Statuotary Warning - The following piece contains an unfair amount of the tamil language for an (apparently) english post. Those who fear comprehension, may stop right here. To those of you who do understand tamil, beware, your stomach might just grumble a little louder than usual ;-)
My hippocampus is still alive with the memory of my mom and our neighbour aunty packing thair sadam and elumchampazham sadam (lemon rice) on one of our trips to some national park in Kenya when i was around 4 or 5...the bond between thair sadam and me (actually, every tamilian) goes back a long way! But never did i realise its
significance till a few years back. Infact, there was a time i'd just not like the look of it. However, as the years flew by, i realised no dish really imparts the satisfaction of having eaten thair sadam, not too pulippu, preferrably thallichufied (i dont know how to translate that, sorry!), with something to go with it. The exact scene that's playing in my head right now is this - My mom used to give my bro and I balls of thair sadam in our palms, so that we couldn put it into our mouths by ourselves when we were kids. She'd make a kuzhi (hole) in the rice, and fill it with a few drops of sambar/some kozhambu, and we'd adachufy (stuff) the whole thing into our mouths, making our cheeks wet with the curd, and giving ourselves white meesais!The last vaai (mouthful) was always called the yaanai-kutty-vaai (baby elephant mouthful!), because it'd be extra small! (back then, we were innocent of the superstition that the one who gets the last mouthful is blessed with a good spouse! See my mom is a very wise woman, she knew what to teach kids, and what not to!). *sigh* feels like that incident happened in another age, in someone else's life now!
Now getting on with life... and this post! The best thing about thair sadam is that it can be eating with almost anything! Salty or sweet, bitter or otherwise! Here are some combos i love and don't really love so much...
(for convenience, i'm going to call thair sadam TS)
TS + Urga (pickle) - This has to come first in the combos, most definitely because it is one of the most heavenly combinations on earth! My personal favourite is aavakai urga, though alot of people prefer lemon, or garlic, or ginger! Nothing to beat aavakai, that too from my periamma's house!
TS + Mor molagai/vepala katti - If you're a tamilian, and don't know what either mean, i suggest you consult your paati! I rate both these equally with thair sadam. Though i'm sure my bro would go in for the former. Aah i can almost taste it!! Damn!
TS + some kozhambu - The kozhambu's can be - sambar, vethal kuzhambu, ara puli kozhambu, molagu kozhambu, porucha kozhambu, and the list goes on! For best outcome on the tongue, one must put a drop of kozhambu on the small amount of TS that is already on the fingers, ready to be taken into the mouth!
TS + Mambazham (mangoes) - This is my thatha's personal favourite, though i find the whole combination revolting!
Now to my favourites...
TS + Rasam - Ridiculous? Thats what alot of people think! They find it impossible to believe that i can eat thair sadam and rasam! Anyway, it appeals no end to my taste buds! Better if the rasam has alot of puli (tamarind) and tomatoes, and alot of kadugu (mustard)!
TS + Namutha appalam/chips - This again, people find weird. I've been a fan of namutha appalam (softened/non-crisp appalam) forever now! And i love its cloth like appearance and feel when its soaked in the TS and the slightly salty taste it imparts to the curd! *heaven* And chips also ofcourse...! Potato chips with TS :D :D
TS + Rasam + Appalam - This beats the above 2!
My stomach has got this funny mechanism...whenever i over-eat, i start hiccoughing! And most of the times, when my meal ends with the last combo, i end up holding my breath to stop my hiccoughs! Such be my fondness for the king of all south indian dishes ;-)
You could add on more combos in the comments section!
Yours "TS the best of all"ly
Signing off...
12 comments:
Lol, thair sadam is one of my favs. too, but only Amma pasanja Malavika apts. thair , I won't eat anything else :P and that's my standard dinner and I like it with vadumanga ras / vendaikai/kathrikai the best. Kozhambu is ok, but i don't it with anything else and I love namutha appalam too :D and TS + Rasam is ridiculous I wonder how a combo of TS with urga, mor molaga, veppala katti, some kozhambu, mambazham, rasam, namutha appalam and chips would be but am not willing to try it out :P
Wont eat any other TS huh? over idhulaam!! That combo wud be quite something, but no, i wouldn want to try it out either! I think limited combination has betetr taste ;-) wat say? :P
and i hate kathrikai. Though i do love TS with urlai curry!
I don't like any other thair over I know what to do. ah well, I dunno, maybe it'll be good, the whole combo I mean. and I dunno why SO many people hate kathrikkai?
The combo might be good aah? I think it'll end up tasting like some chaat item! Cuz u'll have all flavours! And chips to add to the crisp-ness...pah!! Lol...we could always add raw onions and tomatoes. Maybe now u want to try it! :P
I just hate kathrikai. I dono y others do!
Lol, yeah maybe I don't mind. and hiccups don't go for me if I hold my breath :|
they dont? maybe u shud try closing your ears, nose, and mouth at the same time...if u want, i'll give u a demo the next time i meet u ;-)
Lol, what happens to the eyes? no role to play?
I usually try and close them too ;) But since they're my only connection to the outer world during those few moments of solitary non-breathing-ness, i try my best to leave them open ;)
Lol..
:D
TS= Tekkuluru Srinivasa? :D
wait... :shifty eyes:
tsb - You wish!
:P
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