Comfort Foods....

My comfort foods mostly stem from my favourite childhood memories. I guess, that's what makes them extra special. These foods live deep within me and stir up feelings, moments and moods that I treasure from back then. Every single time I eat these foods, I'm transported back in time, all the way back to that special minute, when I first tasted them.

Good ol Maggi- I was lucky to come home to a smiling mother in a freshly starched cotton saree waiting for me with a snack and an eager ear. Aah...just seeing her face would make me forget my test score I received that day(atleast for a while...until she asked for it!) and the petty fights I'd had with my friends. No matter how grumpy I was (which would clear only when the first drop of milk greeted my parched throat), I always eagerly looked forward to the 'tiffin'. The excellent cook that my mom is, she always came up with something novel. But I preferred the days when she was too busy to whip up something and had to make do with Maggi noodles.All she would do was boil up some Maggi noodles which turned out not too dry or too soupy. And just before turning down the heat, she would add a generous grating of Amul cheese. The melted cheese gave Maggi an absolute new dimension! Drinking up the milky liquid and swallowing the slippery noodles(little without knowing that slipperiness came from being wax coated which is highly carcinogenic!) I felt fortified enough to take on any amount of homework!

Jeera/ Milagu Rasam- School was out on Saturdays. There was one more day to worry about homework and other trivialities.Saturdays were about recovering from the past week and getting pampered. The first time I remember tasting this divine concoction was one such Saturday when I had just emerged after an oil massage, hair pack and a herbal wash. It was pouring outside and the smell of the earth mingled with other smells wafting from the kitchen. It was rasam for lunch. Rasam is to a Tambram what Chicken soup is to the rest of the world! It soothes, it comforts, it nourishes! My granny who was visiting, sat next to me said that there was a certain way to eat rasam to enjoy it to the fullest. I've never forgotten what she said nor do I eat Rasam any other way. First, pile some rice on your plate and make a little well in the middle. Pour the hot rasam in the well and immediately add in a dollop of home made ghee that will melt and dance in oily puddles. Scoop up the rasam+ghee combo with your fingers and slurp it up. The slurping bit is all crucial. After a few such gulps, proceed to mix the rest with the rice.Nothing hits the spot like this special rasam after a massage on a rainy day. Dry roast the following and grind to a paste

1 tbsp toor dhal
1 teasp cumin seeds
1 teasp black pepper
1 dried red chilly (or 2 if you want it spicier)
1 teasp fresh coconut
1 garlic pod
4-5 curry leaves

In a pot add water and a small lemon sized ball of tamarind paste. Let it boil for about 5-7 minutes. Add a chopped tomato a pinch of turmeric powder and a pinch of jaggery/palm sugar. Add the roasted/ground paste to the tamarind water and add in another cup or two of water. Let it boil for another 5-7 minutes. Add salt.

For the garnish
Heat 2 teasps of ghee. Add a teasp of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, 4-5 curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida. Once it splutters,add it to the rasam and close it immediately to retain the aroma and flavours. Finally add 2 sticks of chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice and ghee.

Ven Pongal- The world of pongal lovers is divided in two groups! One that loves it dry and the other that loves it very moist. I belong to the latter. I love home-made pongal. I hate the restaurant versions (with the exception of Komala Vilas,Singapore). Pongal, probably the easiest sounding recipe can taste disturbingly different if not done right. The Pongal I like best is the one that nearly resembles baby-food. I guess, Pongal or its cousin the khichdi, would rank among the top comfort foods for any Indian who grew up on a diet of dal-rice-ghee combo! My ideal pongal should have the rice and dal- mashed to pulp, the consistency- congee like, the spices- on the higher side, the ghee- on the generous side. Nothing can beat a steaming plate of aromatic pongal with a huge dollop of ghee first thing in the morning. Its the simplicity of the dish that makes it most appealing. No chewing, biting, slurping complexities involved here. Just mouthful after mouthful of soft, delicious mush. Its basic, nourishing and very fulfilling!

1/2 cup of rice to 1/2 cup of dry roasted moong dhal
Pressure cook the two with 4-5 cups of water and a wee pinch of turmeric powder. After 5-6 whistles, mash the rice-dhal with salt while its still hot till it reaches baby-food consistency.


Dry grind a handful of curry leaves, ginger, cumin seeds and whole black peppers.

The garnish
Heat a tabsp of ghee and a tabsp of canola oil (skip the Canola for the REAL taste). Add the ground dry spice mixture to the oil/ghee and throw in a good sprinkling of asafoetida powder and cashewnuts.

Pour the garnish over the mashed rice-dhal and give it a good mix. Serve hot with tomato gotsu .