Another three days

Photo: www.ruthiecherryfineart.com

Its one year since the food fest and like the last year, the meeting was countless , of course with wonderful results in the end. With another three days for the fest, this post is for those who involved in making this event a success or a flop.

I know things will be great at the end of the day, but when it comes to planning I see more words than action. It all started with a feed back of previous fest, and after number of meetings the previous meetings minutes just kept fading away. With new faces in the meeting hall day after day, the cartridge in my HOD's printer just kept ejecting indent of ingredients to be purchased with lot many revisions.

With so many indent in hand, many got confused and the solution was arrived with anonymous decision, lot many things went unanswered, forty fillets from one kilo of fish, soaking and grinding the raw rice for Ada when you get it ready made and beautifully packed, and the number of pax to which the cooking happens... All unanswered.

Three different cuisines, thirteen different cultural events, thirty varieties of foods and Three hundred students volunteer. What more is needed to make the minds in to deciding the quantity of dishes to be prepared, and the views of all ,make you hard to distinguish an amateur with a professional . after all every one loves eating and no one can say ,I just breath in air , without taking any food for the living.

Ohhh I didn't tell what are all the cuisines, Its Rajastani, Kerala and Andhra. Its great seeing all great peoples spending their valuable time and energy for this event, and I am very much proud to be a part of it.. This is for a good cause, the profit from the event will help providing free education for students. what more is there in life than a free education to the needy... and people,another three days, the post is about how well the fest went...

No Madachi... Only Cajuchi

I knew what my plans are for the new year, at home doing nothing , and nothing. With nothing in mind I was driving down to coimbatore from ooty, the day is first of January. Around the seventh hair pin bend ,I just remembered what I said to Ms.M, "do not spoil your new year in the college hostel, go somewhere and be happy" I prayed too, for her hostel permission to go Goa with her family. But I did not expect to get a Fenny from Goa, because thats what God asked me for my prayers.

Unlike dushy(my student) who bought Khalua for me from swiss, which lies in his home shelf(do not know when it will reach me), the fenni which Ms.M bought ,came directly to my shelf, made me wait for a perfect day to start, when it comes to Alcohol any time is just perfect. I pray that Ms.M Should make it to Sikkim for the next New year eve, you get good Beetle leaf liqueur there.

"Fenni" - Goa's own drink, have two varieties , one with coconut and another with Cashewnuts, the coconut fenny is the distillation of coconut palm and the fermented juice of cashew apple gives cashew fenny. This is a colorless liquid matured in wooden barrels and gets a golden brown tint, Shake fenny in a bottle or glass and you can see some froth on top, which in Konkani language they call as FEN, and that gives fenny its name. There are around four thousand mini distilleries in Goa which makes fenny. North Goa is more of cashew and South is more of coconut.

Though there are many brands in Goa, the brand Cashyo is the one which spells it Fenni, this triple distilled beverage from Goa has a maximum of forty two percent alcohol by volume, that may sound high, but when you drink ,perhaps you'll not believe it. Coca Cola , tonic water, lemonade and on the rock with slice of lemon is what many suggest, but I preferred it neat, in spite of its strong flavor.

For those who do not like it neat, here are some cocktails, Fenni with apple juice, apple vodka and ice give "Fenny Martini". you mix in seven - up, chilli peppers and ice with fenny you get "Fire & Ice". There is fenny highball, fenny mojito, scarlet letter and groove, fenny with cointru and seven up gives a wonderful cocktail called "KISS". Some final words to end with, as my tongue tasted it, I knew it gives a instant kick, and u'll feel high. If not for the first time, I'm sure you will fall in love second time. Its true that Goa and Fenny cannot be parted and I believe that fenny has its own legacy to tell


Fenny Facts
*"Sattari" - The fenny capital of the region
* Fenny can be added to goan pork dishes
*Reals and Big boss the other good brands of fenni
*the first distillation gives Arrack and the second "Cazole"

Konar Mess Kari Dosai

The first class of an Academic year for the freshers start with a self introduction, Ironically I introduce the freshers to the culinary on what they study for all three years, but then, in between I ask the students about their home town and hear Nagerkoil, Salem, Erode, Ooty, Coimbatore, Madurai and many. When I hear the word Madurai I make a stop and say a very few things about Madurai, tough I have not been to madurai, until recent times , I say a few things for unknown reasons
The American College(started in the year 1881), Thiagarajra College ,Fatima college, places like subramaniapuram, that puram this puram and many people in Kollywood, with poets, actors, artists and good good politicians(NO Kanth), ahhh I remember that very much ..I, who voted last time in Nilgiris will rather fry my fingers in hot hot oil than to dip my finger in voters ink in the coming electoin,what a shame - Rotten Politics/politicians.(I am from Nilgiris - enjoying 3g in Coimbatore , wish you know what 2g is)* Rotten also has one more meaning which starts with the letter R

