Sour Cream and Spilt Milk: THE ABANDONED HUSBAND’S GUIDE TO SURVIVAL.

Next Chapter: 11.07.2014.

Sour Cream and Spilt Milk: THE ABANDONED HUSBAND’S GUIDE TO SURVIVAL.

Ask any Tambram what was their very first favorite dish as a baby and you’ll be told:

“Thachchi Mammu with sugar and an Applam crumpled into it!”

At a printing press I used to work in, Tanner, the printer -  an Anglo-Indian, always addressed his assistant, Gopalakrishnan thus:

“Daai, Thaiyarsaatham, Bring off the ink here man.”

The story also goes that when Bill Gates enquired how such a large number of Scientists / Engineers came from just two places – Triplicane and Srirangam, he was told:

“Their forefathers grew up in MoreKozhumbu, Mandai-Masala and Mathematics.”

Well, I think the “Mandai Masala” part is a bit harsh. This is colloquial reference to “Madras Snuff” – the only Tobacco addiction the old Tambram geezers were allowed. Though I do remember a few of these old “Maamaas” contentedly leaning back on their “Planter Chairs” and enjoying a violent sneezing session after a good “Toke” of “M.S.” from its tiny tin box. In fact, I once conned a white hippie with a box of MS Snuff as “Indian Cocaine”. But the Snuff Users were actually few and far between.

But “Thaiyarsaatham” (Curd- Rice) and Thaiyar (Curd or as Westerners / ABCDs, n.th Generation South Indians know as “Yoghurt”), has been a part of our life – sometimes our staple diet – sometimes the only diet (ABANDONED HUSBANDS, PLEASE NOTE!!”)

The saddest story I ever heard is of Srinivas Ramanujam, the brilliant Mathematician, who died of pneumonia, malnutrition, the cold and, importantly, because of his “Food Dogmas”.

He tried to live three years at Oxford (or Cambridge) on a diet of “Thaiyarsaatham” and a few “Applams” which a local Indian Restaurant in England gave him.

Curd and milk are very much a part of India since Vedic times. The “holy Cow” has iconic status. Ancient Vedic rituals involve the use of both milk and curd. And, butter and ghee too.

In the “Upanayanam” or “Sacred thread ceremony”, a very important part is that the initiate has to consume a bowl of curd mixed with dung from a calf. The presiding priest would then have to convince the young lad that there was only a tiny trace of dung and anyway, he need only take three symbolic sips.

Milk, we are told composes three parts – Liquids, Fats and Milk Solids. Curd or Thaiyar is better known as “Yoghurt” to ABCDs, n-th generation PIOs and even several convent educated Indians. Curd is formed when bacteria live and consume the milk. This process can happen normally from bacteria found in the air and milk can go “bad” or split within a day or two depending whether you are in Chennai or Bangalore.

However, it is possible to speed up the process by introducing specific strains of bacteria to warm milk. The milk will curdle into good and tasty yoghurt overnight.

Fresh cow’s milk consists of about 7 to 11 % fat, 1 to 3 % non-fat solids and the rest is water with a few dissolved salts.

Making Curd is one way of splitting the three components. My mother had kind of perfected this. She would put the milk to set into curds – a process which started with boiled milk. The hot milk would be shuffled - “Aathified” between two vessels so that a strong froth built up and the milk cooled to “the temperature of blood”. Then she would pour it into a ceramic curd vessel and add a teaspoon of curd from the previous day’s stock.

Since each day’s “Starter Culture” of Lactobacilli came from the previous day’s curd, over a period of time, each household’s curd acquired its own taste. I have heard a theory that the Bacteria, being a living organism is also quite sensitive to the harmony level in a given household. In a disharmonious household, the curds would form quite sour or even bitter, while in a happy home; the curd would turn out sweet and firm. I don’t believe this.

Next day the curd would have formed – almost solid. The froth on top would become a layer of fat rich cream. This layer would be skimmed off and put into a glass Horlicks bottle and kept away in the Fridge. In about a week, the bottle would be full of cream ready for butter extraction. This was done by putting in some ice cubes and then, with the cap screwed on tight the bottle had to be vigorous shaken for at least half an hour.  My sisters and I were ever willing volunteers for this as we knew the final reward.

The butter which was thus collected – about 200 grams, was actually quite sour and not suitable as table butter. So it was boiled and melted down into “Ghee” or desiccated butter. As it boiled down, mother would add a sprig of leaves from the Drumstick tree. When the butter had completely boiled and lost all its water content, the ghee formed would be filtered and at the end a thick residue of the non-fat milk solids along with the fried Drumstick leaves would be left.

This is what we were waiting for. With a spoon of sugar mixed in, it was a tasty morsel and the bowl was happily licked clean.

The whey water “Butter Milk” which came out of this process was also very useful. It could be used in several ways – I’ve already described More Kali – in my earlier chapter “Jail Food”.

“More Kozhumbu” is a very Tambram kind of preparation. However there are near similarities in other cuisines too. The Kerala version is only slightly different adding the abundant spices that this southern state produces – pepper, cloves & cardamom. The Gujarati and Marathi version of this is known as “Kadi” in both cuisines. Only thing, the Gujus add sugar – as they do to almost every dish.

Here’s my own recipe for a good More Kozhumbu:

First prepare the dry parts of the masala:

Roast together – One Teaspoon each – Channa (Arhar / Tur) Dal, Urud Dal, Jeera, Dhania and only quarter teaspoon of Methi (Fenugreek). Also, add a few crystals of Asafetida. Once the dals have roasted to a nice red- brown, but not got burned black, take it off the fire.

