How fast can you.......

I have to learn the art of slow walking. I'm not a good walker, the step i take, the way my body moves, the short swinging hands, the dancing legs. Its wierd, for anyone who see's me walking. Its a short wierd scene. Because i walk really fast and funny, but its hard sometimes to compete with my head.

Yesterday my eyes were glued to my colleuges walking steps, the even pace, slow and steady, Oh! they enjoy walking.I couldnt remove my eyes from that scene.I wonder wheater is it the heavy lunch, or the hot summer....for that slow slow....slow walk.

The same quickness i have adopted for eating & cutting. Yes, I'm a quick eater, i remembered once having lunch with a school principal, a slow eater indeed. me being a quick eater, ate - five ,six, five , bhaturas to his two bhaturas , from that day i'm trying to eat slow.When it comes to cutting, i am verymuch happy with my speed. Accidents happens only when i experiment with my speed limit.

My first interview, after my graduation, the additional director asked me how fast can i cut a carrot? My answer - a little slower than chopping a bunch of spinach, sometimes questions may be more stupid than the answer.

Many times, the style of cutting the vegetables/meat and its speedness for mis en place, creates a good impression on the person who cuts the vegetables/meat.but will he create the same impression in the food what he preapares? I have had many studens who cooks well, with a slow mis en place, All one need is, start from scratch, know the functions of ingredients and above all love what you do. If the result turns out bad, remember to learn from mistakes.

HAPPY COOKING!

From Manjitha

From Manjitha ..... with Love..

What comes below, is one of the traditional food of Badugas community, almost all the villages in Nilgiris have seen this.But today, its hard to see those grains which we use for preparing the dish. The grains we call Bathha and the dish Atchikke, the grains can be stored for as many years as possible, as today hardly anyone cultivates it, we get it from Hasanoor( a place near Sathy).

My granny says Nilgiris Grain(Bathha) is the best for making Atchikke and she has fifty years old grains in her storage( does grains keep sooo long?) the grains can also be used for making porridge and Bathha Hittu ( Grain Cakes/dumplings). Whatever the varities are, my all time favourit is Atchikke - a delicious sweet, at home many have asked me what on earth makes me to eat Atchikke, when I'm in Manjitha, i tought not to trouble my granny for Atchikke, but my tongue couldn't stop asking my granny for those sweet , delicious Atchikke.


Pounding the Bathha and Removing the husk

The dish may look simple, Ironic is its method of peperation. The grains after sun drying has to be washed twice and then pan broiled, Oh! Those tiny green grains spluttering on the pan, its a real joy pan broiling it, then comes the pounding process. Its long, its hard and its tiring, where the pounding process doubled or tripled depending on the size of grains, after pounding the outer skin is removed, and then the process is verymuch simple.

Yes, the process after pounding is as simple as eating. Soaking those pounded grains in hot water and mixing with sugar and with grated coconuts and onto the serving plate. Before, spooning everything into the mouth, a final finish goes in, which is a mixture of powdered cardamom, fried grams, poppy seeds and some chopped bananas.Its a warm food, tough its summer in Manjitha, i couldnt stop with a single plate, and my grannies storage contains more grains ( Bathha) for the days to come. My palate is curious to taste many traditonal foods from the badugas cuisine, and Manjitha has it all.