A month ago I watched a tamil film "Myna" which starts with a scene where they plan to join for lunch in Konar mess in Madurai for its famous kari doasai(mutton dosa), After three hours the movies had a sad ending, the more saddest part in me was, they neither showed Konar mess nor the Kari dosai. A week after the movies, The sad in me faded away when I made a visit literally to Konar mess in madurai for its Karidoasi.

Unlike the movie, where they plan for lunch. I made it for dinner, and was there on time to witness the tawa full of Kari dosai, I did not opted for the menu , just settled for kari dosai, The dish is like a miniature Uttappam with meat topppings, A cup of batter is poured on the tawa, then topped with beaten eggs and cooked mutton chops, the entire uttappam is turned upside down and cooked for another couple of minutes, the result an awesome
dish with delicious taste ,Apart for then u have Malli Idli(jasmine idli)Biryani, Idiyappam, varieties of dosas, and many. I asked him for all the accompaniments .Of all the mutton chops and onion gravy married well with the taste of Kari dosai, No wonder one will get addicted to it when you taste once and perhaps u 'll sign a legal document of all your asset (if any) to the taste of kari dosai. Next time when you are in Madurai Forget not the simmakkal Konar Mess Kari Dosai..

City of Jasmine....

One of the oldest cities in India, Madurai , derived from Madurapuri - the city of divine nectar , is famous for so many things and the cuisine there is worth mentioning. The five hour journey from coimbatore took Eight hours reaching madurai at two in the night, with tiring legs and hungry stomach ,I got down from the bus cursing the driver for his skillful driving, but the glowing shops, with hot idlis , parathas and food and food brought all the happiness in me. Yes Madurai is a Sleepless city indeed.

In the morning back from the Algar temple, the hot hot sun and the dusty dusty street made me to settle for something cool and relaxing. Nothing will match the authentic Madurai Jigarthanda. A tall glass filled with chilled reduced milk , with sabudana, china grass, nannari, sugar and an Awesoome scoop of ice cream . The real cool and relaxing drink

Its the best refreshing drink for summer, a single glass will make you "cold heart" thats the meaning for Jigarthanda, add the word JIL JIL(Cold Cold)to it, I am sure you will go for a second and third glass.

With cold cold energy, the hot hot sun and the dusty dusty streets turned out to be a cool cool walk, a solid one hour walk to the Nayakar Mahal palace, with huge Pillars and painting inside, with idols and carvings inside, I din't knew that the local "Sourashtras" community food was waiting outside, The "Sourashtras" community with their original homes in Gujarat , settled in Madurai long long ago, their food is all vegetarian with mouth watering taste. U try it sometimes ,no wonder you will stop eating meat.

Just outside the palace , there is a small road side stall, and the process goes like this, three containers of soft dough, one with rice flour, drumstick leaves and seasonings(green color). another with Ragi flour, onions and seasonings(brown color) and the last with refined flour with a stuffing of semolina, sugar and ghee(white color). All pressed in palms and deep fried in oil. Two rupees for the green ones and Three rupees for the brown and white ones. I ate ate and ate with hundred and six rupees out of wallet the fellow in the stall is tired frying the dough

Wishing the cook with heart and soul the taste of it lingered in me all through the visit to Meenakshi sudareswar temple. Visit here at-least once in a life time , you/One will understand why Madurai is called the city of temples. Kannagi burnt Madurai as a result of the injustice caused to her husband Kovalan, they say almost everything burnt except the Meenakashi sundareswar temple. I do believe in god and this is the way I pray, I close my eyes and pray to god that save everyone who comes to my mind, the best part is, my tamil tutor who torn me aprt in my school days will come first, followed by the neighbor who broke my nose when I was 17, all my enemies, atlast my family, friends, well wishers, and in this temple something also came towards the end, its the Simmakkal Konar Mess Kari Doasai.I prayed that the mess should be open.


My prayers coming true, Konar Mess Kari Doasai is my next post