Food Loose

[foodloosein]

The Divine and the Mortal. #foodloose #captures #mysuru #medieval #temples #padam #footprints #foot #footmodel #rockcutting #templesofindia #pooja #jamandi #marigold #offerings #religion #hinduism #beautifulfeet (at Mysore Palace) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKbmAexFBlY/?igshid=w9vwkbotk8en

[foodloosein]

There is this street in Mandi Mohalla, Mysore which I walk through almost everyday and this Pathan gentleman there sells nannari and khoya sharbat. But what really caught my eye was Karna. Karna is probably a species of bitter orange grown in this part , called sadaphal in North India. It is supposedly a natural hybrid between pomelo ( Citrus maxima )and mandarin ( Citrus reticulata) . So the drink he makes is a salty spiced drink with pepper and cumin and only the natural sugars in the fruit. Quite nice for the hot afternoons here. P.S Does anyone else have an idea about this indigenous citrus? #citrusfamily #citrus #karna #sadaphal #khan #masala #juice #mysuru #mandi #mohalla #streetfood #summercooler #spicedbeverages #mixology #indigenous #foodloose #cumin #salty #hydrate (at Mandi Mohalla) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKaqEIGF8Hh/?igshid=1qkkij9f3isoy

[foodloosein]

Post card from Thalassery. #foodloose #travels #tellicherrypicturesque #telicherry #sunsetlover #sunsetphotography #beach #churches #christianity #malabar #keralaattraction #kerala360 #southindia #westcoast #parasurama (at Tellicherry Fort) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKYPOVMlcf2/?igshid=e42kc39hhdkp

[foodloosein]

Finds of the day. Google cam for my Samsung phone and this Kajjaya which was sold by a man in his cycle near Bannimantap. Crunchy on outside,Soft and crumbly inside , these were still warm when I bit into it. Sort of a cross between a Keralan Neyyappam and Tamil Athirasam, these rice jaggery fritters have versions through out the country from Arsha in Uttarakhand to Anarsa in UP and Bihar , Ariselu in Andhra to Arisa Pitha in Odisha. Interestingly the root word for all these is the Tamil word for rice, Arisi . P.S If Annamaya would have had its way, they would have called these , Mysuru vegan gluten free Donuts sweetened with cane molasses and charged a bomb too . Also in the pic is raw mango kosambari, Sundal & rava laddoo. #foodloose #mysuru #kajjaya #koshimbir #kosambari #ravaladdoo #sundal #vegan #glutenfree #cycle #vendor #karnataka #plantfood #veganism #vegansnack #sweettooth #foodporn #googlecam (at Mysore, Karnataka) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKWlM3-l1oQ/?igshid=xwhihodm7mnk

[foodloosein]

No matter how much you travel or read, there will always be something which would discover anew. Hayagriva is the horse headed avataram of Lord Vishnu, worshipped as the God of knowledge and wisdom, A human body and a horse's head, quite the converse of Centaur , Hayagriva is celebrated in the Puranas for rescuing the Vedas  from the demons Madhu and Kaitabha and teaching them again to Brahma. Symbolically, the story of Hayagriva represents the triumph of pure knowledge, guided by the hand of God, over darkness. Hayagriva is a very important deity in the Vaishnava tradition. Special worship is conducted on the day of the full moon in August (Sravana-Paurnami) and on Mahanavami, the ninth day of the Navaratri festival. Quoting @smithakalluraya ,a Goldsmith was trying to make an Idol of Lord Ganesha but each time, the Idol ended up with a horse’s head. He tried melting and remolding the idol a number of times but still the idol ended up with horse’s head. Ultimately he got tired of the ordeal and threw away the Idol. On the same night Lord Hayagreeva appeared Sri Vadiraja’s dream, and asked him to retrieve the idol that was thrown away  by the goldsmith and worship it. Lord Hayagriva also appeared in the goldsmith’s dream and asked him to become the disciple of Sri Vadiraja. Since lentils is a favorite with horses, SriVadiraja, made an offering of chana dal cooked with jaggery and coconut. This mixture of lentils and jaggery is actually called as maddi in Kannada. Since then, this maddi is also called as Hayagriva. It is also believed that Lord Vishnu appeared as a White horse and eat the Hayagriva prasadom made by Sri Vadiraja .Though some accounts say it was just kollu ( horse gram) which was eaten by Hayagriva. Nevertheless I was happy to come across some at @tksiyengars, which was almost like a halwa with some of the chana dal still retaining its shape and flavored with camphor which is a very Iyengar thing . Almost like the puran inside a poli, I quite relished it. A staple for Madhwa Brahmins, you wouldn't usually find these restaurants in the other uru nearby. #foodloose #hayagriva #maddi #iyengar #prasadam #vegetarian #hoysala #mysuru (at Tks Iyengar's Tradiational Iyengar Kitchen) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKRZApxl3hh/?igshid=1hijxtxsgri92

