curled up in a very specific way giving the protein its shape and properties. Any induced alteration (mechanical or heat) to these proteins will in turn significantly alter the entire structure of the egg.
Happy Diwali
Though this space has been sleeping for a while, due to some technical difficulties but we are here to wish you all a very happy Diwali with most famous motichoor ladoo (store brought) from Coimbatore and water rangoli. May the twinkling lamps illuminate your lives with endless joy, eat loads of sweet, delicious food and if possible say no to crackers.
Present – Tamarind rice / Puli sadam / Pulihora

1/2 tspn Mustered seeds
1/2 tspn Cumin seeds
2 Spring of curry leaves
1 tbspn Split yellow chickpeas 6 tbspn un-roasted ground nut
6 Green chilies slit
6 Red chilies
1/4 tspn Turmeric powder
Good pinch of Asafoetida powder
salt to taste
Method
Soak tamarind in water for about 20 – 30 minutes. Pulp tamarind to thick juice, if required add more water to extract tamarind juice and set them aside.
Dry roast fenugreek, sesame seeds separately till you get good flavors and grind them together into fine powder then set ground powder aside
In heavy bottom pan, add 100 ml of oil, once oil warms up, tip in mustered seed. Be careful since mustered will start to splutter. Once they stop to splutter add in cumin seeds.
Then add in split chickpeas and un-roasted ground nut. Fry for three minutes till raw flavors vanishes. Next added in curry leaves, green chilies and red chilies ( again green chilies can splutter).
Tip in turmeric powder and pour tamarind pulp. Add salt.
Now let them boil on medium heat till oil comes out, almost to a paste consistency.
Next add ground powder and pinch of asafoetida powder, give it a good mix.
Tamarind mix is now ready.
Slowly add in tamarind mix to warm rice till it reaches desired taste, if required add more salt. After it is mixed let them sit for about three hours for flavors to set in. Goes well with papads or simple potato chips!
Wish list – Kashmiri pulao
To prevent oxidation of fruits squeeze few drops of lemon juice.