Panfusine

Facebook seems to be better at keeping track of my recipes than I do. they promptly reminded me of the very first time I made latkes way back in 2010. a South Indian style recipe spiced with turmeric, chili powder and a pinch of hing . those were my nostalgic day of my faithful Canon point and shoot (my kid decided to literally prod it until it  conked out). My old kitchen with the Formica counter tops. When Le Creuset pots and pans were a dreamy luxury rather than a 'necessity' I have completely convinced myself of, not to mention filled my redone kitchen with so much that I've moved some of the bigger pans down to the basement - And they're the best investment I've made when it comes to Kitchen gadgets. As they say in Hindi - Poora Paisa Vasool (complete value for money). 5 years down the line, I felt the need to move away from the root vegetables and zucchini Latkes seems to be done to death. I'd already gone completely esoteric with Banana stem Latkes...

Seems like like just yesterday, when I was on the phone with my cousin Uma from Ohio and this seemingly scatterbrained idea came to my head of making a 'different' set of Diwali goodies. and just as a semi tipsy individual is bound to let loose a string of nonsensical ideas, there I was, doing something similar, thanks to the giddy euphoria that only a newbie blogger can possess. 'Lavender Badam Halwa, Lehiyam, no wait, Let me make that Lehiyam truffles' shot off my motor mouthed brain,  with little thought given to whether it was even possible.. But then, those very random thoughts are the kernels of what have turned out to be some of my favorite recipes that have become a part of my annual Diwali Tradition. Diwali is the jewel in the crown of all Indian Festivals, literally, the festival of lights, It signifies the return of Ram, the Prince of Ayodhya to claim his rightful place as king after defeating the demon King of Lanka, Ravana, who had abducted Sit...

Its a refreshing change to get back into the obsessive cooking mode after an extended slump brought about by a general saturation of food related over stimulation of the nervous system. At the same time I realize that since 2010, over three Diwali celebrations I may just have ended up 'panfusining' most of the traditional dishes that my family generally serves up. Here's a recap: Maa Ladoo: An unbelievably simple confection consisting of fresh ground Garbanzo flour, sugar and ghee flavored with a touch of Cardamom & Saffron. Lehiyam Truffles: The traditional antidote to heavy Diwali indulgence. Hazelnut and Almond 'Cake' : A burfi using hazelnuts, something that does not figure in any Indian Dishes. and somethings that are great just the way mommy made them, like the rice chakli known as 'Vella Thenkozhal'  Okkarai health bars was one of my earliest experiments for Panfusine and there was a phase when I kept making batch after batc...

Its that time of the year again, Diwali, a.k.a the festival of lights.. The brain rewinds to memories from long ago of childhood, the aroma of Diwali savories deep frying in a variety of oils, Peanut oil for the 'mixtures' (as chivda is known down south) & 'omappodi' , coconut oil for the 'murukku' & 'thenkozhal' and lots and lots of ghee for the sweet stuff. Every family had  (& still does) its traditional set of munchies. My favorite memories are that of waking up from my afternoon nap to the aroma of curry leaves being sauteed with asafetida to be added to the 'Miccher' (mixture). There would be a one foot high hill of various ingredients piled high on layers of newspaper to be mixed by hand before being ladled into the large stainless steel containers.(to be unopened, preferably, until Diwali Eve. Yeah, like that curfew was ever obeyed!!). Fast forward to this century...Start the Car, drive to Edison , NJ , pick up boxes of ...