Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Sweet and spicy mango pickle recipe

Sweet and spicy mango pickle recipe
I am not a foodie and have never applied myself to trying out new recipes till recently. Immediately after my wedding, I used to see my new relatives rallying around my mother-in-law for samples of her various pickles. My husband has always been a connoisseur of the  sweet and spicy  mango pickle which he would eat with rotis, bread and rice. Or even cream crackers/biscuits.
Whether I was interested or not, I asked my mum-in-law for the recipe and wrote it down in my almost-unopened diary. It languished there until I decided to experiment with this recipe. My husband chipped in with the washing, cutting and stirring.Imagine my surprise when I found that my experiment turned out to be a success!  My daughter loves this pickle as much as her father does. This pickle requires quite a bit of  preparation time. Here is the recipe for the sweet and spicy mango pickle:

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Kunchan Nambiar's memorial and house, Lakkidi, Palghat

Kunchan Nambiar's memorial and house, Lakkidi, Palghat
Amid the lush green paddy fields of Palghat district is the little village of Lakkidi, known as the birthplace of Kunchan Nambiar, one of Malayalam's greatest poets and satirists. Kunchan Nambiar was born on May 5th, 1700 and spent his very early years in Killikurissimangalam. His youth was spent at Ambalapuzha near Alleppey. He conceived the "thullal" form of  dance recital  when he was insulted at a "koothu" for falling asleep while playing the mizhavu (drum). He brought his own essence into this very creative art form and, to this day, the three forms of "thullal" namely, ottan thullal, seethankan thullal and parayan thullal are performed at various temples festivals and important stage performances.  He used the ottanthullal to parody prominent people and to spread  social messages.
His house, "Kalakathu Bhavanam" in Lakkidi - Killikurissimangalam- is maintained flawlessly. Read on for a description of our visit.

Sunday, April 06, 2014

In the beginning

I am Anna, a stay-at-home mum and housewife who feels strongly about a few things and would like to share them with other people who may be like-minded.
I have quite a few interests which keep me busy and out of trouble most of the time. I tend to lose myself in a good book and forget everything when I am in an antique shop. I have been collecting stamps since I was ten and, though it has become a bit rusty, the hobby is still very much a part of me. I am into British-India silver coins and have a few copper and nickel ones too. I adore English Literature and pursued it upto the postgraduate level.
I travel a bit and want to see what I can of my own country whenever possible. I will share some pretty nooks and crannies that I have discovered along with my husband.