Now take a couple of sprigs of green Dhania, a 2cm cubed piece of ginger, about 3 to 5 green chilies and a quarter of grated coconut. Add the roasted dals and grind to a thick paste in a mixer.

Put in the sour curds (at least 150 gms.) into a boiling vessel add the ball of masala prepared, add salt - not more than half teaspoon. Add “Thaan”. After boiling for a couple of minutes take off the stove and season it with only Mustard and Curry leaf.

“Thaan” is any solid vegetable added to liquid gravy – a must for Tambram cooking. “Never make a Sambhar or Kootu without Thaan”, my mother had told me. One story goes that a poor and devout Brahmin family was visited by Lord Vishnu in disguise. Having no ingredients to make a Sambhar (Gravy), the wife dropped a round pebble into the boiling water and Hey Presto, the water miraculously turned into a full bodied, tasty spiced Sambhar!

Some of you may remember the other version – if you have been reading Amar Chitra Katha comics. A soldier returning home requested a family to let him rest for a while, they agreed but told him he would have to cook his own meal. So he asked for a pot to boil water in. Then he put in a round pebble he pulled out from his pocket. When the water boiled, he tasted a bit of it and pronounced: “Quite Tasty, but a few onions will improve it vastly. The family, now interested in this little culinary experiment gave him a few onions readily. Then he tasted again and further suggested that some chillies and spices would be ideal. These too the family rushed to provide. In the process he added dals, vegetables, oil; salt etc. till the gravy was done. Everybody – the soldier and the curious onlookers had a most tasty repast till the pot got empty except for the pebble. The soldier picked up the pebble and returned it to his pocket – saying “Magic Pebble. I can’t part with it.”

For More Kozhumbu “Thaan”, there are two standard choices – White Pumpkin or “Sheppakhazhangu” – Colaco – a tuber. However, several other Vegetables can be used. Either need to be pre-boiled or pre cooked. I usually do this in the microwave. Add this to the boiling gravy and you won’t need to over-boil the gravy. After a first boil, take it off the stove and season it with a teaspoon of Mustard seeds and a sprig of Curry leaves fried in Gingili or Til Oil or “Nalla Yennai”.

“Aviyal” is a must in any Iyer / Iyengar Festival (Kalyana Saapaadu) – like marriages when several dishes would be made. Literally meaning “combination of many”, Aviyal is a vegetable side dish in which several different vegetables and fresh curd is used. I believe that the number must be odd – 3,5,7 or 9 different vegetables. So a very wide range of gourds, tubers, beans, green vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage, carrot, radishes can be used.

Aviyal is also very popular in Kerala. I am not surprised that a leading Rock Band – which plays a fusion of Western & Indian music call themselves “Aviyal”.

Dice the selected vegetables into 1 cm cubed bits– remember at least three or 5 or 7 different vegetables must be there. Boil these separately with salt added.

Now grind up a paste of Ginger – 2 cu.cm. Green Chilies – 3 to 5, Curry Leaves - a small sprig and a few crystals for Asafetida. For the Kerala Taste, you can add cardamom & clove – just two pods each. Mix the boiled vegetables with this paste and half a cup of fresh curds and serve.

Aviyal, unlike most other dishes, is NOT seasoned with mustard seeds and hot oil.

Fresh Curd is also used in several varieties of “Pachchaddi”.  This is a fresh salad, accompanying a full main meal. In North India, the equivalent dish is “Raitha”.

There are several items a Pachchaddi can be made of. The common one is Cucumber chopped fine or grated along with green mango – also chopped fine or grated. A few green chillies is also chopped very fine and about half a cup of fresh curd is added. As an option, Pachchaddi, unlike Aviyal can be also seasoned with the usual – Mustard, Urud & Channa Dals, Asafetida fried in Gingili or Til oil. Generally, all the vegetables are un-cooked, but a nice Pachchaddi can be made with crisply deep fried Ladies Finger or even Bitter Gourd.

If you visit any non-brahmin hotel like a “Kaka” (Keralite Muslim), Beef / Mutton / Chicken serving Muslim (Deccani) or a “Muniyaandi Vilas” or a “Hindu Military Hotel”, you are definite to be served a Pachchaddi of Curd, Onion sliced fine and Cucumber along with the Biriyani.

If you visit one of the many “Sher-e-Punjab” type Dhabbas along the National Highway, do insist on a “Raitha”, the North Indian Pachchaddi. Only choose Dhabbas with the authentic ambience of sitting on a “Charpoy” – a four legged string cot and the smoky Kitchen is in prominent view with all the aromas wafting in the wind.

Finally, though not truly a Tambram franchise, “Srikhand” is a very tasty sweet prepared from thick fresh curd. The thing is that the curd must be thick, fresh and have no sourness. Nowadays, some of the curd available on Super Market shelves is thick enough, but if it is not, put the curds in a wad of thin muslin cloth, hang it up and let some of the whey water drain out. This whey water can of course be used in More Kali, More Khozhumbu, More Rasam (or as we Iyengars say “Saathumadhu”) or just spiced into Salted Butter Milk.

Take the Thick Curd and to this add two pods of Cardamom - finely crushed, Sugar (up to quarter of the quantity of Curd) and a pinch of Saffron stalks. Beat up the Curds with a fork a little so that the ingredients mix.

Srikhand is a more a Mysore / North Karnataka / Maharashtra specialty. It is best eaten with Pooris – the only exception I have come across the length and breadth of India. Pooris are always eaten with some very spicy Curry, or a Chutney – except for this anomaly which I inherited from the “Mysore Iyengar” part of my ancestry.