Out Of The Garden

magical indeed ~ chitrannam ~ a festival of flavors

“Once upon a time, in a land far far away, there lived a beautiful princess…”

My dad used to begin our bedtime stories with those words.

I was thinking of him tonight after I made this festival rice. When I had thoroughly squeezed every drop of juice from the limes, I tucked the halves into the warm oven — and I realised — that was his trick! Something I had long forgotten came back to me in a rush — dad’s habit of placing empty grapefruit shells in the oven. The citrus scent wafts gently through the kitchen, perking up a wintry evening. One fond memory begats another; hence the recollection of ‘once upon a time’. 🙂

juicy limes ~ for chitrannam ~ and for the oven 😉

Once upon a time in a land not so far away, in fact right here at this very desk!,
I came upon Indira’s Mahanandi.

Oh, the joy! I was like a kid in a candy shop. I had just become interested in authentic Indian food. I wanted the real deal — things you couldn’t find in restaurants. I gobbled up Indira’s recipes and photos, the stories of tradition and innovation in her kitchen which she so willingly shared and continues to share.

garnishes for chitrannam ~ bathing in ghee

This is another of Indira’s traditional recipes which I have wanted to try for ages. When I finally decided it was time, I had a brand new bag of sona masoori rice, juicy limes, and some lovely fresh-as-can-be ghee.

Alas, true to my form, I had nothing for the *special* garnish.

No peanuts nor cashews.

Not even a lonely potato.

Still I forged onward, substituting charoli from the freezer for the nuts, and slicing baby brinjal from the weekend shopping foray in place of potato.

I was perfectly good. I used more than my usual ration of green chiles, as instructed. I soaked the chana dal. I timed the rice. I paid close attention to the tempering. I even used measuring spoons! I know I repeat myself when I say,
I should *really* follow recipes more often. The result was simply fantabulous,
in spite of the subs. First the citrus grabs you, then little dals crunch, brinjals softly melt, and charoli bathed in ghee adds a decadent flavor.
Spicy chiles bring up the rear; the numbing heat on your lips mingles with the sweet-tart, lingering lime and leaves your mouth literally watering for more.

I don’t know if I am the ‘chosen one’, but I am surely craving this rice again, even as I speak. Please visit Mahanandi for the real deal, and to see what I mean!

Dear Indira, I am sure there is magic in your hand.
Thank you for the recipe, and for your inspiration.
It continues to this day 🙂

Dear S, thank you for your Pongal wishes
(which gave me the courage to post this!!) 🙂

And dear Dad, thanks for the citrusy potpourri!
I love you so much, I’ll even let you have the first bite!! 😉

Happy Pongal ~ even if a wee bit late 🙂

pinks and daisy wish you a Happy Pongal too!

Check out Koki’s lovely Pongal Special!

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