I started yearning for a home when I got a transfer to Thiruvananthapuram from Kochi.
' Yearning for a home' did not mean husband and children. I was talking about a house which could give me a feeling of intimacy.
Where my heart would love to dwell.
Where I can unwind being oblivious to million other things that are happening around.
And, my mother always said " Cooking in your own kitchen is an important way to make a house, a home."
The thought of cooking in my own kitchen did not sprout, all of a sudden. Unlike our Kochi office, the news bureau at Thiruvananthapuram was located in a residential area. The canteen will be closed by 5 pm. So, when you really need to have a cup of coffee, you have to go the tea/coffee shops nearby. Though, I used to go out at 6 pm, I stopped that habit, gradually. Primarily, because I hardly had any company to go out.
On either side of the pocket road which leads to the office, there are houses. And whenever I went out at 6 pm, the aroma of shallots and garlic being sauteed in coconut oil would fill my nostrils. They are making dinner. This always evoked nostalgia and a yearning to clasp to something which I can call as my own. I badly wanted to bring back all those aromas which I experienced as a child at home.
Besides, I was sick of taking food from outside. Even when I was staying in a flat in Kochi, I hardly did cooking. Now, without my knowledge, I slowly slipped into cooking. And with homely meals, I shed two kilos and felt all healthy again. I thank Thiruvananthapuram for that, besides giving me a space to think what I really need in my life.
Here comes my simple meal
Steaming rice, ' Cherupayarupperi', curd and chammanthi.
Boiling ' rice'
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Now heat oil in a pan. Saut crushed shallots and garlic in coconut oil. When it is brown in colour, add crushed red chilli powder. Mix it. The ' cherupayaru'– green gram which was boiled in a pressure cooker is then added to it.
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Cover the pan with a lid and cook it for a few minutes in low flame. Shallots and garlics are crushed with this mortar.
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The ' Cheruppayarupperi' is ready.
A bit of curd is also tasteful. Years ago, a thought somehow crept into my mind that adding curd in your food will make you more beautiful. I still believe that. After after having rice, curry mixed with curd, I always felt beautiful.
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Now, the simple dinner is ready. I loved eating food sitting on the floor.
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The cooking has also taught me a big lesson. It's the small pleasures of life that makes your life beautiful. And I have constantly ignored that.
Not again....
' Yearning for a home' did not mean husband and children. I was talking about a house which could give me a feeling of intimacy.
Where my heart would love to dwell.
Where I can unwind being oblivious to million other things that are happening around.
And, my mother always said " Cooking in your own kitchen is an important way to make a house, a home."
The thought of cooking in my own kitchen did not sprout, all of a sudden. Unlike our Kochi office, the news bureau at Thiruvananthapuram was located in a residential area. The canteen will be closed by 5 pm. So, when you really need to have a cup of coffee, you have to go the tea/coffee shops nearby. Though, I used to go out at 6 pm, I stopped that habit, gradually. Primarily, because I hardly had any company to go out.
On either side of the pocket road which leads to the office, there are houses. And whenever I went out at 6 pm, the aroma of shallots and garlic being sauteed in coconut oil would fill my nostrils. They are making dinner. This always evoked nostalgia and a yearning to clasp to something which I can call as my own. I badly wanted to bring back all those aromas which I experienced as a child at home.
Besides, I was sick of taking food from outside. Even when I was staying in a flat in Kochi, I hardly did cooking. Now, without my knowledge, I slowly slipped into cooking. And with homely meals, I shed two kilos and felt all healthy again. I thank Thiruvananthapuram for that, besides giving me a space to think what I really need in my life.
Here comes my simple meal
Steaming rice, ' Cherupayarupperi', curd and chammanthi.
Boiling ' rice'
This is how I filter rice from the water
Now heat oil in a pan. Saut crushed shallots and garlic in coconut oil. When it is brown in colour, add crushed red chilli powder. Mix it. The ' cherupayaru'– green gram which was boiled in a pressure cooker is then added to it.
Cover the pan with a lid and cook it for a few minutes in low flame. Shallots and garlics are crushed with this mortar.
The ' Cheruppayarupperi' is ready.
A bit of curd is also tasteful. Years ago, a thought somehow crept into my mind that adding curd in your food will make you more beautiful. I still believe that. After after having rice, curry mixed with curd, I always felt beautiful.
Now, the simple dinner is ready. I loved eating food sitting on the floor.
The cooking has also taught me a big lesson. It's the small pleasures of life that makes your life beautiful. And I have constantly ignored that.
Not again....