On Indian family life & getting back into the kitchen!

Making chapatis! Milking a coconut! Fishing! Biking! Canoeing! Wearing a sari! Being adopted! Meeting Seattle friends! And, just hanging out...

**Unfortunately, I don't have access to any of my own photos right now as I'm having a "memory card problem" - ARGH! technology! - but I will post a few stock images to give you an idea of what it looks like here.**

These are just a few of the things that I did the past three days in Kerala. It all started with a wonderful family in the Allepey area, which is located at the north end of the famed Kerala backwaters. Joseph Thomas, and his wife Sally, and two children Liji (F, 16) and Lijo (M, 18), welcomed me into their house as a guest, and as a friend. There is a growing industry of "home stays" in India, and I must say that if you are given an opportunity to do it, DO! The photo at right looks very much like the view from their home.

The house is situated about 9km east of Allepey, in a rural area. It was fairly small, though it had four bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a living room and a kitchen. Across the very narrow red dirt street (accessible only by rickshaw, or foot - not cars), they have five acres of rice fields. Though the fields were harvested just eight weeks ago, the beautiful green of the new growth was stunning. Incidentally, the family needs about one acre of rice to fulfill their own rice needs for the year, and they sell the rest.


I arrived on Friday afternoon, and I sat down on their front porch and they brought me the best cup of chai I've had yet in India (made with fresh cardamom and ginger!), and a delicious banana fritter. As I was soaking in the scenery Joseph asked me if I would like to take a canoe ride. Yes! Yes! So off I went with the other guest at the house, Hamish (a British architect who looked an awful lot like Hugh Grant - yum!). The scenery was fantastic, and the ambience very peaceful. The backwaters are a series of mostly freshwater canals that run like a maze through the Kerala lowlands and are fed by a river. There are many ways of getting around this area including public ferry, private ferry and - most expensively - the private boats. They are huge, and when you see a photo like this one, you might think, wow, that looks luxurious and fun! But in reality, the huge boats are filthy pollution machines, and the tourists on them look a little spoiled. I have to admit though, I wouldn't have minded being one of those tourists, incognito of course!

The next day, I relaxed all day long. I sat on the porch, read my book, journaled, napped, and took a bike ride to explore the neighborhood. Blissful relaxation! Late in the afternoon, I walked into the kitchen where I could hear Sally preparing dinner. The kitchen included one wood stove (the wood and flame were visible), about six feet of counter space, a very small sink, and a small countertop variety gas-powered stove. I asked her if I could help with dinner, and she agreed. I was in heaven! Here's a few simple recipes to share...

Authentic Keralan Chapatis:
1 small, very ripe (soft) banana
A pinch or two of salt
--mix these two items together
Maybe 2-3 cups of wheat flour
Water (add it slowly until it can form one large heavy dough ball)

After letting the dough sit, covered, for about an hour, begin forming small balls, approximately 1.5 inches across. Then, roll the dough out into small circles, and each time you roll, add a little flour and turn it over. Only one roll per side, per time, and always more flour! Do this until the chapatis are about six inches across. On a hot skillet (medium heat, no oil) add the chapati and let it cook for about 30 seconds per side. Then, move the chapati to a separate skillet, that is slightly hotter, and turn it constantly for about 2 minutes - no more than 2-3 seconds per side. The two skillet method allows you to keep the chapati production line moving quickly! That's all there is to it.

We used the chapati's to eat our dinner. No forks. You just tear off a piece of the delicious bread and swab up the yumminess that's there. This night, it was egg curry, green beans cooked with fresh shredded coconut, mango pickle and shredded carrot salad. It was soooo good!

Did you know that coconuts do not have milk inside of them? I didn't! In order to make your own fresh coconut milk, it's quite simple. First you take fresh, unsweetened, shredded coconut meat and put it into the blender with some water. Blend, then strain (reserve the first press), then do this two more times with the same coconut. When making curry, simmer the curry with the second and third press, and then add the first press - which is the creamiest by far - at the last minute before serving. So simple, and quite delicious!

The next day I volunteered my new found skills in the kitchen for breakfast and dinner! Cooking is one of the activities that I miss most about home, so having this opportunity to cook and learn was a true joy.

One evening after dinner, Sally asked if I'd like to try on a sari and I responded with an enthusiastic yes! It was so much fun to get tended to as this beautiful 18' long piece of silk was wrapped around me in the traditional style. I just might have to get a sari and send it home before I leave India!

A wonderful surprise of this trip was the opportunity to meet up with Ciscoe & Mary Morris, two friends from Seattle who were also in South India. They ended up spending one night at the Joseph residence with me, and they agreed that it was the best lodging experience they'd had yet in India! It was fun to see them, share travel experiences and catch up on life.

When I left the house, Sally and Joseph kissed me and told me that I was now family and was asked to please send photos of my visit. Hopfully, my photos will soon be recovered from my currently malfunctioning memory card, and I will be able to do that in the very near future.

Happy 2009! May it be filled with laughter, love, peace, good health and new experiences.

Love,
Pam