[foodloosein]

I was walking in search of a small hole in the wall hotel for breakfast in the morning. Unfortunately it was shut, but in the process , I came across this small, but amazing shop @purehoney17 selling a gazillion types of Honey ranging from forest to orange blossom to jamun to small bee and what not . This is the amazing thing about Kerala , the general semi urban nature and educated populace ensures that you get unique stuff even in small towns like Thalassery. The owner Dilshad takes pride in the diligent sourcing he does and even offers a reward of 10k if you can prove any of the things he sells is adulterated. I particularly liked the acacia honey from Kashmir which was golden in color and unique flavored. The Karanj honey from Bihar was rather unique too. I eventually bought some Kattu Thaen ( Forest Honey ) from Wayanad since go local is my mantra. P.S Garlic soaked in honey is a very Kerala home remedy used to lower LDL ( Low Density Lipoprotein), the cholesterol which clogs your arteries. #foodloose #purehoney #thaen #honey #honeymoon #wildhoney #apiary #honeybee #thalassery #deliciousgram #organic #pure #telicherry #smallbusiness #golocal #malabar #kannur #beautifulday #sunday #find #supportsmallbusiness (at PURE HONEY) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKIrmjfF1xa/?igshid=pjv1o7lzq4ch

[foodloosein]

A place which changed the world history for better or for worse. Scroll the pix to know what it is. #foodloose #travelstories #kappad #português #voyage #colonialism #calicut #zamorins #worldhistory #beautiful #beautifulday #sunnyevening #beachside #coastalliving #whitesands #malabar #coast #beachvibes🌴🌊 (at Kappad Beach, Calicut) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKF27SfFs6x/?igshid=7l1fa2tw3whf

[foodloosein]

One thing Calicut has in common with Madurai is that both places have an iconic place named Amma Mess. While Malabar Muslim places dominate the scene , this is one of the few Thiyya style lunch places which serve fish curry meals with a choice of fish fry.The lunch meals is just 50 bucks with achinga mezhukkupuratti ( stirfried snake beans) , vellarikka ( cucumber) kichadi, vendakka curry ( okra in tomato) , mango pickle , fish curry and a delicious manja ( yellow) curry with tomato & coconut. What makes this place unique is their style of frying fish in a generous oil of coconut oil which doesn't caramelize much but retains the flavor of shallots and red chillies. So this is exactly how my vegetarian grandmother used to fry and I used to rib her saying how she doesn't know how to do the real deal. Ironically I have now come to a restaurant to eat its much vouched fried fish which has also has some things in common with Mangalore style masala fry. I had an option between Chemballi ( Mangrove Red Snapper & Ayakoora ( King Fish). I chose the former as I like eating more diverse fish. This is called Tamoshi in Goa & Sengoduva in Tamil Nadu. This is also the same fish that @savyarasa called Sankara meen as, which is infact Threadfin bream , similar looking, but quite dissimilar in flavor! #foodloose #mangrove #redsnapper #fishfry #meen #porichathu #thiyya #oonu #deliciousgram #kozhikode #ammamess #malabar #naadan #bhakshanam #food52 #foodie #ila #meals #pappadom #chemballi #fish (at Amma Mess) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKB4nHSl9i-/?igshid=ltr5ppxtebln

[foodloosein]

One thing Calicut has in common with Madurai is that both places have an iconic place named Amma Mess. While Malabar Muslim places dominate the scene , this is one of the few Thiyya style lunch places which serve fish curry meals with a choice of fish fry.The lunch meals is just 50 bucks with achinga mezhukkupuratti ( stirfried snake beans) , vellarikka ( cucumber) kichadi, vendakka curry ( okra in tomato) , mango pickle , fish curry and a delicious manja ( yellow) curry with tomato & coconut. What makes this place unique is their style of frying fish in a generous oil of coconut oil which doesn't caramelize much but retains the flavor of shallots and red chillies. So this is exactly how my vegetarian grandmother used to fry and I used to rib her saying how she doesn't know how to do the real deal. Ironically I have now come to a restaurant to eat its much vouched fried fish which has also has some things in common with Mangalore style masala fry. I had an option between Chemballi ( Mangrove Red Snapper & Ayakoora ( King Fish). I chose the former as I like eating more diverse fish. This is called Tamoshi in Goa & Sengoduva in Tamil Nadu. This is also the same fish that @savyarasa called Sankara meen as, which is infact Threadfin bream , similar looking, but quite dissimilar in flavor! #foodloose #mangrove #redsnapper #fishfry #meen #porichathu #thiyya #oonu #deliciousgram #kozhikode #ammamess #malabar #naadan #bhakshanam #food52 #foodie #ila #meals #pappadom #chemballi #fish (at Amma Mess) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKB4nHSl9i-/?igshid=ltr5ppxtebln

