Nilaya vidhwan !

My  Nilaya vidwan!

I often stand arms akimbo in front of the grocery cabinets, refrigerator, freezer when either they are

  1) overflowing with near expiry cartons which run up my guilt meter or

 2) nearing re-order levels

 Add to these -Friday evenings, when you throw all routines away, Saturday mornings when your limbs refuse to co-operate, Sunday nights when you want to conserve all the energy for the next week ...SIGH ..Not to mention the days when you have to cook for just yourself!

These are times when " what to cook ?" becomes an overwhelming, brain- crunching, and to an extent scary thought, .with four hungry mouths to be fed.

During  BC period ( before children !) I used to call up G and say "surprise !! for dinner " on such days ..only to reveal my sly but strategic plan of eating out while he goes sniffing into a clean, long-since used , dry kitchen looking for the surprise !!!

Guess , I am not alone here .

Writers ' find themselves at a point when they run out of ideas ..Writers' block.

AIR has a panel of artists on rolls for such days ..Nilaya Vidhwan!

25 years down memory lane ....

" Indraya Kaalai Malaril Bhakthi paadalgal paada irupathu namathu Nilaya vidhwan Thiru .Kumbakonam Swaminathan avargal "

My "Nilaya Vidhwan" is the ubiquitous Upma - Rava upma ! Neyar viruppam - from Sash and Shaks -"Amma, no vegetables, only plain onion and vellayya !"

Here I go ! And I owe the success of this recipe to my M-I-L which is a hit everytime and anytime.

A few secrets that my M-I-L shared ...

§  roast rava very lightly without changing the colour

§  boil water separately -it is always water over rava and never rava into the water!

§  add a big scoop of fresh curd to the boiling upma

§  add a spoonful of ghee to the water!