[foodloosein]

A random sight in Kozhikode opposite a very iconic place . Guess which one ? #foodloose #puthiyara #kozhikode #lush #plantain #abandoned #jeep #keralam #malabar #tapioca #iconic #january #midnoon #afternoon #capture #urbanlife #lonelyplanet #keralatourism (at Puthiyara) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKA5aY1F6nk/?igshid=18ttxz02l49yd

[foodloosein]

A random sight in Kozhikode opposite a very iconic place . Guess which one ? #foodloose #puthiyara #kozhikode #lush #plantain #abandoned #jeep #keralam #malabar #tapioca #iconic #january #midnoon #afternoon #capture #urbanlife #lonelyplanet #keralatourism (at Puthiyara) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKA5aY1F6nk/?igshid=18ttxz02l49yd

[foodloosein]

Vasco Da Gama , when he landed in Kappad Beach , north of Calicut in 1498, changed the course of history as well as food of Indian subcontinent forever. Even before that the Malabar coast was a hot bed of trade with the Chinese, Arabs Egyptians & Malays . So it should be no surprise the Malabar cuisine is so rich and it is imperative that I start with coastal food odyssey with the capital of Zamorins - Kozhikode. The mini marathon was as follows. 1)Koonthal ( Squid)Biriyani & Kada Porichathu ( Fried Quail)at Rahmath - While Beef Biriyani is the crowd favorite, I fancy the seafood ones more interesting. The delicately spiced Kaima rice & the melt in mouth squids are a nice jugalbandi with the trio of Raita, lime Pickle and coconut chutney. 2)Meen Pathiri ( Fish Pathiri) at Zains- Steamed Rice Bread stuffed with fried Pomfret flesh 3)Gazillion Aluvas ( Halwa) at Mittayi Theruvu ( Sweet Meat Street)- Halwas I'm every flavor from tender coconut to pineapple to even pomegranate and grapes 4) Ice Orathi at Beach - Calicut's version of Ais Kacang with pickles, Beets, peanuts, roasted bengal gram and tooty frooty 5) Ari Kadukka ( Stuffed Mussels ) & Spiced Quail eggs at the Beach 6) Kalanthan Fruit Shop's Sharjah Shake ,supposedly the inventor of the malt based banana and peanut milkshake 7) Chicken Pav at Zains Not how remarkably different the food is from that of Kochi or Mangaluru . A melting pot of cultures which has resulted in the wondrous cuisine of Malabar. No it is not molee or Mappas or Parantha! #foodloose #kozhikode #foodwalk #foodporn #foodgasm #malabar #calicut #biriyani #arikadukka #meen #pathiri #ice #orathi #kadukka #mussels #koonthal #squid #sharjahshake #kalanthan #mittayitheruvu (at Calicut, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ-TqFsl9yV/?igshid=vsl0h6yzkvwr

[foodloosein]

കൊച്ചി കായലോര കാഴ്ചകള്‍! #keralatourism #keralagodsowncountry #queenofthearabiansea #kochi #kochigram #kayaloram #backwaters #kayal #theeram #roadtrip #railjourney #pictureoftheday #instagood #goodmorningindia (at Kochi, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ7usVVlwi6/?igshid=19fswivu8qk25

[foodloosein]

The first time I ever had dhuska was in the Jharkhand stall of Saras Aajeevika mela and I instantly fell in love with the vada kinda flavor. Later when I traveled to Ranchi, this is one of the few local foods which you can sample there , served in sal leaf plates . So since it is a rainy morning with a nip in the air , we made Dhuska. Dhuska is made from a fermented batter of rice, black gram ( urad dal), bengal gram ( chana dal) spiced with carom seeds ( ajwain), cumin ( jeera) , turmeric, ginger & green chillies). The right amount of fermentation is critical for the spongy texture inside and the rice ensures that it retains shape even after frying. Dhuska is typically had with a thin potato curry or kala channa ( black chickpeas) . I don't particularly fancy that so made an Andhra style aloo besan curry which is very similar to the urulakizhangu podimas we make , with the exception of cumin & kadala maavu. One thing which is usually served with Bedmi Puri in Uttar Pradesh which I love is Khatta Meetha Kaddu. It is a sweet and sour pumpkin dish which is a halwai favorite. Contrary to popular perception, our national vegetable is not even native to Asia . It is believed to have originated in North America and it reached our shores so many centuries ago that by now it has pretty much become our own. I have tried to follow @nishamadhulika_cooks 'recipe but I have also tweaked it keeping in mind the delicious version @sangeetaamkhanna which had a pronounced tang from amchur and spice from red chillies. It is rather clean tasting with no cumin or coriander and for Sweetness, I added some jaggery. Safe to stay, the meal was a super hit with the whole family including my grandmother to whom I was just narrating the recipe and she remarked she will use tamarind instead of amchur as dried mango powder is something which she had never heard of! #foodloose #veganbreakfast #veganism #glutenfree #dhuska #besanaloo #khattameetha #kaddu #plantfood #vegano #plantfood #veganfoodgasm #jharkhand #ranchi #homemade #rainymorning #deepfried #delicious #food52grams (at Trivandrum, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ2eqABlsdw/?igshid=bufzxkt1ujtm

[foodloosein]

While Ajanta , Ellora & Elephanta are world famous, little did I know , there is an older , equally picturesque cave temple in Kanyakumari district called Chitharal Malai . Just around 4 km from Kuzhithurai, it is very close to Kerala border. A short hike with panoramic views of the Western Ghats, it is supposed to have been completed in 6 AD. With Easterling still yielding some rain, we had a good time at the top of the rock. It is still not in the tourist radar, but excellently maintained by ASI. #chitharal #malai #kovil #jain #temple #jainism #rockcut #mahavira #architecture #rockcut #sculpture #beautiful #kanyakumari #tamilnadu #hilltop #natgeoindia #lonelyplanet (at Chitharal Malai Kovil) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ08a7bl2dV/?igshid=er3rkx24twne

[foodloosein]

Thing with my mom is she just can't remember what is my actual date of birth. She believes only in piranaal , the star in the Malayalam calendar month you were born . Since piranaal would vary every year , my birthday celebration would also vary every year . This is the first time ever in the 3 decades I have spent on this planet , she has baked a birthday cake for me and the cherry on the cake is that my grandmother is also with us. This would have never happened in BC times. Thank you amma and achan for making this special for me. #feelingblessed #happybirthday #pirannaal #orangecake #creamcheese #frosting #boysofinstagram #instadaily #gloriousthirties #thirties #newtwenties #homebaked #trivandrum #twinkstagram (at Trivandrum, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJx3YDvF9FD/?igshid=18evmz9zb2ceu

[foodloosein]

The other day I wrote about the new age entrepreneurs. Today is about something where times seems to have stood still, I walked into the Karamana Agrahaaram which has been one of the historical settlements of Tamil Brahmins here as part of a food walk for someone . Thid area which is trying to revive Samsriktham ( Sanskrit) by learning and teaching . One of the oldest places for food is Hotel Annapurna which is famous for its menu in Samskritham. If not for the tharjama ( translation), you would be wracking your brains what shaalyaapupam or Bharjja is. I had some ദോശ ( Dosha), Rasa Soopavadakam . The sambaar was typical Tam Brahm style with coconut. There was a thick coconut chutney and as well as a loose Kerala style chammandi. What is very unique about this place though is their Vella Bonda served with katti chammandi and Mulaku curry. Unlike the usual bondas it has no turmeric. It is like an Assamese Aloo Pitika with semi mashed potato, raw onions ,coriander , green chillies and a pinch of asafoetida ( heeng) which is then batter fried , a recipe of Tamil Brahmins here making it very zingy. The mulaku curry which comes along with it is also very unique with banana peppers, , tamarind and other spices.Fascinating the whole place is with their coffee shops, grinding mills and even the plantain market. #karamana #thaliyal #foodloose #bharjja #sanskrit #village #samskritham #soopavadakam #annapoorna #agraharam #tamilbrahmin #divine #vellabonda #bonda #vegansnack #trivandrum #eatclean #deepfried #heritage #foodwalk (at Thaliyal, Karamana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJvHk8-FIit/?igshid=17mgpk65hje3k